Arrival day

Today was the day we finally docked at Caen after spending the last two nights at anchor. We raised the anchor just after dusk and started to slowly motor our way closer to the shore of Normandie and the mouth of the river Orne. The Gunilla was moored in the lock approximately two hours later. We made company with two local fishing boats as the water level in the lock slowly rose.

The lock opened and we motorized our way in the direction of the city of Caen. After 12 kilometers of beautiful French countryside, we came to a bridge that would mark the end of today's trip. The bridge is about 30 meters high but the Gunilla is 34 meters high, and because lowering the water level or cutting the masts wasn't an alternative we had to decide to dock at a quay on the outskirts of the city's suburbs. There were surprisingly many people at the quay considering the location which came as a nice surprise and we even managed to have an open ship later on in the day for all the visitors that came. As we finished up our docking process five customs officials and one dog appeared. They wanted to search the ship, see our passports, and let the dog sniff for drugs. It came as a surprise because we never had any customs check us at all in any of our previous arrivals. Luckily the customs were happy with us and left as quickly as they came. We had lasagna for lunch and then we were allowed to go to the city. It was nearly 30 degrees outside and as I walked on to the city center I began to reflect that this was the last time I sailed on the Gunilla. That it was the last time I would witness an arrival at the port, the last time I eagerly waited for the approval to go off the boat and aimlessly walk and explore the city and surrounding areas. As sad as it is that the sailing is over we still have a whole port left to experience.

Johannes Birkhorst