The Barge People

While spending three days with Jim and Mary Neil we had ringside seats to the lives of the other barge couples. They are a group of finely etched individuals who share many similarities while still being very different from each other.

This cast of characters all tends to be outgoing, adaptable, adventuresome, and usually great story tellers. They hail from a variety of countries: America, Canada, New Zealand, England, Netherlands, Switzerland and all points on the compass, even Texas. Because of the variety of tongues spoken, English, sometimes with heavy accents, has become the official language of the barge life.

Given the ages of the group, from mid 50’s to the late 70’s, you can see that moving from mid-life to later mid-life called for a big adventure. Most people have sold their houses at home or at least downsized to a turnkey operation. Some are old salt water sailors who migrated to the barge life, but most were first time boat owners when they decided to live permanently on the water. Can you imagine taking delivery of your barge, which you do not know how to drive, let along dock, three days after retiring after 30 years of work?

Many of the barge people I met were wintering in the town of Roanne from October to April; life would be a flurry of rekindling old social contacts and friendships. For those that stay in Roanne their lives would be busy with social get-togethers and boat improvement projects that had been postponed through at least one sailing season.

Beginning in late April the boats would again be leaving Roanne for their individual barge sailings to a host of destinations. Sometimes they would see each other at far off ports of call, passing on a canal or a docking at some small village. They gather again in the fall when they all return to Roanne before heading to other parts of the world if they were not wintering in France.

Nancy of billandnancy.com laughingly says she is the most boring barge person she knows. The line up of eccentric stars includes Texas Bill who spent a working life on oil rigs in Dubai and speaks fluent French with a pure Texas twang.

Christian is French and spent WW2 in Morocco (and is a seven time Miss Casablanca) and can go toe-to-toe with Texas Bill in story-telling skills; do not arm wrestle this woman for the microphone. Tom and Trish are retired furniture store owner/small business slaves from St Louis. They are both larger than life personalities to match their 6 foot frames and ten foot hearts.

One favorite couple I met was Gwen & Gordon. They are in their late 70’s and just returned from the Midi after spending 2 years in the south of France. They said the heat bothered them and they were relocating again to Roanne.

I am having trouble deciding where to move my small coin collection and they, in their almost 80’s, are moving their lives and barge once again. I only hope I can have that much adventure. I think you can understand the breadth of eccentricity and one of a kindness that makes barge people the treasures that they are. And bring your own ice, because these people can party.