We decided to spend another few nights at Agde above the round lock on the river. We cycled off to see how Ced and Suzie were getting on but they were obviously up to their eyes with work so we didn’t stay long. The survey had been good so they were preparing to de-rust where necessary and repaint. They mentioned that they had seen Phoenician go past downstream so we popped down to their mooring to say hello to them. Poor Peter and Marie-Michelle! They had managed to get into dry dock on the Robine (we had passed them as we came up from Sallèles d’Aude and they were heading down towards it) and while there had swapped the bent 5-blade prop for the spare 4-bladed one. But then, within a week they had managed to bend a blade on the 4-blade prop as well, so they were in Agde hoping to lift the rear end out of the water at Allemand’s boatyard and try to straighten it.
We had a drink with them, then moules frites (again) for lunch and cycled down to the beach for a bit of people-watching.
In the evening Brian (Wall) came for supper and to stay the night, having just dropped his wife Gill off at Montpellier airport. Brian left in the morning and after a few minutes so did we, to cross the Etang du Thau. It takes quite a time though to get through the lock and canal system before you get to the Etang itself, about 90 minutes or so, so as we approached the last bridge on the canal Alex was surprised to spot Brian and another man standing beside the canal on the old bridge pier. As we approached Louise went out to say hello??? “Left my phone”, said Brian, so Louise dashed back into the wheelhouse, spotted it on the worktop, rushed back out and just managed to hand it to him as we sailed past! We don’t know yet how long he had been waiting there for us!
The crossing went without a hitch and there seemed to be just about one or two other boats on the whole étang.
We found a good mooring in Frontignan, but it proved to be rather smelly (no doubt why that position was empty!) as it was right beside a sewage outlet – so when the boat in front moved on we moved into his slot – much sweeter.
We cycled into Sete to suss out the dry dock which we knew was there – still trying to find a suitable yard for our survey. It had a lift machine mechanism, very much like the one that had lifted PEABODY but bigger and capable of 200 ton lifts. The trouble was that it was much more expensive and any work would have had to be organised by us using outside contractors. Additionally, there was no English spoken at all and although we can manage OK with our rocky French in normal circumstances, for technical stuff we don’t have sufficient vocabulary. We felt it was all too difficult to consider, but it had been good to get a look at Sète’s harbours and some of the old town.
On the way back we stopped for some milk and groceries at an épicerie and noticed a shoe shop was starting its sale the very next day. Now Louise isn’t devoted to shoes unlike some women, as her friends can attest, but shoes were urgently required for a special occasion so, after we had taken Riccall through the lift bridge the next day at 8.30, we moored on the other side of it and jumped on the bikes and cycled the 8 kms back to the shoe shop in Sete! Sad to say there was nothing suitable, so we cycled back to the boat – just the 8kms again!
Next day we set off for either Maguellone or Palavas. Well, Maguellone had plenty of space so we moored there and in the afternoon cycled on to Palavas (where there was no space, so a good call). We had enjoyed our stay at Palavas nearly two years ago as we came in the other direction so we had been looking forward to a repeat. No such luck though, as after that first lovely afternoon the weather turned and for the next couple of days there was a sort of sea ha, sea fret, or low cloud, whatever you like to call it, which enveloped everything in a rather unpleasant stickiness. We set off in this nasty weather for Aigues-Mortes where a friend of friends, Roger, on his boat ARGONAUTE had arranged a mooring for us. He had said, “Two boats beyond mine is an old dilapidated jetty which will be OK for you for a couple of days, until we leave on our boat, and you can move into our spot.”
Well! When we arrived it was indeed a dilapidated jetty which was about 3 metres too short for Riccall. So Roger frantically moved a small, semi-abandoned day boat alongside another similar boat in front and we JUST managed to squeeze in. We had to knock in pins to secure to, the stern was 3 metres from the shore and the only way off the boat was to climb down the front using the portholes and rubbing strake! Not very satisfactory and of course no services.
