- Apr 27, 2009
- 435
- 218
- Funster No
- 6,478
- MH
- Dakota
- Exp
- Fulltiming from 2010- 2017
‘There but for the Grace of God’. A lesson for us all……
As we were setting up in Cabopino yesterday, a French couple wandered by looking for a pitch with satellite reception. 3 HOURS later they sped up in their brand new Rapido and attempted to park opposite. They found it tricky because of the size of pitch and lack of reception ( tall trees), so after 3 or 4 tries and 45 minutes they gave up and drove off. Ten minutes later they appeared at one of the pitches on the tier below. It was Paul and Jackie’s and Paul and Max’s old pitch – set between 2 big trees. The reversal in began, shortly followed by a loud bang and graunch. Yes, they had hit the tree! Straight onto the awning retraction mechanism. So, after a few minutes of inspection, the 'van was driven forward ….and the entire awning unwound itself and extended fully, resting on the ground. To their credit there were no histrionics and after assistance from nearby campers, the awning was wound in, inch by inch, and secured with tape. It is now completely buggered. As I said before, it is a salutary lesson and could happen to any of us. Never rush when parking up and never fully trust the person guiding you in. In the final analysis – it's the driver’s responsibility.
As we were setting up in Cabopino yesterday, a French couple wandered by looking for a pitch with satellite reception. 3 HOURS later they sped up in their brand new Rapido and attempted to park opposite. They found it tricky because of the size of pitch and lack of reception ( tall trees), so after 3 or 4 tries and 45 minutes they gave up and drove off. Ten minutes later they appeared at one of the pitches on the tier below. It was Paul and Jackie’s and Paul and Max’s old pitch – set between 2 big trees. The reversal in began, shortly followed by a loud bang and graunch. Yes, they had hit the tree! Straight onto the awning retraction mechanism. So, after a few minutes of inspection, the 'van was driven forward ….and the entire awning unwound itself and extended fully, resting on the ground. To their credit there were no histrionics and after assistance from nearby campers, the awning was wound in, inch by inch, and secured with tape. It is now completely buggered. As I said before, it is a salutary lesson and could happen to any of us. Never rush when parking up and never fully trust the person guiding you in. In the final analysis – it's the driver’s responsibility.
