The Days Of Wine And Penichette

The Days of Wine and Pinochet

The American travelers and the English travelers met up on a sunny day in May in Carcassonne. Carcassonne is a charming little town in Languedoc. It boasts a splendid castle and medieval village on a hill above the newer, though still aged, part of town. The river Aude gently winds through the town just below the castle. On the other side of town runs the Canal du Midi. It was the Canal du Midi that brought the travelers to Carcassonne. The Canal du Midi is 240 miles long and runs between the city of Toulouse and the Mediterranean town of Sete. Construction on the Canal was started in 1666 and it opened in 1681. The main purpose of the canal was to allow commercial traffic to flow between the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Today, however, the traffic consists mainly of pleasure boaters who come to enjoy the beauty and serenity of the graceful canal as it winds through the countryside. It is lined on either side with plane trees, wildflowers and vineyards.1 Quaint little villages dot the Canal and offer weary travelers the sustenance of refreshing drink and nourishing food. The Canal du Midi

Enid and Steve, the American travelers, arrived in Carcassonne in the afternoon after a train journey that originated in Grenoble in the French Alps. The only flaw in an otherwise smooth trip came at the end when there was a rather heated discussion as to whether a taxi should be procured to take them to their hotel or they should take a bus and walk to the hotel on aching feet and dragging a massive amount of luggage. Dana and Graham, the English, well, one of them is English, travelers, arrived by car in the early evening. The joyous reunion was celebrated with numerous bottles of wine and a dinner where the cassoulet, famous in this area of Languedoc, made an appearance. The First Day of the Journey The travelers awoke the next morning and consumed breakfast at the hotel. It was a lovely day, sunny and warm. Steve, Dana and Graham had a wander around the castle. Enid did not accompany them as she had visited Carcassonne and the castle several years before and wanted to preserve her feet. At around 11:00 a.m., the car was packed and ready to go and the visitors set off. Their destination was Argens where they were scheduled to pick up their penichette and spend a week cruising the lovely Canal du Midi. Dana and Steve Visit the Castle. 1

The trees that line the Canal are plane trees. Americans call them sycamores.

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Before reaching Argens, the travelers stopped at a supermarket in order to lay in provisions for the journey. Some food was purchased as well as 17 liters of wine and some beer. After cramming it all in the car, they set off again. They stopped for lunch in a little village which may have been named Trebes. There was not a large selection of restaurants and they ended up eating in a small pizzeria. After lunch, the next stop was Argens. The company that owned the penichette is called Locaboat and one of their bases is located at Argens. Argens is one of the ubiquitous quaint villages lining the Midi. The port was very nice and the travelers were one of the first pleasure seekers to arrive that day. After completing the paperwork with the help of a very nice lady, they were taken to the penichette. The Paraza was a cute little boat if a bit on the small side. The galley area was nicely laid out and had a cozy atmosphere. There were two sleeping quarters. Steve and Enid were assigned the aft bunks and Dana and Graham the forward bunks. The minuscule bathroom was located in between. Unfortunately, S&E had to walkthrough D&G’s quarters to reach the galley. The Paraza at Argens.

As the travelers unpacked the car and were settling in to their respective quarters, it was discovered that one of D&G’s suitcases was missing. A quick phone call (with the assistance of the very nice Locaboat lady) determined that the suitcase had been left in the parking lot of the hotel in Carcassonne. D&G returned to get it. Steve and Enid unpacked a bit and lounged about. It had been decided many months before that Steve would be assigned the role of captain. The decision was reached because he was the only one among them who had actually maneuvered about in a boat that was not a rowboat. It didn’t really matter that the only boat he had experience with was a sailboat and that he knew absolutely nothing about operating a penichette. No, it didn’t matter at all. None of the other crew members wanted anything to do with it. So El Capitan took the helm. The helm was The Captain located between the galley and the sleeping quarters. There was a little stool with the controls in front. It was elevated above the rest of the penichette so the captain could see where he was going. There was a door leading to the deck on either side of the compartment. Of course, Locaboat was not going to entrust their penichettes to the casual boater without extensive training. So the Captain was given a training session lasting about a half hour that taught him very little about steering the boat. As a matter of fact the trainer had to grab the wheel from the Captain in order to make the turn back into port and avoid crashing into the bank. However, the Captain was apparently considered qualified and the keys were handed over.

