The Kindness of Strangers

The trouble with living in a remote spot is that one doesn't get to meet too many people. That is why small interactions with complete or near strangers are invaluable, not only for our own well-being but for everyone. Recent social research has supported this notion. The importance of passing the time of day with one's butcher or baker, or the neighbour you pass on your dog walk, is inestimable. My latest novel 'Protest' partly takes place within a women's prison. On researching what life was like for inmates, I learned how important casual greetings are for prisoners' wellbeing and mutual support. "How-ya- doin?" You all right, babe?" "Yeah. You all right?" were all common refrains in the day-to-day life of the 'cons', On Monday, we took our boat to the boat yard to be fixed, and I was reminded of the many casual acquaintances that we have made through boating over the past few years. Casual greetings , brief alliances, and just helping one another to moor our boats, made the boating world go round. Then COVID came along , and seemed to put a stop to all that. Our fellow boaters shied away from all contact. But on Monday, everything , seemed to have changed for the better, at last.

'Atelier Bilbo', a boat repair yard, is situated in Balaruc, at the eastern end of the Etang de Thau. Nearby lies the spa centre of Balaruc-les-Bains. Not for us the mud baths and spa treatments, however. We were heading for the busy workshops of the boating world, where people are currently busily repainting and anti-fouling their yachts and boats for the coming season. Fortunately, this was little more than a short boat ride from our mooring on the canal. Our propeller was damaged, so we didn't want to risk going too far. As we drew close, we spotted the grue (or crane) which was to lift the boat out of the water, and we moored alongside. Unlike the mobile heavy duty grues at Chantier Allemand( see an earlier blog) , here, the straps which cradle the boat must be fitted underneath the boat first, and then attached to four hooks on the crane. It was a skilled job, and we exchanged greetings with Marc who was in charge of this operation. We were cautious to remain at a distance as our boat dangled precariously in the air before it was skilfully manoeuvred into place on its cradle.

Once our boat was in place, Marc inspected the damage. The propeller is bent , and has not broken off. If all goes well , it can be repaired at their workshop forge. That is good news. A coating of anti-fouling will also be added for the coming season.

We had had a busy and tiring morning, but all along the way people had been friendly and helpful. We had met other boat owners too including a yacht owner from Germany, who, like us, had chosen to make his home in France many years ago. Suddenly , someone called out to us. We were being greeted affably by someone new, as if we were old friends. But who on earth was it? It was M. , he reminded us, the capitaine of the port de Mèze. He recalled the days when we had over-wintered our very first boat with him, many years ago. How gratifying that he should have remembered us.

But that was not the end of our story, for, rather than take a taxi, we decided to walk back to the canal-side mooring where we had left the car. This involved a walk of 8 km along a fairly level cycle path that runs along the side of the étang towards Sète. It was a hot, sunny afternoon, but there was a fresh breeze blowing over the water to cool us. An electronic sign revealed that nearly 35,000 cyclists had passed this way already this year. The path is shared with walkers too, and we all greeted each other as walkers and cyclists do. Within one km of base, I began to flag and we sought some shade in which to rest. I'm so glad we stopped there, for we heard a nightingale calling from a nearby bush, and a hoopoe 'hooped ' in the distance. But alas, our water bottle was empty. A builder , who was renovating a building nearby, spotted us and we struck up a conversation. Seeing my empty water bottle, he forthwith went to his van to fetch us two bottles of cool, fresh water. He also offered us a lift for the rest of the way, although we preferred to complete our walk unaided. Now, how's that for the 'kindness of strangers.' Cooperation and friendliness makes the world go around. If only our world leaders could get the message.