Sat 3rd Jan: Early morning in FRANCE!!
Not quite the progress that we had hoped. Friday was spent driving the vehicles on the trip to Tryefort in Birmingham for the launch. Six vehicles arrived successfully and after the press photos we set off.
We led the convoy to Portsmouth with no problems and ate fish and chips on the dock with my family before boarding. Many tears were shed but all well!
Slept on the boat, once some of the team found the top bunk in the ceiling! Awoke for breakfast and then back to the cars to set off. Time seemed to fly. Convoy arranged to meet vehicle 7 on the motorway south of Rennes which we achieved by 9am. A long stop to try to sort a problem with the rear brakes on our landy which was temporarily sorted until a specific tool could be found. Sadly as we prepared to move off another landy overheated and the start of the problems began. Hobbled down the motorway in short bursts until had to give up north of La Rochelle - cylinder head gasket gone, a major job for our mechanics. Ended up getting the damaged landy relayed on a recovery truck to a village west of Limoges to a friend of glen (the big boss!) who has all the tools and enough space for all 13 team members to sleep!
Sunday 4th Jan: After a late supper and a welcome sleep we are up to fix cars, sort admin as quickly as possible in about 6 degrees of frost! Why could this not have happened further south in the warm! However spirits are high and the team working well together.
Wed 7th Jan: they have arrived at Algeciras, the port near Gibraltar.
ReplyDeleteThurs 8th Jan: At 11:46 they were in Morocco, at Dar el Beida, south of Rabat.
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