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The travelers decided to spend the night in port and head out to the Canal the following day. They had a lovely dinner in a canal side restaurant next to the port. The only thing remarkable about it is that the waitress became a little huffy when Steve pointed out that she had forgotten to charge for the wine. After dinner, they returned to the boat, and shortly thereafter, they went to bed in order to be well rested for the morning.

Day Two – They Set Off After a quick breakfast on board and showers at the port, the boating party was ready to lift anchor and be on their way. The first problem they encountered was managing to get out of the port. The training referred to earlier in this log had not been effective. The captain was not really doing an adequate job steering the vessel. It didn’t seem to go where he wanted. So the Paraza spent a little time circling about before the Captain managed to control it enough to exit the harbor and the travelers were able to begin their journey on the Canal du Midi. It is worth a mention here that one of the main sources of entertainment for the holiday pleasure boating crowd is that of watching their fellow travelers going around in circles and otherwise looking like asses as they attempt to guide their boats where they want to go. The Paraza and its crew provided much entertainment nearly everywhere they went.

Finally, the Canal du Midi.

At last they reached the Midi. It was another lovely day. A warm sun shone down upon the Paraza, its crew and the countryside of Languedoc. Wild yellow iris covered the banks of the canal. On either side were vineyards interrupted by the occasional house or small village. The Canal didn’t curve much and required very little steering to maneuver. God was in his heaven and all was right with the world. Until, that is, they came upon the first lock.

Locks can be scary things, especially the first time through. Luckily the Paraza was the first to arrive and so the first one into the lock. When pulling into a lock, one or two of the crew members have to jump onto the side of the Canal and hold the boat with a rope so that it doesn’t turn around or bump into other boats. Yes, they cram as many boats as possible into the locks in order to move the traffic along. All of the boats seem to have little inflated bumper things around them and they come in quite handy. It is kind of like bumper cars. Because Enid has one dodgy ankle and one extremely dodgy ankle, it was best for her not to jump onto the banks to hold the boat. That left the task to Dana and Graham. The boat that pulled in behind the Paraza happened to be occupied by Americans from Lake Tahoe. They were very nice and patient when it was time to depart the lock. They also had colorful Dana holds the boat in the first lock.

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knickers hanging along the side for all to see. It can be said that the first trip through a lock was a success. The first lock was just a kilometer or so into the journey, but after that there were no more locks for 50 kilometers until Beziers. So the captain and crew spent a relaxing morning enjoying the sunny day and steering lazily to the luncheon destination of Le Somail. After mooring on the bank in Le Somail, the boat was locked and the c. and c. went off to explore the little village and search for a refreshing beverage. Advertisements for a bookstore were spotted and the Captain went off to have a look. In the meantime, Enid and Dana decided to visit the little boat shop on the Canal in the hopes of finding some local wine to have with their lunch. They were successful and they all returned to the boat to have lunch which consisted of a chicken they had purchased at the supermarket the previous day. The local wine was delicious.

Captain & crew enjoy a refreshing beverage.

Shopping for local wine.

The boating party continued their journey on the Midi and passed by many picturesque little villages during the afternoon before stopping in Capestang where they decided to spend the night. They chose to moor on the bank just before entering the main part of town. This mooring was very difficult and provided much entertainment to a boat full of Germans moored just in front. The Captain had great difficulty steering the penichette to the bank. Graham was holding a rope to the boat from the bank with increasing difficulty as the Captain tried one thing after another to get to the bank. He kept saying that there was something wrong with the boat but the rest of the crew, along with the Germans, thought he just didn’t know what he was doing. At long last, one of the Germans came over and helped Graham pull the boat into the bank. Otherwise it would probably still be drifting on the Midi. The crew had an enjoyable dinner in a restaurant. It was warm enough to sit outside. Several bottles of wine were consumed with dinner and upon returning to the boat, more wine was consumed.

