On To the Next Step . . .

"We're too excited to sleep" is not a phrase you heard from either of us on Friday night.  After 10.5 hours of flying and 4 hours of driving (we did have a sightseeing stop and lunch break), we almost missed the alarm to get up and ready for our first look on "Antares".

Chateau de Fontainebleau

Our Airbnb in Pont de Vaux was only a couple of blocks away from the marina, so we did walk over to see "Antares" on Friday.

Pat pointing at "Antares"

But, Saturday morning, after meeting Graham, the Broker, we stepped aboard for the first time.  First thing first...Yes! Lon has headroom...yea!!  We did a quick walk-thru together and were happy to see that the barge was what we expected.  In addition, Lon could stand up in the shower.

Headroom in the shower!

The interior was in great shape.  We then split up, Pat going thru the interior and Lon down into the "belly of the beast", the engine room and other below deck areas.  After 4 hours, we had found some minor items; however, we were happy to say that we were ready for the next step...haul-out and survey.  Pat already has the tickets booked for May 31st.  We then join Graham for a 2 day cruise from Pont de Vaux to St Jean de Losne where the dry dock is located.  If all goes well, "Antares" could be ours by mid June and have a new name.  Stay tuned...

The Master's Stateroom, oops, Throne room

Pat having discussion with Graham in salon/galley

Graham, the Broker

Will This Be the One?

Things are moving ahead in our quest for travels in Europe via Dutch barge. It took several months, but our trawler C.A.R.I.B. II was finally sold in November 2017. It was a bittersweet day when the new owners took her away from the Harborage Marina.

C.A.R.I.B. II leaving her Harborage Marina

slip for the last time

Long distance boat shopping has been a challenge. The internet is a wonderful tool, but pictures and written descriptions can only do so much. We had thought to make the process easier for ourselves by working with an English "barge finder" who claimed to have many contacts among barge captains in the Netherlands, and thus would be able to screen out boats that didn't meet our requirements. However, a January trip to Holland to look at the boats he found for us was--to say the least--vastly disappointing. So, back to square one and the internet.

Lon's diligence in searching various "for sale" sites bore fruit in February. An inquiry to the broker of a 21-meter barge for sale in the Burgundy region of France led to much back-and-forth via e-mails and phone calls, with the ultimate result being that we now have a purchase agreement on the boat. It appears to have most of what we need/want, but of course, there are a number of steps that must take place before any sale is final. First and foremost, we need to actually get on the boat in person. This we will do on April 28, during a (previously scheduled) week in France. If we aren't scared off at that point, a boat survey (the boating equivalent of a pre-buy inspection of a home) will take place in early June. Successful resolution of any problems/issues that are found during the survey will allow us to complete the purchase.

So, with a sense of cautious optimism, what follows are some photos of what we hope will be "The One" to allow us to pursue European waterway cruising. Time will tell.

Will this be C.A.R.I.B. III?

Guest stateroom

Master stateroom

Salon/galley