A rest day in Carentan
49°18.62N 001°14.08W
Today the fleet had a rest day in Carentan. The town is slightly more cosmopolitan than St Vaast, but still small and sleepy when compared to Cherbourg. Like most French towns I have visited, they have numerous hair salons, half a dozen patisseries and a whole host of bars and restaurants, many of which always seem closed. Having said that, Carentan is a place I would come back to. The lock and harbour staff have been very friendly and hardly anyone laughed at my attempts to speak the local lingo. The only down side is the long walk into town from the visitor moorings, which are the first ones you come to after leaving the lock. When Cherbourg and St Vaast are full in the height of summer, the six-mile passage along the canal should provide peace and tranquillity for any visiting boater.
Tomorrow’s plan is to lock out on the morning tide. This, unfortunately, means our first early start as we aim to depart at 7 o’clock. The weather for the weekend is not looking too good so we will be keeping a close eye on developments, and will decide our destination before departure. Our itinerary takes us to Grandcamp Maisy, but we need to be back in England by Sunday afternoon. For now we’ll be keeping our options open.
Picture captions: The head of the canal with the town behind and the crews hear the news of an early departure.