Baby ducks in Capestang who were surreptitiously fed bread by certain crew members.

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The Third Day of the Journey The following morning did not bode well for the crew of the Paraza for several reasons. First, the massive amount of wine consumed the previous evening had taken its toll. Second, the Captain was concerned with the seaworthiness of the vessel. And third, it was overcast and windy and cold. After breakfast on the boat, the crew walked into Capestang village square and to the open market. It was a nice little market and they bought some more provisions including chicken, ham, some lovely cooked potatoes, lots of other vegetables, and wine. Upon returning to the boat, the Captain started the engines but immediately had a problem with the steering. He consulted with First Mate Graham and they both decided that there was indeed something wrong with the boat. The Captain felt vindication. His stature was restored in the eyes of the crew, but the Germans would remain blissfully ignorant and continue to think that he just didn’t know what he was doing. While waiting for the Locaboat technician to come and make the repair, Dana and Enid walked back to the market and bought more provisions, including more local wine, water and a strawberry tart. The boat was repaired and they set off. They passed some interesting boats moored on the bank and passed through Le Malpas, one of the Midi’s tunnels. They stopped in a little village named Colombiers for a lunch of ham and potatoes. Dana, Graham and Steve walked into the village, but Enid stayed to guard the boat. Entrance to Le Malpas Tunnel

Lunch in Colombiers

After lunch, the travelers spent a lazy afternoon motoring down the Canal towards Beziers where they planned to spend the night. They moored just before the Ecluses de Fonseranes – the dreaded staircase locks. After mooring, the entire crew walked to the locks to have a look. It was a shocking scene. Fonseranes is a series of seven locks. The boats go from one lock straight into the next. It was rather crowded on that Sunday afternoon. The boats were crammed into the locks and the lockkeeper was busy shouting orders at the boaters and chastising those who weren’t quite up to it. Captain Steve even had to help one of the boats through. Plus, it seemed as though the entire population of Beziers were there watching what they must have considered spectator Ecluses de Fonseranes

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The crew of the Paraza relax before tackling Fonseranes.

sport. It was daunting. The crew had a drink in a little café and returned to the boat for a dinner of pasta and wine. Day Four – Down the Up Staircase The weather had not improved when morning came. In fact, it was worse. It was raining. After a nourishing breakfast, the inexperienced holiday boaters set off into the locks, perhaps never to be seen again. But first, they had to actually reach the locks. To say that the Captain had difficulty steering the boat to the lock entrance was to put it mildly. It was almost as though the boat was again malfunctioning, but this was not the case. He managed to annoy yet more Germans by accidentally queue jumping and making the Paraza the first boat to head into the locks that rainy morning. The wet 2nd Mate secures the Paraza in the lock.

It must be said at this point in the narrative that the travelers did not really pack well for this journey. They expected the South of France to be warm and dry at this time of year. They did not expect it to be cold, rainy and windy. The trip through Fonseranes that rainy morning was cold and wet, especially for the 1st and 2nd mates as they stood lockside to guide the Paraza through the dangerous locks. Also, at this point crewmate Enid was given the sobriquet, the ship’s cat. This was probably because her weak ankles prevented her from helping and jumping onto decks and banks to help guide the boat through the lock. She did do a lot of washing up. At any rate, the Paraza and its crew successfully navigated the staircase and were spit out in the basin at Bezier. The 1st Mate holds the Paraza in the lock while the Ship’s Cat looks on.

The Paraza and her crew motored on through the rainy morning. They were heading towards Vias, a little village quite close to the sea. The locks were a little more numerous past Bezier and so the 1st and 2nd mates had to jump on and off the boat more often. They were motoring peacefully along on the Midi when, all of a sudden and without warning, an obstacle appeared in their path. A large (for the Midi), dark barge loomed before them, blocking their passage. The Captain The sinister mystery barge Angola blocks passage for the travelers.

