With fifty per cent regret, fifty per cent relief, we hang up the oars

Our last boat guests ever (our daughter Hannah and her husband Pieter) had left but it wasn’t a sad goodbye as we were going to see them very soon in The Netherlands!

Early in the morning, the day after they left,  we hauled anchor for the very last time and motored just across the water from our anchorage in Preveza in northwestern Greece to Aktio Marina where Sunday was going to be pulled out of the water.

It felt very strange that after so many years of living most of the time aboard either on  Bali Hai or Sunday, we were doing everything for the last time. 

It was a strange feeling  – fifty per cent sadness and regret and fifty per cent relief. Or maybe that was just me –  I think Jonathan was really much more ready to “hang up the oars” as the responsibility for being the captain and all that entails was beginning to weigh heavily on him. 

After a short time of hanging around outside the marina while another boat was lifted it was our turn. Jonathan steered her in perfectly and the whole thing went like clockwork. 

Once out, Sunday was given a power wash and then transferred on to a remote controlled low loader. It looked rather dodgy (lots of blocks of wood involved) but she was soon transported to her resting place without mishap. It was intriguing to watch the guy deftly employ the remote control to steer her through the boat yard – just like one of those tiny remote control vehicles that kids adore but many hundreds of times larger!

We were given a good position – right next to the toilet/shower block and importantly with plenty of space for a crane to sit alongside when the time comes for Sunday’s mast to be lifted so her rigging can be renewed. 

Once we were settled we had time to explore a little – Aktio Marina has a large but utilitarian common room with a big book swap/library and a decent laundry room nearby with  plenty of washing lines outside. 

The office staff couldn’t be more helpful and obliging and the chandlery behind the office is well stocked and also has pleasant staff. 

Over the next few days we finished packing all our personal effects and having another big chuck out. Then more boat cleaning inside and out and preparing to leave her (draining and cleaning the toilets and disconnecting them, taking the dinghy off and storing it under the boat, putting the Code Zero sail away, giving the decks a good scrub etc).

One evening we walked to the local taverna and had an excellent meal while watching the sun go down. 

Very early in the  morning, just a few days after we had arrived, we left by taxi to go to the airport which is literally three kilometres down the road from the marina. 

The early start meant that we arrived in The Netherlands mid morning so we had the rest of the day ahead of us to enjoy with  Hannah and Pieter. 

After being picked up at the airport we drove straight to their house for a wonderful four days of total rest and relaxation. 

We were really spoilt!  Hannah and Pieter wouldn’t let us lift a finger and it felt wonderful to be able to relax so completely after a busy and sometimes stressful couple of months. 

It was also so marvellous to have a few days surrounded by abundance and greenery after spending the last couple of months in cripplingly hot, dry and dusty Greece!

It was so beautiful to be able to walk in lush wetlands and enjoy cooler temperatures. 

We were also very happy to visit historic Delft again and sit in the beautiful main square – drinking beer and people watching. 

It was a wonderful summer’s evening the day before we left and we had a lovely meal outside with home grown melon (from Pieter’s parent’s garden) for dessert. Even Cato our grandcat – who normally won’t set a foot outside the house – came to join us.

All too soon it was time to leave to drive back to Greece in our camper van   where we would load up all our remaining possessions from the boat and hopefully complete the sale of Sunday. 

Our first stop was Osnabrück in northwest Germany, a pleasant town with a 17th century Baroque castle that is now the main building of the town’s university. 

To our eyes the castle looked more like a palace so we weren’t surprised to find out that it had in fact been the residence of the evangelical prince-bishops of Osnabrück from 1673 onwards. The palace is now the headquarters for the local university.

We stayed the night in a quiet car park very close to the landmark church of  St Catherine’s which was completed around 1500 and whose 103 metres (338 ft) high tower has has been an important feature of the city for many centuries. 

One of the highlights of this city was that I saw a red squirrel for the first time in my life – something that I’ve wanted to do since I was a child!  It was very shy but a real beauty!