At the time when we noticed that day no. 40 had been and gone, it was not a big issue.
In hindsight, I’m proud to say that it’s now been six weeks of canoeing, camping and meandering across France.
After a longer than normal week we now rest in Mulhouse: 20km from Germany and 30km from Switzerland.
A longer than normal week of canal and locks most definitely took its toll.
One thing that many of the people we have met along the way have asked is how we manage to stay friends.
Being at close quarters in a canoe all day, relying on each other and having very little privacy could easily make you the worst of enemies.
There have certainly been times when one of us, or both of us have been pretty angry.
It might be a bad night’s sleep on the uneven floor of the tent.
I often want to canoe as quickly as possible rather than enjoying the scenery.
We often disagree over when and where is the best place to break for lunch.
Sharing one phone to blog and take photos limits Jimmy’s phone calls to his girlfriend.
Finding a balance between rationing food and eating enough is probably the most contentious issue.
But the fact is that after six weeks and 95% of France we’re still mates.
Mostly this can be put down to the fact that almost everything we do, eat and carry is a 50/50 split.
We always divide food equally.
We take equal turns steering from the back of the canoe.
We swap between carrying the heavier and lighter barrels.
We even take turns writing for TIBS and on our website.
The other thing is that at the end of the day we have the same goals.
We both want to achieve whatever is the next target we have agreed on.
And we both want to have a laugh and eat as much as possible while doing it.
Teamwork is equally about recognising each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
I’m a better cook, so I make the dinner while Jimmy sets up the tent.
Jimmy has better balance, so he perches between canoe and bank while I pass the equipment.
Routines like these have only come about over time and the longer we spend on the water the more efficient we become.
The only problem is that next week, not for the first time, we begin a new challenge which will have new routines.
We are leaving the canal and starting to paddle downstream on the Rhine.
While we have researched this wide river that divides France and Germany, there is a lot that we will need to get used to.
So while we can plan where we would like to stop for the next rest day, we do not know exactly when we will get there.
So despite everything that I’ve just said about the idiocy of planning a new river and the unknown nature of what’s to come, the next agreed target is Strasbourg and we hope to be there in 5 days or so.
Not set in stone, of course, but a goal’s a goal and we’ll both work towards it.
TIBS News will have our latest in another exclusive weekly report, while more regular updates are available @CanoeingEurope on Twitter and at www.canoeingthecontinent.com.
