The morning just seemed to disappear. Collette announced her mushroom, tomato and ham omelette was the bestest yet! Mine was better as it also had cheese. Vim and Ajax came along to try and persuade me to re route to take in a re opened 18 lock staircase advising me it was special but I told them that would wait for my return to nancy in a couple of weeks. Crew went for bread while I adjusted the idle speed on the port engine as I felt it a little too low at 450 rpm and me being a bit concious of vibrating in neutral. The strainers were remarkably good considering yesterday's debris dodging trip. Tried to top up phone by phone but Got reply "nous sommes desolet ne pas service" Bloody poste! Internet back so running on air at moment and decided to get going rather than stroll into town for a top up. It was midday, as we left the berth, Volker and Ava exited the lock. Much waving and blowing of kisses as we swapped berths.
Not a boat had been through the lock all morning but We had a red light on the lock immediately on exiting the port. After 20 mins a tiny boat came out. They had a problem in that they were so small that when in an empty lock they were too low to reach the operating bars to start the lock fill. Bloody incredible timing, still we managed a cheery wave and entered the lock. The keeper immediately came out and advised that a boat was entering the lock the other side of the port, (toul port is set in an area 200m wide and is locked in and out) and they would wait to see if it wanted to continue and join us in the lock or were stopping in the port. Bloody obvious I thought but we waited and chatted to the lock keepers with a happy smile. 20 minutes later the boat exits the lock and turns into the port. A shrug from the keeper and a broad teeth grinding smile from me. We finally leave the first lock 1 hour after leaving the berth. We have travelled 150m. To be fair I enjoyed a couple of ice cold ones during the delay as it was after midday and was seriously hot but it sort of gave you that " it's gonna be that sort of day" feeling.
We passed through 2 lifting bridges and a couple of locks and joined the immediately majestic Moselle. We saw our first commercial peniche in weeks but thankfully it was heading in the opposite direction. We headed into progressively more spectacular scenery and were soon approaching our first Moselle lock. I was just noticing a very large looking vessel moored outside when the wash of a very fast approaching vessel caught my eye. One of the occupants was waving at me to cut engines. Pirates here on the Moselle were unlikely however I am not the luckiest so I slowed with caution. At least it doesn't rain so much in Somalia, i considered. The man seemed to be getting angry as he gestured more frantically for me to cut engines, it was then I noticed POLICE on the bow quarters. Oops, I cut the engines immediately and the small fast craft came alongside with 4 burly and very serious looking characters aboard. I smiled a Bonjour messuires and got a stony almost eastern European "pappiers" not a s'il vous plais in sight. "pardon" I replied in a nervous fw moment. "pappiers pour votre bateau". Ah oui, at this point the crew who had unfortunately been abluting as the scene had developed popped her head up with a " what the hell is going on, why have you stopped the engines"
" Gendarmes"
" oh my god" she replied as though we were carrying 45 Latvians in the bilge
I retrieved my papers folder and passed it to the unsmiling sourface. He flicked the pages from my boat purchase receipt through to my VHF certificates. Why was I still nervous?
Still unsmiling he passed me the folder back and with a curt merci, Bon journee, they cast off leaving me floating and a touch shell shocked from the whole episode. It had certainly shaken me from the chilled drifting passage of this stunning gentle navigation and I was suddenly aware of the two empty bottles of leffe on the upper helm. Close one?
We got underway and headed toward the lock. On closing the horrific realization dawned, the large vessel was actually in the lock or more accurately it seemed to be balancing between the lock walls. Surely not!
2 more locks in the next 10kms it was gonna be a slow boat to china for us for sure.
Collette decided to read whilst I went on the steed in search of liquid supplies. I soon found a lidles and beer choices were limited so I went for some 4.7% 33cl cans at 23p each. Bargain but what was it going to taste like, still it was amber and fizzy and 4.7% so must be alright in this heat. Also got a bottle of gin for £6, am I developing a problem?
Got back and made myself a large G&T with ice and lemon whilst the crew hit the pastis. Cobbed some fillet stake and Mexican belly pork brochettes. Very nice washed down with my one off very average beers and suddenly from a clear sky came one black cloud and it started raining. It was 8.30 and the band had just started to play. Such a shame for them. The whole village had turned out probably some 300 people. The music was a selection of dodgy 80s 90s dance tunes. I feared the worst.
It stopped raining and we ventured over to the fete. A lovely scene with all the kids dancing, teenagers being bothersome, middle ages getting drunk and the olds looking displeased with the volume and the type of music. The band were magnificent. 10 in number I think the description would be a show band. The blond 50 something male singer had a white make up patch over his right eye, had those i am trendy skintight jeans with ripped knees and thighs, a white snake t-shirt and of course a fake diamond earring. He was murdering a bit of rap as we arrived and breakdancing to ride on time. The much better looking female singer thankfully had a decent voice and the crowd were obviously enjoying the groovy offerings. The two singers were flanked by two particularly attractive gyrating dancers skimpily dressed in silver lurex dresses. I am not entirely sure as to how necessary they were but it added to the male audiences enjoyment and certainly perked me up.
At 10.30 the band announced that it was time to light the ceremonious bonfire at the back of the carpark and there was suddenly a mass exodus. This was incongruess as the band immediately struck into a big new number with the dancers having changed into tiger skin dresses and thigh length boots and the sax section rejoining the band just as the whole crowd left the scene. I was all for giving the fire a miss but hey oh it seemed the right thing to do. As we walked past the covered eating marquee the heavens opened to a deluge. The fire had just been lit at one end of the carpark whilst at the other the band played on. But not for long. As we sheltered under the open sided marquee with the 300, the roof of the stage suddenly wilted under the weight of water and gallons were poured onto the unprotected speakers below. A puff of smoke and suddenly the band were silent. The olds suddenly looked cheered. The fire had become a blaze, the kids jumped in instantly formed puddles and the band fretted.
It eased as fast as it had struck and being 11.30 we drifted back to Doucette but as we settled down to retire, the fabulous show band were resurrected. They showed there sense of humour was still alive by opening with an appalling rendition of rivers of Babylon. Nice one!
I drifted into slumber around midnight as the showband played on! What a day again.
No comments:
Post a Comment