We made an 0900h start from Golfech, because we had to pick up some guests for a short cruise at Valence d’Agen. But since we had done a u-turn when we arrived last night, we had to do another to get faced in the right direction for the day. This time I filmed the 180degree pivot turn on time-lapse.

We made the pickup at Valance d’Agen when Dede’s wife and two grandsons came on board. As they were boarding, the hotel barge Rosa came by. This was good news since that meant that the locks ahead of us would be set for us, with an empty lock waiting to be filled and take us up.

It didn’t take long for Pui and the two grandsons to settle into the barging life by sitting up the front and just watching and listening to the world go by. It’s amazing how quiet it is at the front of the barge; even though you’re only 15 metres away from the engine you can hardly hear it.

After we passed Pommevic, we pulled over to the side of the canal and tied up for morning coffee, since the kids were getting a bit restless (even though they were loving every minute of their big adventure). It was very peaceful here as illustrated by the canopy of the trees reflected in the water. But after a boat went by us, the turbulence from their wake turned the scene into one of modern art.

Sitting by the canal at this location highlighted the multi-purpose use of the canal, with cyclists going in one direction and many groups of Compostella walkers headed in the other direction.

After our guests were collected from the boat, we continued on and reached Moissac at 1530h, after which we immediately went down through the double-locks to moor on the River Tarn. We found ourselves in a cluster of three Piper barges (with Effie and Drumsara).

After settling in to our mooring, we went across to Dr. Lozat’s medical office to pick up the keys to La Maison, since they had already left for their summer vacation. We then did some much-needed shopping at Intermarche, and then Rita went swimming at Lac Molieres. Later in the day I went up to the Sunbeam Cafe for drinks with the rest of the bargees, and waited for Rita to arrive before ordering a pizza. My mistake! The proprietor, Jackie, decided it was too late to order pizzas, given that we had been sitting there for a couple of hours buying beers from him. Strange business logic! So we went home and had a simple dinner on the rear deck, but were rewarded by a typical Tarn sunset.

Since we had arrived back on July 13, we were treated to double-ended music at the Uvarium Parc, in honour of July 14th tomorrow. Near the Uvarium Cafe there there was a Traditional Ball with live music, and at the Moulin Restaurant at the other end there was music, artistic dance and fireworks. I took the opportunity to join Nic Gambier on the deck of Pomme de Mer, and have a quiet drink and a chat. The fireworks were a bit of a fizzer, and didn’t quite match the display we saw at Carcassonne last year on July 14. After the fireworks had finished, everyone returned to the Traditional Ball and the “oldies” danced on into the night.