Over the next few days, as I packed and prepared the boat for winter at Evans Marine, I watched with some fascination as two massive commercial barges arrived, one moored to the quay with the other rafted to it, filling the space La Rebelle had vacated. Shortly after their arrival, a large generator was delivered, followed by a motorized grain lift. The following morning, on a gray windy day with the occasional drizzle falling, the trucks started arriving. Some dropped their load into the lift, which carried the grain up an into the boat’s hold, while others (of unique design) dumped directly into the boat.
This process continued for a day and a half, the boats swapping places at one point. With the wind blowing, the grain was being partially winnowed as it was loaded, as the chaff was being blown onto those of us moored downwind! Desormais was covered in grain husks.
The departure of one of the barges was even more impressive to watch as it went through the lock. The two-person team communicated via headsets, one at the helm and the other managing the massive mooring lines. The barge was a true Freycinet barge, filling the lock side to side and with barely a few feet to spare at each end!
Friday morning, after quickly locking through, Desormais was moored at Evans, was quickly and efficiently lifted out, the hull power washed clean, and the boat set aside on a trailer. I spent the rest of Friday and the weekend finishing prep for the winter, draining water from the system, etc.. I stayed in Auxerre, taking full advantage of the frequent trains to get back and forth to Migennes (approx. 5€ each way for a 25 minute ride) over the weekend as I continued work on the boat.
I had one last delightful visit with Ted and Charlotte of Ferrous in Auxerre on Saturday evening as they headed up the Nivernais, and one last stop at Evans on Monday morning, before heading to Paris and then onward to home. My feelings were mixed as I left, happy to be headed to see family and friends again, but knowing I would miss the adventures I’d had and all the interesting and welcoming people I’d met.
As an odd final note, while corresponding with a partner/investor in a real estate property, I learned he was not in the US. Upon further prodding, it turned out he was within four Metro stops of me in Paris. After a few more exchanges, we agreed to get together for dinner, and had an enjoyable evening discussing a wide range of topics, including his recent success at redeveloping an amazing residential property in the Greek isles.
His job with an international financial organization takes him all over, but he confessed to me that I was one of the last people he would have anticipated running into in Paris. The moral here, for me, is simply that life takes us all to unique and unexpected places over time, and we should always be prepared to be surprised about what connections that can lead to.
Upon reflection, this first year, this initial adventure would not have been possible without so many others. Barging on the canals is not a solo sport, or one for couples alone. It is a community one learns of post by post, lock by lock, adventure by adventure. At the risk of being cliché, it is one that builds on so many others that have been down the canals ahead of us. There are so many we have to thank for our adventures in 2018.
So, to that end, and with apologies for being vague to protect specific identities, thank you to so many. Thank you to Brian and Mary, Tony and Heidi, Ken and Jean, Graham and Magali, Neville and Sandra, Simon and Philippe, Colin, Julie and Gaius, David and Lynn, Peter, Keith, Ted and Charlotte, Steve and Rosie, and so many others. You all helped make this adventure so much more than a simple canal journey. We hope to find each of you again in the future on or about the canals…
C’est fini. Au revoir…..