The Long Sleep over !

Antiope has been waiting patiently

On the morning of 26th April
and only hours after Annie and I had stepped off the plane we are in the boatyard at Larroche-Migennes. At some time during her two and a half year sleep Antiope had changed her nightie !   Simon Evans who owns the boatyard had replaced our lightweight green hardware store quality tarps when they had rotted in the sun and finally blown off in a storm. In the past these 'Baches' had been quite adequate for the usual six months that we are away. 

Our long absence had fueled our imagination of the condition we might find Antiope, To our delight and surprise, when we pulled back the covers everything was exactly as we had left it, but for a thick grey layer of dust on deck. inside the cabin all was dry and relatively clean, A box of walnuts gathered beck in October 2019 were still sitting on the table and quite edible. 

 

Covers off !

Day two and on a warm spring day we can start to dismantle the frame, and take stock of what needs to be done. Watch this space !

 We had saved up and flown with Emirates business class, two stops to Paris from NZ, we took the complimentary chauffeur ride direct to Bercy rail stn, then 1.5 hours on the train, a short walk to our familiar campsite cabin, which is nearby the boatyard, The whole journey was quite painless despite having to wear masks on plane and train. So far we are feeling much less of the usual 'jet lag'  We also seem to have eluded the Covid bug despite the multi-national crowding at immigration control and baggage claim.

We did our first big shop yesterday, where mask wearing is now optional. Our trolly load of groceries was probably 10% cheaper than it would been in NZ. It feels great to be back in France again.

Cheers Charles and Annie