Cherbourg

Tatt av vinden
Bjørn Larsen
Fri 10 Jul 2009 16:40
Many people have told us that Cherbourg has no charm. The guide book says
that if this iws your port of entry in the area, you should go straight on.
But to us Cherbourg looks nice.

This morning we met again with Danish "Chilli". Danish Bjørn, who has sailed
alone, had a lot tougher time to get here than we had. Now he had got his
girlfriend onboard and seemed very happy. He told us about a replica of a
Norwegian viking ship lying in the inner harbour. On our walk around in the
city, we saw the boat, and went over to talk to the people. It proved to be
a replica of the Gokstad ship. The original is now in the Bygdøy museum in
Oslo. It was excavated in Sandefjord about a hundred years ago. Actually it
was found no more than a kilometer from where I grew up. The people on the
boat was about to take children from a psychiatric hospital out on a trip
for an hour and a half. When we just had said good bye, the English speaking
lady on the boat came running after us and asked if we wanted to join them.
Of course we accepted the invitation.

There was no sailing (which would take a crew of minimum 8), but it was
powered by two motors. If rowed, it would take 32 people with an oar each.
During the trip I got grip of the stearing. That was heavy work, but I soon
learned the trick. The tiller is 90 degrees to the heading of the boat. Two
hands on the tiller, a rope under my butt, tied between the aft and the
tiller. Pressing the rope brought the tiller back, and so the boat turned to
port. Pushinjg the tiller with my hands brought the tiller forward and
turned the boat to starboard. The captain preferred to do the harbour
manouvering himself though. And I am shure that was wise...