Midi Canal - Fellow travellers

One of the great things about the trip so far has been the people we have met. They come from all over the world.

When were setting off from Trebes on Saturday, we met a boatload of South Africans. They were a lot of fun but ribbed us about the fact they had beaten the Wallabies in the Rugby.

We also met a very friendly family from the US who were setting out at the same time.

On Sunday, we encountered a group of Germans who did not seem to have a clue how to handle the boat. Theirs was the crew that lost a man overboard - as I mentioned in a previous blog entry.

Then there was a boat of Brits. They ribbed us about our loss in the cricket. I think that next time we go canal boating, we will leave it for a time when Australia has won a few more sporting competitions.

Most of us have a flag attached to the boat. Pam brought an Australian flag. We had some difficulty attaching it to the boat at first because our boat did not have a suitable mast like some of the others. Ralf was determined to fly our flag proudly. Eventually he found a suitable piece of timber on the shore and improvised to produce an excellent mast.

Shortly before we arrived at Homps, we passed a hotel on the bank. A couple ran towards us cheering and calling out. It turns out they were Australian.