Survey arrives, so does Al

The Sevre Niortiase at Sunset

Here's the sun setting over the River Sevre the day before Al arrived.  The river is very, very tidal - here's an evening high tide, so all the boats are floating.  There's a small summer-only restaurant, La Ponetere, under canvas (apart from the kitchen).  This is the view.  Their speciality is seafood, particularly mussels from the region.  They say that this year is particularly good for mussels, because there was so much rain in the winter.  It makes them plump and juicy. 

Snork Maiden's Beautiful Stern

 The survey was pretty good, all things considered.  Now waiting to hear from the insurance company.  The biggest job is dealing with the headlinings.  It took just over a week for me to bite the bullet and decide that I have to strip out the old stuff from the aft cabin and start from scratch.  The forward cabin is fixable.  I washed the lines and half of the hull, and the stern - you can see how good she looks - apart from the wonky ladder and jolly bucket!
 I'm afraid I have't really kept you up to speed.  I went to the doctor, afraid of chest infections. Saw not just one but two (one was an itern).  So my chest was comprehensively examined and declared free of infection.  Just a nasty cough left over.  Interesting - small practice, seen without appointment.  Discovered that everybody whispers in the waiting room.

The old Niort Canal at Marans

Al arrived on Thursday and we decided to check into an AirBNB - hard to live and work on the boat at the same time, especially when there are two of us.  Not made any easier by a total absence of any bathroom facilities in Philippe's yard.  Difficult at low tide.  Of course it has also been an emotional time - are we sailing or selling?  We have missed our usual June slot - it gets very hot and busy in July. We have decided to go camping in the Dordogne for a few days, after which I am going to Cambridge for a yoga course.  I will fly back to complete the work and drive home.  We have wept, laughed and remembered all the good times and some of the hard times we have had with Snork Maiden.  But we feel that the time has come for her to move on to new, adventorous owners.  She really is a boat that could take you anywhere.  We will probably advertise her soon, in England and France.  The survey pronounces her a sound vessel in good condition, and that's the very least we could say about her.  We put our dreams in her and lived them out.  

Next: Why do the British so love the Dordogne?  We take our tiny tent, face a heatwave  and find out...