Departure

April 20, 2004

Finally! The day has come for our departure.
It will be a big voyage for all of us. The plan is to be in Weil am Rhein latest early June so the work on Avanti B can start on time.
But first we have to cruise up the Rhone to Lyon, up the Saone to Saint Symphorien, then the Canal Rhone au Rhin to Mulhouse and from Niffer up the Rhine to Basel.

	But before we start we celebrate. It is Thomas' ?? birthday so he gets to wear the crown for the day. Since he is the Admiral we listen to him anyway so the crown is just for decoration.
	Even Betty listens to Thomas; he told her that for two weeks we would not be able to stop in places with restaurants so Betty (the good little sister she is) made a huge shopping list and now our fridge and freezer is packed with food for two weeks! The receipt of Carrefour is as long as Betty's legs!
	We reverse into the harbor (no problem this year, we just stay very close to Mireille and Zephyr), pass under the pedestrian passerelle and slowly leave the Beaucaire harbor. One last look back towards Beaucaire. In about 10 hours cruising we will pass only a few 100 meters from our winter mooring, but this time on the other side of the lock and the weir.
	Thomas at the wheel; in the foreground his birthday present the two rose bushes. We will transport these all the way to Basel so he can plant them in his garden.
	Mont Ventoux in the back. Notice the snow on top? For all non-Tour-de-France fans. Mont Ventoux is one of the crucial mountains the tour passes every second year. A slow but LOOOOOOOOOONG ascent to the top! Sadly it is the place where one of the European bicycle legends lost his life. Tom Simpson died near the top in the 13th stage of the 1967 tour.
	Captain Racine! I guess he decided that he needed his own transportation just in case Avanti B was too slow for him. I hope Betty cut his claws recently.
	Our new boat! I guess we have not told you that we were fed up with the low levels of Canal du Midi and the difficulties with mooring so we bought a smaller boat. The Admiral and the Captain try it out (notice the port side is leaking). May be we should have told our visitors for 2004 earlier that things changed slightly.... The dinghy is a requirement for the Rhone-Rhine canal and St. Gilles is our first opportunity to try it out.
	Our stop for the night is St Gilles. Late in the evening we hear noises from the surrounding trees and see these three Camargue horses resting next to Avanti B.

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