It’s a Wrap

Giverny

This year it feels like we stayed too long.  After we came out of the Canal du Centre at the end of September we went to Saint Jean de Losne to consider our options for selling. When, after considering, we decided to wait until next year, we felt like our season was over but we still had three weeks. And the weather was looking bad.  At that point we were ready to be home in our comfortable house with good showers and machines for washing things.

So we puttered around, caught up with some friends who soon left and went home, did more laundry did a short cruise up to Auxonne, did some more laundry, fashioned a cover for the boat for the winter, and finally packed up an left.  After a false start when one of us forgot the extra bag we had packed and had to return to the boat and then another false start when another of us left a purse in a restaurant we finally escaped the clutches of Saint Jean de Losne and said goodbye to Armida for the winter – stay warm, or at least don’t freeze too much.

The Statistics for this year are:

Engine hours:                   303

Kilometres Travelled:     1401

Number of Locks:             416

We are now reclining in a lovely B&B above Giverny where Monet’s gardens are and looking forward to flying home on Thursday.

Our plans next year are to do short cruises for about 3-4 months and then sell Armida.  So for those of you who have been thinking of coming to visit – this will be your last chance for a long, long time.

Oh, and if you know anyone who wants to buy a boat…….

Winding Down

We are now at the mooring where we will leave the boat for the winter.  It’s a large marina and we are surrounded by many of the boats we met or passed over the last three years.  Tonight we will meet up with  two couples, 1 NZ and 1 UK, who we know and are also getting things done for winter. 

We still have a couple of weeks before we fly out on October 25^th.  We’ve have decided we are returning for another three months before we put the boat up for sale.  Rob has some work to do on the teak deck so he will come over in April.  I will come the first of May.  May, June and July we’ll stay in the area doing lots of little trips rather than doing the distances we’ve done before.  Just take it easy.  Then we’ll leave it neat and tidy, turn it over to a broker and hope it sells for a good price.  It is in perfect shape, but is 27 years old.  The interior is also very desirable as we have a walk around bed (unusual for a boat), good storage and teak custom interior which they don’t do much anymore.

Today the weather is warm and gorgeous.  We had lunch on the back deck and it felt just like summer.  Two days ago it was raining and cool.  We never know what we will wake to.  The leaves have started to change which is always so pleasing to the eye.  We are looking forward to going home before it turns cold.

We met a man the other day who walked up to the boat to chat with Rob.  He saw the Australian flag.  He’d been on a friend’s boat for the last two weeks.  We asked him how he liked it.  He said, “Not much.  I’m not used to doing nothing”.  My first thought was, he just doesn’t get it.  It does take a certain kind of person to enjoy this.  Then when I sit down to write you, his words come back to me, for I have nothing to write about.  The scenery is pretty, the food is good we visit with people, we read and walk with the dogs.  We like it.