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successfully steered the Paraza to the bank. Unless the Angola was there to extract booty from innocent holiday boaters cruising up and down the Canal, it was suffering from a breakdown. It became obvious after a while it was in some sort of trouble. Crew members could be seen scurrying about the deck and it was moored only from one end of the boat and drifting across the Canal. As quite a few little boats and penichettes stacked up waiting to pass the Angola and be on their way, the crew of the Paraza decided to have lunch. Eventually the Angola crew got its act together and managed to shift the barge and drive it away down the Canal. The Captain started the Paraza’s engine and off the little boat went. The rain stopped in the afternoon and they motored along until yet another barge stopped them in their tracks. This barge was involved in some sort of dredging operation and once the barge was filled it moved away and the boats that were once waiting behind it moved along. The Paraza, however, did not. The Captain suggested that we stop there for the night. We were in sight of Vias and parked alongside an amusement park. However, some of the crew members thought it might be better to move closer to the town and 1st Mate Graham walked a little down the path and discovered a docking area that had water. The Captain agreed to move the boat and a mutiny was averted. The future of the Paraza?

The crew members walked into Vias for dinner. They ate at a restaurant in the village square run by an asshole. The food was good, however. They then walked back to the boat where three of the crew members proceeded to drink themselves silly. The ship’s cat was awoken late at night by the sound of some of those crew members walking about on the deck. The Captain had gone out to pee in the Canal and had informed the others that the stars were quite nice to look at. The 1st Mate, who cannot swim, walked out to take a look. It must be noted here that the Canal du Midi is extremely dirty. Though there is not much in the way of commercial traffic on the Canal these days (what was the Angola doing???) there are many pleasure boaters. None of these boats have holding tanks for toilet effluence and it goes straight into the Canal. And people actually fish in the Canal!! The cat was quite concerned about the drunken 1st Mate. Luckily he managed to stay on board. Evidence of Extreme Drunkenness

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Day Five – Heading Back to Port The captain and crew of the Paraza held many discussions regarding the route of their journey. In Vias the question was whether to continue East and head into the Etang de Thau or to turn around and head back to port with perhaps a diversion on the Canal de La Robine to the village of Narbonne. The Etang de Thau is a 20 kilometer basin that is separated from the Mediterranean by a narrow stretch of sand. It is the home of oysterbeds and other shellfish. It can also be quite windy and difficult to navigate. As the wind was very strong on this particular morning, the travelers decided not to chance it. The massive hangovers of three crew members were also a factor in the decision. The Captain steered the penichette west and the travelers enjoyed the windy and partly cloudy morning until they reached the village of Villenueve-les-Beziers. They moored just before the town and walked along the towpath towards the center and in search of a restaurant. A startling sight met them as they came into town. The Angola was moored along the bank. Obviously it was in need of repairs and perhaps that is probably why it was there. There were two restaurants in the town square, one of them was empty and one of them was full. The astute crew decided that perhaps a better meal could be had at the busy restaurant. They had a nice lunch with a hair of the dog to wash it down. They then crept past the Angola and back to the Paraza to continue their journey. Another lock.

During the afternoon they motored on past the beautiful vineyards and flowers. Dana spotted an otter, but the other crew members did not see it. Even though the weather was cool, the afternoon was pleasant. They went in and out of locks and eventually reached Beziers where they would have to ascend the staircase. They did not feel the same trepidation this time through the locks and it wasn’t raining. And indeed, the journey through the locks was flawless. Enid spotted a real cat in the boat next to them. It was sleeping in a sunspot. Up the staircase.

D&G enjoy the afternoon on the fore deck.

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The Paraza moored in Capestang for the night. The crew walked into town for dinner and ate at a restaurant in the square that had pinball machines and other noisy distractions. The dinner, while not delicious, was ok, and was again washed down by more wine.

