The Journey -
Visitors on Rosy

I've just had a lovely few days with Stan and Judy Voets on board.

Stan and Judy are from California, and are keen canallers.  For the past few years they have spent a lot of time on the English canals, aboard their lovely narrow boat 'Blue Heron'.  They now fancy visiting Europe, and came over to see what it's all about

They arrived on Monday.  We had a short walk round Montargis, and visited a local supermarket to buy our supper.  Stan 'n' Judy were surprised at how cheap everything is in Euroland, so we bought two of most things.

In the evening we fired up the bbq, and had rabbit as the meaty dish.  Bernie and Kate on the ex-Thames tug 'Teal' joined us, so a fair amount of the amber nectar and some excellent claret was consumed, and the boaty aspects of the world were discussed in considerable detail.

Tuesday, therefore, was a late start.  I did the washing (in a launderette), whilst Stan and Judy explored the town some more.  In the afternoon we went to the internet cafe - located in the rail station buffet.

My winter in Briare was tarnished by not having regular access to the internet - I didn't know that a €13 return rail fare to Montargis would solve this problem.  Hence Briare is, once again, in the frame for overwintering.

We had another evening bbq - prawns and trout.

Just when we got back from shopping Vanessa appeared.  A very diffident 32 year old, ex-Cheltenham Ladies College, who has spent two or three years in Chichester harbour renovating a lovely old wooden sailing boat, and converting it to a gaff rigged cutter.  It still looks elderly.  The moorings were full, so she moored alongside Rosy.  She was suffering from a leaky stern gland (she referring to the boat, not Vanessa) so Bernie (who is/was a marine engineer) helped her out in the morning.  Her real problem was that the single cylinder 9hp engine was so flexibly mounted that the coupling to the prop-shaft was under severe stress.  Bernie improved matters considerably, but at some time she'll need to put in a good flexible coupling, such as a AquaDrive.

(For the curious, the 'stern gland' in a boat is a mechanical contrivance that allows the propellor shaft to pass through the under-water hull without letting water into the boat.  This is usually achieved via some cotton packing and some grease.  Vanessa was pumping grease into her stern gland, and was still getting water (and grease) squirted back into the bilges).

Wednesday is market day in Montargis, so we spent a couple of hours there - buying veggies, fruit (cherries and apricots) and cheese in the main.  Then off for a cruise, to take Stan and Judy through a couple of French locks, where we indulged in the zero-ropes policy quite successfully.

In the evening we drove over in their hire car to Briare, to see the Pont Canal (aqueduct).  It's 630 metres long, and Judy wanted to walk right across it.  So she did, whilst Stan and I stayed where we were and watched a spectacular sunset.  I then showed Stan and Judy where I'd moored over the winter, and they were much impressed by David Long's boat Falcon, which they heard so much about.  I also introduced them to MacKay of Strathnaver and Jess the Woof.

Thursday was a day out in the car to ... Chartres.  I've wanted to visit the Cathedral for many a long year, so, for me it was an ambition fulfilled - or nearly.  We had our initial look round, and then spent an hour with Malcolm Miller who has studied it for a long time.  I didn't know that some see the parable of the good Samaritan as a allegory of life, the universe and everything.  Unfortunately, you can't DO Chartres in three or four hours, so sometime I'll have to go back for a couple of weeks.  For those who have not been there, the stained glass windows are original 12th/13th century, and are magnificent - especially those that have been cleaned, though to fully appreciate them, an interpretational guide and a good pair of binoculars are needed.  The interior is not overly lighted, so that it remains dark and mysterious.  It gained fame when it acquired the silk sheet that Mary was wearing when Jesus was born.

Ah!!  Stan has a cunning system of route planning for car journeys.  He studies the map, chooses his route, and then runs a highlighter along it!!!  None of this plastic sheeting and china-graph pencils from my military map-reading days.

On Friday morning Stan and Judy left to see boats at St Jean de Losne, St Symphorien and, maybe, Roanne.  It was good to have them aboard.  I spent a few hours cleaning a brass porthole using the anti-calcium treatment, Shiny Sinks and Brasso.  The result is very good, so the other four portholes will eventually get done.

Saturday was a train-trip-to-Briare day, to collect mail which had just arrived (thanks Vron).

Up early on Sunday, and out to get essential supplies (bread and cherries) and to dispose of rubbish.  I put my plastic bag next to a John Lewis Partnership one - they get everywhere, don't they!! - and then off for a short cruise down to Cepoy.  Then today, Monday, another short day down to Neronville - a quiet mooring out in the countryside, and long way from nowhere.  I moored just before lunch, and have spent the afternoon watching ... the rain.

Toodle pip!!

Bill