However, Alex explained to Roger that his pregnant daughter Alice was visiting a couple of days later on the Tuesday, and would it be OK to move to the inside of ARGONAUTE that day, so that she could get on board? It would also be easier for Roger to sail away two days later if we did the move then. This we did and on the Tuesday Alice and Mark arrived and we had a jolly evening and supper. Next day we all went for a walk round the walled town in the morning before they left at lunchtime to return their hire car to Avignon SNCF station and catch their train back north. Still it was lovely to see them, if only briefly, and we would see them again at the wedding in a few days’ time.
That left us with one day to prepare for our own departure for England and to trawl the local market for previously-mentioned vital pair of shoes - and hurrah! – there they were. Roger kindly ordered us a taxi for the next day to the airport at Montpellier for our flight back for Alex’s son William’s wedding to Laura.
It all went like clockwork (despite the plane leaving late) and we got the bus from Leeds/Bradford airport to Harrogate, picked up the car in Knaresborough where our trusty mechanic Matt had left it, then drove home to Newton Aycliffe. Up to Chillingham Castle on Friday, wedding in the clouds on Saturday, Holy Island for a picnic with David, Bun, Ric, Emily and Herbie on Sunday, then back to N A for supper with Jamie and Janine!! Phew!
We arrived at the gates of Chillingham Castle and drove down the rough drive until we arrived at what was obviously the back of the castle. It looked totally deserted and as though it had long since been abandoned! So we drove back to the entrance gates and Alex tried to telephone all his children, all of whose phones were on answer. He then telephoned the castle office, which of course was closed because it was after 5pm. Maybe there’s another entrance, we thought. We drove round the wall, and did indeed find another entrance which brought us back to the same place as before, but this time Alex noticed a little courtyard with cars in it. Sitting in the car wondering what to do next, we saw Will’s face at one of the windows and yes, we must have arrived! We then discovered that the reason that none of the mobiles was answering was that the castle itself was in a complete signal black-spot but the signal re-appeared at the gate!!
Sure enough, our room was in the guard-house, which although a bit musty, in true castle style, was fine for us. Unfortunately we had forgotten it was a self-catering apartment, so had to nip off rather sharply into Wooler to buy in supplies! Family supper at the local hostelry was very good and the following day we were able to explore the castle, the museum, the dungeons and the gardens, all regrettably rather shrouded in low cloud. (It was sunny in Alnwick not 10 miles away too!). The wedding itself was lovely, the cloud lifted for aperitifs and photos in the garden, and the medieval banquet which followed was just splendidly meaty! (Unfortunately our camera totally messed up and is now caput, so we are waiting for wedding photos from the official photograher - watch this space!)
During the next few days both Alex and Louise had to fit in trips to dentists, talks with financial advisors, prescription collections, doctors etc etc, then it was the journey in reverse. But in the meantime Alex had developed food poisoning or a virus and was having to fit in multiple trips to the loo as well as all the other appointments! The night before the flight drastic measures were called for - bring on the Immodium - which worked for the next day’s flight and beyond.
We got back to Riccall at Aigues-Mortes to find that Roger and Anne-Marie on ARGONAUTE had left, but the next day they rang to say they had just done a quick trip to Agde and would be returning to the mooring. By this time the water level had dropped to the extent that we were firmly aground (and over the next few days the level dropped even further so that the starboard side of Ricccall was eventually sitting out 12" above her water line). This is a lot, and it made it pretty uncomfortable aboard with all the floors sloping so much and the bedroom drawers sliding out, but we knew it was not for long as both ARGONAUTE and then RICCALL would be setting off up the Rhone in a day or two. And the important thing was that now that ARGONAUTE was coming back for a few days she could pull us off the mud when she left.
It took a bit of doing but eventually we were off the mud and on an even keel as we said goodbye to Roger and Anne-Marie and re-moored Riccall for our last night at Aigues-Mortes – well off the bank and with a rather precarious plank for getting on and off but only for one night.
