Well, the Rallye du Canal du Midi is done and dusted - and when I say dusted, you have no idea how dusty it was! There has been no rain for a long time, the tracks are the finest of dust and this covers your shoes, your legs, arms, neck, particularly when added to the rivers of perspiration.
We sweated it out in up to 42 degrees which in case you cannot imagine this heat, it's hooooootttt! Everyone struggled on the first day, but I need to paint a picture for you of what the struggle involves.
1. This year there were only 9 teams in the untimed section of the event -(big conversation about there being two categories, but not important for this moment). Each boat of four rowers and one cox needs to master getting the boat in and out of the canal, which of course is broken up by locks or ecluse.
2. There is a trolley (chariot - think wooden structure, two bicycle wheels, two straps as slings joining the sides) which sits on the bow of the boat. When the boat comes to an appropriate place before the lock, the cox needs to work out a place to stop, the chariot is lifted off, the rowers jump out like mountain goats, the boat is floated out at 45 degrees and then lifted out of the water, on to the chariot and everyone walks to the other side of the ecluse where the process is reversed. Got it? C'est facile, non?
3. Non, ce n'est pas facile. Some don't have mountain goat in their genes, some fall in (merde!), some banks are a drop of over a meter, and add to that picture, brambles and stinging nettles. It is the ultimate team building. Day 2 is always interesting as the fissures become visible in the team rapport.
4. En plus, with the extreme heat, the challenge was accentuated. It's hard to work out how much to drink, and there were a few issues with heatstroke - one poor woman, a New Zealander who had been planning and training for years to do this, jumped out of the boat, took her turn on the bike, got dizzy, fell and then didn't manage to get back in the boat for the rest of the week (fatigue and headaches). Another fly in that dropped in the ointment (to mix my metaphors) was the whispered information that one of the Irish had tested positive for Covid - information after hanging out for a day. Plus side, (small study group) with that heat, the drink to toilet ratio is incredibly efficient - drink all you want and you only need to pee once during the day - great when the toilets are very public (behind a bush or a tree, or after a few days, you decide that a blade of grass is sufficient to squat behind).
5. After the first day and mutterings from teams who decided that it was too hard because of the heat, it was decided that we would row only in the mornings - still a challenge, but it avoided the afternoon heat. And maybe this is a sign of the end of the rallye with the increase of temperatures? Who knows.
I love just watching people - those who are aghast at the thought of peeing behind a bush, completely relax and it becomes second nature to add to nature - hopefully this skill isn't taken back to Ireland or Turkey or Jersey etc. And then there are those who cannot relax without knowing the timing of every minute. What time, how long, etc - so, you have somewhere else you need to be? Relax...
And some cope with sleeping dormitory style (I don't), some naturally rise to take charge of lifting the boats, some never want to get on a bike again in their lives. Everyone has bruises, cuts, scratches, but no one would have missed the experience, no one wishes that they had not responded to the initial email or suggestion from their rowing mates that heading to France to row 200 kms was a good idea.
This year there were more English speaking than not - interesting huh? And French who have good English look blankly when the Irish speak. The team from Jersey (6 women) were raising money for research for bone cancer, as one of the women had a daughter whose friend died last year at age 12. These were a mighty team, and reminded me of our women's team the year we won the main cup for the competition. They raised 4000 pounds by playing with us for the week.
So here are a bunch of photos which capture the essence (or maybe don't capture it, as it is mostly not in the images but in the huge smiles at the end of the event, and the bonds created). I'll fill in the gaps later with more photos.
It's my last time on the Canal du Midi after 10 plus heading to Toulouse since 2005. I've loved every minute of it but
the old guard is changing as the volunteers decide that after 20 plus years they will perhaps spend time at the beach or with grandchildren. Andre started the event - he's 80 plus, and last night he lost the thread of what he was saying - his back is hindering his movement, and maybe it's time to stop. It's 40 years since the event started and those who were young are not now. As Andre said, Maurice from the Lyon team has rowed every event for 30 years and thinks he is still 20. It could be his last.
So they need to find some young people to step up to take the reins - it is an amazing event and hopefully they will get to 50 years.
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