Day Six of the Journey It was market day in Capestang again; however this market was not as big as the one held the previous Sunday. Graham, Dana and Enid walked into the square in search of breakfast while the Captain went for a jog along the towpath. This was the Captain’s first run since assuming his lofty office. Breakfast proved a bit difficult. There were only a couple of restaurants serving coffee and Dana was in the mood for some eggs but could find none. Luckily there was a boulangerie nearby where pastries could be purchased. Pastries were purchased and coffee or tea was drunk. The crew did a little shopping (the wine supply was depleted by the binge in Vias and had to be replenished) and they headed back to the boat. There they met the Captain and they set off again for another day on the beautiful canal. The weather was still cool and partly cloudy. They would occasionally meet another pleasure boat, but it was otherwise peaceful and quiet. They stopped for lunch by a vineyard. Only after they were moored did they realize that the vineyard had recently either been sprayed or fertilized. It was a bit on the smelly side. After a leisurely lunch they continued on. It must be noted at this point that Le Tournement du Midi was in progress throughout the voyage. Le Tournement was a backgammon tournament that the travelers had played on other trips they had taken. There was the Greek tournament, the Tuscan tournament, several London tournaments and, of course, the original Brugge tournament. These tournaments are generally noisy affairs and often descend into unpleasantness. There is a cup that the winner keeps until lost in another tournament. Backgammon games were played throughout the journey. At this particular lunch, Enid won a double game. Though many games were played on the Midi, the championship was not determined until a game in the garden in London. The cup is currently residing in Grass Valley. The Cup

The afternoon passed peacefully. There were more vineyards, more flowers, more graceful trees lining the canal, and more wind. Enid was put in charge of the steering for a while. Dana spotted another otter and this time, the other crew members were quick enough to see it as well. At last, the Paraza came upon Le Somail where it was moored for the night. Enid takes the wheel., Graham holds on for dear life

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On their previous stop in Le Somail, the crew had a drink at a restaurant on the Canal. They decided to have dinner at the same place. Dana and Graham each had a cassoulet and Steve and Enid had salads. The food was fine, but the restaurant was very expensive. After dinner, they returned to the Paraza. It was on this evening that Enid and Dana sang their rendition of Bohemian Like You by the Dandy Warhols and were allowed to listen to the Dandies on the iPod stero. Much wine was consumed before the crew retired for the night. The Captain in his cups.

The Last Day On the morning of the last day, Graham brought some croissants from a little boulangerie for breakfast. He had an upset tummy that morning. He thought he might be suffering from food poison instead of just a hangover. After departing Le Somail, the Captain guided the Paraza towards home. It was another leisurely morning. The crew decided to stop for lunch before the last lock they would pass through before reaching Argens. It was a good thing they did, because the lock was closed for lunch. The lunch consisted of a little bit of this and a little bit of that as they tried to eat the last of the food before leaving the boat. And wine of course. After the lock opened, they passed through and on into the port at Argens. The last lock.

The last day on the Midi was a very windy one. The Paraza’s entrance into the port was much the same as its exit a week before, only worse. The Captain finally navigated the boat through the entrance while the crew members stood on the decks with their poles ready to push the boat away from the banks. He then attempted to pull it alongside the dock, but didn’t quite manage it. The poor Paraza was banged into the side of the dock and one of its little bumpers was dislodged. It was damaged. The Captain blamed the wind. All of this occurred with the Locaboat employees looking on. Luckily, the crew had decided to purchase insurance before they set out. As the boat was now in port, the Captain was relieved of his duty.

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The damaged Paraza.

The travelers were quite anxious to have a proper shower and that is just what they did. The ex-Captain went for another run, and one of the crew members fed some carrots to the horses that were in a nearby field. The crew started the packing and tidying that had to be done before the Paraza could be handed back to Locaboat. They went to dinner in the village of Homps. The following morning they arose and cleaned the boat and departed Argens for the drive back to London. It was a pleasant little journey.

Fin

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