Selling the boat

Our lives, it seems, are in a permanent state of upheaval. I came to the conclusion that I really don’t have time to market the boat myself, and am unlikely to persuade Owen to get us back out on the cut, where people doing what we did when we were looking – scouring the riverbanks for information, advice and tips about any boats for sale – might be. But it really is time for Eva Luna (our wide-beamed river barge) to find her new soulmate.

Boats as places to live are very specific creatures. We know when the right one has arrived.  We looked for a long time to find her. I feel like her new owner is just waiting to find her. Does that sound odd?

We know her new owners will be delighted with her. and have none of the ‘this boats not been used for a while’ problems that we had when we first got her. When I think back we were very naive – our first winter was harder than it needed to be. But what an adventure!  We will never take for granted being warm and dry again. At least her new owners won’t need to find out the way we did. I laugh when I think how little we knew.

I don’t think I was really ready to leave the boat before, and hadn’t done a lot about getting her sold, but with the new school year starting, Bingo not being with us any more, and the changes in our lives over the last few months, it really is time for a change. But this still feels like a happy boat, a joyous place, where the boys have been able to to live a ‘Swallows and Amazons’ lifestyle, where we met and fell in love with the best dog ever, where we’ve learned and grown so much as people (and shrunk size wise!) We’ve just outgrown her and need something bigger to accommodate four large, noisy adults!

I had originally based the price of the boat on what the Estate Agent had suggested (yes, we looked at that route to sell) and the fact that friends had sold their much older and less well maintained boat for the price that we are now asking –  really she’s now at a price to sell: Apollo Duck widebeam boat. I feel a bit foolish for taking the advice I was given before. The new owners of the boat that we based her price on are quickly realising they paid too much.

Now we’re finally ready to make the move and sell, I’m sure the girl in the sales office of the boat sales company we’ve gone with must hats me – I really need to get it done now the decision’s so concrete, and as she’s had the details for well over a week I’m chomping at the bit.  (I was a bit taken aback that they haven’t been to do photos or anything, but are still expecting to take a handsome commission. It makes me ‘harumph’, but that’s the way life is and I’m not convinced that constantly fighting the system serves me well!)

Yes – there’s a first time for everything!

So if you know someone who deserves a great little boat and is ready for an adventure on the water, point them our way – we’ll always be happy to show people around, the way people did for us when we were first looking for the right boat for us!