Boating Season Begins!

Log of the Sam Suffi - Saturday, November 18

10.00 swabbed decks while waiting for crew and Boatlord Marc to arrive

enjoying sunshine and puttering about in bare feet

12.00 crew Simon and Dave arrive
picnic lunch in the bbq pit between working on Frog II
recaulked forward window while waiting for Marc to bring gas...
14.30 gas appeared, but no tank
15.00 tank installed, Kristoff worked up a German head of steam starting the outboard

... and explained it hadn't be run for zwei jahren.

I took Marc out to check the gears

16.00 cast off with 3 s.o.b.
16.20 entered my first lock - instructions in 3 languages. I even speak some of them.
"Raise blue bar" - there is a green bar and a red bar. hmm.

Mars astronaut candidate, ex-navy officer and engineer are flummoxed.

Fortunately, Lockmaster was on hand to explain and reset the lock.
(Noted locks close at 17.30h.)

17.00 checked out yachts and barges near the Rhine


escorted down canal by rowers, swans, coots and ragondins
the local version of muskrats
17.15 back at lock #83 - no rope to pull to open lock.
17.20 Dave discovered LED switches at water level

... but still no gate action.

17.25 Simon calls for help - Lockmaster is gone for the day.

Duty officer assured him there are 2 ropes.

17.35 headed back downstream to next bridge

- and found the rope off to one side

17.40 green light! *phew!* heading back for la Petit France

18.10 tied up at quayside restaurant for dinner - great Salate Pecheur
19.40 flooded engine trying to start it - called Marc who is now in Metz

(swans drift away, indignant at the noise)

20.00 ignition
20.30 docked at Marinest - first Strasbourg boating adventure over, all accounted for.

crew already planning next trip.

As Water Rat said, "There is NOTHING--absolute nothing--half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
Except maybe going into space - space ambassador Anousheh Ansari will be on campus tomorrow to receive an honourary degree and meet the students.

(photos by Simon Auclair, Mars Project candidate)