Closure

As of Sunday, November 1, it's official--we are boat owners no more. The final payment arrived in the brokerage account on Friday, and on Sunday we woke up to find a completed Bill of Sale in our email. C.A.R.I.B. III will soon officially become "Blue Lady", ready for new adventures with new owners. Neither Lon nor I seem to be experiencing any big, emotional upheaval at this significant event.  Perhaps this is because, while it's good to have the transaction officially closed, our adjustment to a new reality has been ongoing since the purchase agreement was signed back in August. 

We've had some amazing experiences in the last several years and are incredibly grateful for the travels completed, friends gained, and challenges met. Now we have the opportunity to craft for ourselves a different approach to retirement, and that's exciting, too.

So, last night, with all sales documents in hand and money in the bank, we ended the barging chapter of our lives with a well-deserved toast to C.A.R.I.B. III.

It was only appropriate that our toast be completed with crémant
from the Burgundy region of France--which in Florida costs about
four times what it does in France.

Now it's on to the first of what we hope are many "next steps": a holiday season trip to Malta in December.