Armida Emerges

Saint Jean de Losne. France

She has been snugly tucked away under her cover in a forgotten corner of the boatyard for two and a half years now.. When Lilou and I got here after driving through the rain and hail from Charles de Gaul we were a bit foggy (well I was).We searched around the yard for a ladder to get up to the swim platform, unzipped the back of the cover then crawled across the deck to get to the door. Down the stairs and all was just as we left it.  The same comfortable salon and snug galley and banquette, not even dusty – except it was damn cold.  After rescuing the electric heater and coaxing it back to life (it is still reluctant) the eventual warmth returned cozy to the description. 

I don’t remember much of the first night other than having to crawl out for various bathroom duties and sleeping well. But the first item for the next day was to get the back section of the cover off so we could get in and out in a more civilized way.

The last week has been spent getting the systems back to life: electricity, gas water and hot water – all good.  And of course my favorite, laying on my back in the gravel scraping, sanding and antifouling the bottom and the bow thruster tube and motor. 

Life wouldn’t go on without the French bureaucracy.  “Yes we can get you a new code so you can access your account via the internet we will send you an SMS”, Guess I’d better get a SIM card for the phone first.  One Orange (Mobile Phone Co) store tells me they don’t have prepaid SIM cards, go to Dijon.  “On no we don’t sell prepaid SIM cards anymore  -you buy them from the Tabac”  Duh.  So buy a SIM card from the Tabac but they will cancel your number unless you fill out the detailed personal information form and send it with a copy of your identification via the mail!. An so it goes.  But now I do have one bank card (Terry’s of course), a phone that works but I can’t recharge on line, and our internet hot spot.  Progress the French way.

Yesterday was big day - we are in the water!  Armida was released from her hiding place after they removed the palette of batteries, the fuel drums and the other boat that were hemming her in.  Then she was towed out on the trailer with some very tight turns and lifted with millimetric precision into the water. 

I still have to get the engine going and lots of cleaning to do but it feels like we are on boat again.  Also we don’t need to clamber up and down two ladders to get on and off. 

Terry and Rosie arrive in 10 days and I am saving some cleaning and organizing task for them – don’t want them to miss out on all the fun.  They were smart to come later as we have had some pretty crummy days, cold windy and rainy.  Now it is sunny, I am wearing shorts and all is forgiven.