On arrival yesterday evening we met a couple of other boats who are waiting here planning the same journey – at least the first part anyway. We had no sooner arrived than another boat we knew from Port Napoleon arrived – so it was sundowners on the pontoon and then on board M/V Lellebelle with Leslie and Carl. They headed off the next day to tackle the Rhone but they are a motor boat and quite a bit faster then we are. We are also alongside another couple of yachts, one heading up the Rhone and on to Germany on his 1970s Ovni, and one just heading up the Rhone with his dog for the summer. We are all waiting for the same window and expect to leave together when the Mistral stops and flow rates fall a bit. And this is actually quite a useful time to manage the ‘domestics’ as the Capitainerie has a good laundry and shower block, and the supermarket and fuel station are right beside the harbour. Port St Louis is a nice wee town with all we need for a jumping off point.