It's The People

This year we were glad to leave our little Echo boat and get back to our roomier Arizona house.  However, now that we've been sitting here in the desert for three days short of a month, our feelings toward canal cruising are softening, especially after receiving a very welcome email from new friends, reminding us of one of the reasons why we cruise.

Dorte & Bjarne, a Danish couple cruising on their boat Bisse, did most of the lock work as we both traveled down the Canal des Vosges. 

Dorte hanging out at the top of a lock wearing those shoes.

Usually ahead of us going into a lock, we watched, amazed, as Dorte would grab the rung of a lock ladder while Bjarne slowly drove past, taking their boat to the front of the chamber.  She scrambled up those ladders wearing flip-flops, not even serious non-slip boat shoes.  At the top of the lock, after securing the lines Bjarne lifted up to her by boat hook, she'd scurry back to our boat to take our lines. This went on lock after lock after lock without a slowdown or mishap.  Although a couple of times our hearts were in our mouths as we watched her actually jumping off their boat onto the ladder.  Scary people.

Dorte and Bjarne were in the cursed lock with us when we had our "incident" and they stuck by us afterward to make sure that neither Echo nor Fran nor Dwight broke down. Considerate people. 

Bisse heading south, hope we keep in touch

And we were pleased to get to know Jan and Jonda (I think I'm spelling that right) flying the South African flag from their boat, Bolero.  We met Jonda as she was hobbling around the Toul marina.  Though she is a yoga teacher, strong and in shape, Jonda managed to break her hip when she and her bike took a tumble in the marina at Strasbourg.  Lying on the ground for a long time unable to get up, she was finally found by a stranger.  She asked her rescuer to go to her boat to get her husband but, unfortunately, he brought back the wrong man.  It took another trip through the marina before Jan was notified of her plight.  

After her surgery, despite needing crutches, Jonda was still able to get on and off her boat, even after the boat was lifted out of the water making a climb down an 8 foot ladder necessary just to use the marina's bathroom.  We know when we see Jonda next spring, she won't be hobbling anymore, she will be running.

I'd like to know what's up with these cruising ladies?  Are they trying to intimidate me or inspire me?