Seurre
Seascapes Travel Log
Michael Grew
Thu 26 May 2011 12:17
Suerre 24.05.2011 47:00:03N 05:08:60E
After breakfast we went shopping at the small supermarket then back to boat. Whilst making ready to leave, the German couple on the next boat asked if I would take a photo of them with their baby, on the boat. I agreed got off at the stern of âSeascapeâ and like an idiot walked straight into the butt end of our mast that was sticking out over the back. I was very lucky it missed my left eye but put a small cut over my eyebrow. I very nearly knocked myself out. I went over backwards on the pontoon crashing into the guard rail. If that hadnât have been there I would have had a ducking as well! Damn fool I should look where I was going. We cast off at 10:15hrs and pottered upstream on the River Saone in sunshine and a strong side wind, reaching Suerre at 13:00hrs. I was quite pleased that I was not too rusty at two skills I learnt last year. One was how to hover midstream in a current whilst waiting for a lock to open. And at Suerre we had to reverse into a tight space, across wind and current, so that we were stern-to to the pontoon. I made it on the second pass. Later on there was much amusement on the pontoon when some of the large bumper boats tried to reverse in. One nearly clouted our bow; fortunately Maureen saw him coming and managed to fend him off with a boat hook. Later in the afternoon we went for a walk in the town, went into the townâs museum (that was quite well done) and then to the Hotel de Dieu (hospital). That was very strange, the old hospital had been taken over and was being run as a current hospital (I think for the elderly and infirmed only) We were allowed to go into the main ward and the chapel. What a surprise we got when entering the ward, all the old cubical beds with there with the curtain fronts but sitting around at tables and chair were a lot of elderly ladies having tea and cake and dance music was being played. In the adjoining room (the chapel) it was very quiet and empty. I took photographs to show the contrast (attached) .Back at the quay we called in at the Capitaineries office and paid for our mooring but were disappointed to be told the WiFi had broken down. So this will have to wait before it can be transmitted.
Suerre 24.05.2011 47:00:03N 05:08:60E
Awoke to yet another scorching hot day. (not that I am complaining mind!) Most of the other boats left by mid morning leaving just three of us still on the quay. Maureen and I spent the morning doing odd jobs around the boat, one of which is one we had to do last year, that being to sew up the zip on the cockpit canopy in a couple of places. It is quite hard going on the fingers, trying to drive the needle through thick canvas and the zip material. I cheated and used a pair of long nose pliers to push the needle through. Maureen refused to use the pliers and as a result she was still complaining that her thumb was numb during the evening. Just before lunch we (well Maureen ) asked the Capitainerie if he could supply us with a hose adapter that fitted the quayside taps. What a furore that caused ,apparently he had three originally but they kept on getting stolen (he said) and he was left with only one and that had been lent to the couple on the German boat, two up from us. When he asked for it back the woman on the boat flatly denied that they had ever had it. This caused a lot of, what sounded to me like, French swearing (merde etc, etc) The Capitainerie came back to us and in a rapid flourish in French delivered at speed which kept Maureen really concentrating hard to keep up, explained that he would lend us his very very last one, provided we swore on our Motherâs graves (or something similar) that we would return it the very first thing in the morning. Blimey I thought I was going to have to leave my passport with him as a security. When I finally got this adapter I was very disappointed I expected it to be a masterpiece of fine engineering sculptured in tungsten steel. Huh it was a simple plastic hose connector that every DIY store and garden centre in the world sells for about 50P. It was probably only the principle of the thing that got up his Gallic proboscis. I was so concerned in case he thought I was going to steal his last adaptor that as soon as we finished topping up our water tanks I took back to his office and hid it in the flower bed where he had instructed me. Sat and read during siesta time (12:00hrs â 15:00hrs) then went up to the supermarket to buy food, only to find that when we went to pay, all the electricity in the shop went out and the till ceased to function. The manager rebooted the system three times and each time the supply cut out so we left the goods with him and went and had a beer at the nearby bar. (every cloud has a silver lining for someone) When we returned to the supermarket suitably refreshed, the power and the computerised till were back on line. After dinner, once the temperature dropped so that it was no longer possible to fry an egg on the deck we walked up to inspect the lock we will have to pass through tomorrow morning. Crumbs! the lock is huge, it must be over 100 metres long and 20 metres wide and rises 3.75 metres. Letâs hope there isnât a huge long barge in with us. We have seen several going up today.(See attached photo). We spent the evening playing cards (Maureen won).