LOCKED IN - LITERALLY

This morning we got up early ready for the off, back down the Canal du Rhône au Rhin towards our winter mooring, in a month or so. We don't have any time pressure except friends from UK are meeting us at a arranged location in 4 days. Whilst making Soraya ready for navigation, VNF (the canal authorities) were buzzing round more than usual. On enquiring what was happening I was informed there was unknown pollution in the canal and the pompiers (fire men) were being called.

The pollution!

No chance of Soraya moving for a while so engine off, time for coffee. 7 hours later I'm writing the blog. So far countless VNF staff have appeared, pompiers, gendarmes, cité administrative, pollution analysis personnel and recently fisheries department. The lock gates at either end of the pound we are in are double red light, so it's no movement. Let's hope they sort it out today, actually the pollution seems to be going, let's hope we can make up some time tomorrow.

Visually quite interesting pollution in long silk like strings.

Latest update; the Director is coming and he alone knows whether the pollution is toxic or not. I enquired if the canal would be open today, lots of hand movements and peut-êtres. I followed with how about tomorrow, more hand movements and more peut-êtres, we will have to see what the director thinks.