a big issue, but we had to get across in time to pick up a favourable
afternoon fl ow off Alderney. We made the crossing at a steady
8 knots, with a moderate breeze and a 2m sea rolling in on our
starboard quarter. Gemelle turned out to be a much better sea
boat than expected and we pulled into Cherbourg in the early
evening. The next morning we took some time to square away
the boat before departing and heading east across the bay to
Honfl eur, where we arrived just before sunset. When ascending
the river Seine from the sea, it’s vital you get a favourable tide,
so two hours before LW at 0400, we locked out at Honfl eur
and headed inland towards Rouen. Thick fog meant we had
to pull over and hug the riverbank
but it quickly burnt off and soon we
were fl ying up the river at 10 knots
towards Rouen where we arrived in
the early afternoon.As soon as the trusty Ford engines
started and we pottered out of Rouen,
a cooling breeze wafted through GemelleWe fi lled up with fuel and I set about tidying the boat and
fi nishing off the long list of jobs that needed to be done before
Lena and the girls arrived. It was now really hot, the thermometer
in the cabin showed 42 ̊, and I was exhausted. We had pushed
hard to get here in time — if I was tired when we left Mylor,
I was now at a whole new level of exhaustion. The jobs list was
overwhelming and as I started fl ow-coating the heads with
sweat dripping off my nose, I seriously questioned what we
were doing. Lena was also exhausted from looking after the
girls 24/7 on her own and driving to Portsmouth to catch
the ferry. Had we simply taken on too much at this stage
in our lives? I slumped down on the fl oor
and tears fi lled my eyes. I had hit a wall.
It’s when you’re at rock bottom that you
learn who your true friends are. Garrick
picked me up (literally), told me to get a grip
and mixed me up another pot of resin. He then
set about screwing on the cabinets in the rear
cabin, unblocked the sink and got the generator
working. Three hours later, the heads were
fi nished, the toilet was plumbed in, the fridge
was cooling beer and I had made up the beds
in the aft cabin. Things were looking up.
The next day, Garrick and I got the ferry back
to Portsmouth where I met Lena and the girls before getting back
on the ferry. By the following night, we were all safely installed on
Gemelle ready for our adventure to begin.TINY TEMPERS
We didn’t have the best start. The boat was still a tip, France was
in the grip of a heat wave and none of us slept well. Tempers were
short and we came close to quitting there and then, but having got
this far, we thought we ought to take the girls for at least one cruise
on the canals. As soon as the trusty Ford engines started and we
pottered out of Rouen, a cooling breeze wafted through Gemelle.
Betsy fell asleep immediately, Bonnie settled down in her car seat66TRAVELMaking a grand
entrance into Lyon
Lena’s sister
lends a hand
with bath timeLeaving Honfl eur
early morning