I'm not sure what the correct term is for travelling on the water in a barge, but I've decided to compromise and term it "sailing". I could say "barging" but that has other connotations. Perhaps "boating" works best, so maybe this blog should be called "getting ready to go boating".
We returned from Italy ready to roll up our sleeves to prepare Anja for the year. We had plans for improvements, very domestic ones such as installing an electric toilet and re- enamelling our very worn sink. The duck boards on the back deck were showing signs of rot so needed attention. David had brought swaging tools all the way from Sydney to fix and improve the rigging on our mast (which is why maybe we can get away with calling our activity "sailing"). Some
tasks are always there, like cleaning decks, topsides and windows, touch up painting both inside and out, and generally making sure that all systems have survived the winter intact. Our pots of plants needed to be prepared to decorate Anja appropriately and to enhance our salads during the summer.
Before we left Australia we had consulted our Chambres d'Hotes host Christian to locate someone to re-cover our cushions. He put us onto a Charbuy local business, Bout d'Coton and Christelle agreed to make them. Her husband picked up the cushions from the barge, some 15 kilometres away, and she measured up how much fabric we needed. She told us where to purchase it so we bought and delivered it on the day we spent here before going to Italy. While we were away we received regular updates with some queries for us to answer. By the time we arrived back, all the work was
done and waiting to be picked up. Christelle had thought of every bit of detail in achieving an excellent result at an unexpectedly low price. She topped it off by making a bag for "Treasures" for our granddaughter (who was in one of the photos of the cushions) so that she could better enjoy her walks with grandpa and grandma.
We have worked very hard, though with a few set- backs. First of all, it rained, day after day. We had two fine days in a week. Fortunately most of our major tasks were inside ones, but some of the painting of duck- boards had to be done by finding dry spots under Anja's hull.
The other result of all this rain was that the River Yonne where our boat is stored, is in flood and has been closed to navigation for almost a week. We were to be launched four days ago but the river is still too high and running much too fast-
and there is nowhere to go as all the locks are closed. We are now staying on the boat, on the land, as we had checked out of our accommodation and returned our hired car. Our previous quick blog describes how the river rose a second time, even higher than the first. It is still flooded but at last we can get off the boat without getting wet feet.
Meanwhile there are plenty of tasks to occupy our time and we hope that this will mean a more relaxed life once we do get underway.
May 8th (WW11 Victory day) and May 9th (Ascension Thursday) are both public holidays, as was May 1st (Labour Day) so there are some we now have to wait until Friday for any chance to be launched.
Best regards,
Penny and Dave