Par Tout Les Temps...in all weathers

Day 8
Wednesday   3rd July 2013

Well, the barometer is never wrong. Yesterday we were celebrating the warmth and sunshine but noted the barometer had lowered. Surely the weather was turning and improving...........I heard the unwelcome sounds of hard rain overnight.

The morning revealed a very grey, somber and wet environment.

 

I took a photo of the working wiper blade...luckily...BEFORE it stopped! Our original problem had returned...a short perhaps? Had G installed the blade correctly....Whatever the reason, the consequence was the same....the slot in the biminee cover was opened the rain was invited in......

Greg commented just how well oiled the deck crew were. Hand signalling, anticipating, communicating and taking each step in the process with total commitment. .....but oh,I looked at the girls, donned in their wet weather jackets, Ali in her shorts, exposing her legs to the wind, wet and cold, both of them stooped with their hoods on, clutching their ropes...is this what they signed up for?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The girls have been a breath of fresh air. They remain upbeat, happy, engaged, diligent with their study and happy to reward themselves with game breaks. They laugh and banter together, so connected. It's been a pleasure to witness.

 

The automatic trigger didn't work at Lock No. 34. It required 2 phone calls by Ali and a technician to arrive in order to advance again...but 45 minutes were lost..of which 20 were needed to hit our target.

 

The quest to travel further never ceases. We are driven. Every day necessitates a mental fortitude to maximise every minute.
 

Every evening, the beer and nibbles break out, the weather typically settles and the pressure fades...overtaken by laughter, Canasta and the competitive spirit.

The rain had eased, it was on and off now....just like the wipers.....on and off again.. and when it really mattered, when the downpour arrived and we were trying to moor in a crowded marina in Stenay, alongside another boat, the wipers had ceased.

 

Our mooring at the marina in Stenay

Wiper blade repairs

Totals:

Locks: 10

Distance: 57 km

Overall: 479 out of 956

 

STENAY

Originally Celtic, it was one of the strongest fortresses of the valley after Sedan. It was successively owned by Dukes and Princes due to it's significant position, resulting in the taking and dismantling of the city.

It was from their headquarters at Stenay that the Germans lead their attacks on Verdun in World War 1.

Madeleines and Champagne biscuits were invented here in 1805.