Its strange how events unfold, and how life is suddenly very different. Last Christmas when visiting Australia, we went to our house that we had tenanted out, and I realised that I never really wanted to mow those lawns again. We have almost 2 acres of land and maintaining all the trees and gardens is a big job. I looked at the block and at our efforts to ameliorate the effects of 4 years of tenanting on our landscaped back yard, and said 'Never again'. So we put the house on the market, thinking it might take several years to sell. (This next set of photos are from a trip we took to Aix-au-Provence, near Marseille).
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| Museums in Aix-au-Provence. |
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| Central square in Aix-au-Provence |
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| A typical French green grocer |
Well, it sold just after we left Australia, and we realised that we didn't want to leave that cash sitting in the bank. It meant we needed to return to Australia and either buy or build a house. So, about 9 months ago, we started to think about putting Pavlov on the hard for a year while we returned to Australia to build a house. Sophie, Megan's daughter had tragically lost her first child that Christmas, so there was no urgency to leave the Med long term. We thought we'd return to Pavlov and take her through the canals and river systems to the UK, where, some years hence, we thought we'd sell her. However, I hated the thought of Pavlov sitting unused for a year while we faffed around in Australia. Boats just die if they aren't continually in use, the boat yards of the world are littered with neglected boats dying a slow and ugly death due to owners being elsewhere engaged. (These next photos are from a trip to LeStaque).
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| Roasting meats at a LeStaque market |
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| LeStaque limestone cliffs |
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| A Lestaque church |
So, I thought, lets put Pavlov on the market while she is on the hard. If she sells, well and good, but if she doesn't, then we can take her up the canals when we return. Now boats in the Med can take a very long time to sell. There are an enormous number of boats for sale very cheap due to the large charter fleets operating here. Pavlov is rather a specialised deep ocean-going boat, and would only appeal to a discerning and knowledgeable owner who knew what she represented, rather than all the 'plastic fantastic' ex-charter yachts being sold for ridiculously cheap prices. So I fully expected her to take years to sell, and I thought we'd be back to continue our journey. (The next photos are from a trip to Nimes).
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| Interesting gee-gaws in a Nimes shop |
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| Courtyard in Nimes |
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| Not sure of the symbolism of the crocodile, maybe they make shoes from them. |
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| Roman Amphitheatre in Nimes |
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| The palisades of the amphitheatre |
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| Nimes town hall |
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| A very french cafe |
So I place an ad in Apollo Duck, a popular boat selling site in the UK, and had several enquires from lots of tyre-kickers, who all wanted lots of photo's and questions answered, but nothing came of it. I also placed an ad in the free service provided by Dick MaClary on his web-site 'The Sailboat Cruiser'. We had an enquiry about Pavlov from an Polish sailor, whom we'll call B, currently living in Austria from this ad. B. flew down to Marseille just to look at the boat, but because our weather window to sail to Port Napoleon was closing, we had to leave the day of his visit to get to the Port in reasonable weather. So we offered B. a trip to Port Napoleon, hoping that he could get back to the airport at the end of our sail. He grabbed the opportunity, and had a blast of a sail over to Port Napoleon in 25knot winds. It was a great advertisement for Pavlov, because she was in her element. We had to reef and shake out a few times, and point hard into the wind to get there. Pavvie just flew, and I could tell from the glint in B's eye's that he was hooked. (The next set of photos come from a trip to Lyon).
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| Lyonese square |
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| Bellecour square in Lyon, with the church on the hill overlooking |
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| These things seem to be sprouting like mushrooms. |
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| Taking the funicular up to the church on the hill |
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| La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere |
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| Inside the Basilique |
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| Highly decorative ceiling |
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| Stunning mosaic art work |
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| Very Norman lines to the Basilique |
Anyway, after the usual dicking around with surveys, contracts and hard bargaining, a deal was made, and Pavlov now has a new owner. We can't quite elieve that she sold so quickly, but we always knew that Pavlov was a special boat, and would find a special new owner. The new owner will be flying me back in June next year to help prep the boat and sail it to Monfalcone (near Trieste in Italy) where she will initially be berthed. We really wish the new owner B all the best with Pavlov, and we know that he has acquired a wonderful cruising boat, which served as our home for the last 5 years. So, having fulfilled all our boat preparations, Megan and I were free to travel around France. We visited Aix-au-Provence, Nimes, Arles and Lyon. We also met up with our good friends Eric and Hanifer in LeStaque where they berth their boat Kairos.
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| View from the Basilique over Lyon |
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| Panorama of Lyon |
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| Megan snapping in the old quarter |
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| Lyon is filled with elegant buildings like this |
We spent a delightful hour in the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, and wallowed in some of our favourite Impressionist artists.
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| I think this one is a Renoir, but I'm not sure |
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| One of my favourite Monet's |
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| Forget who painted this, but I love it. |
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| Nave Nave Mahina byPaul Gauguin |
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| The Lovers by Rodin |
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| A Picasso |
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| Couldn't fit the whole painting in the frame, but I just love this |
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| Another example of Lyonese architecture |
What's next? Well, we are in the delightful and slightly anxiety-provoking state of not really knowing. Megan's daughter had a second child, also 10 weeks premature, in November. Megan made a rushed trip back to Australia to spend a few weeks with Sophie, while I got on with the job of selling the boat. We're both happy to report that Isobel is doing very well, although is still in hospital. So grand-parenting is high on the list, as is building or buying our new home. We're thinking of living in Newcastle, about 160 km north of Sydney. This is a good compromise for both Megan, wanting to commute to Sydney, and me, needing to care for my mother in Ballina, 900 km to the north. Only time will tell what our next adventure will be, but now we must put the Pavlov chapter to bed. Bon Soir indeed!
