‘The first lock was one hell of a ride’
After a fantastic holiday sailing to Cherbourg and Alderney, on our Gibsea 92, my husband Rob and I aspired to sail further afield.
We had read about sailors voyaging through the French inland waterways, into the Mediterranean, which sounded like a wonderful adventure.
The first step was to find a boat that we could comfortably live on. After much research and viewing many different boats for sale, we began to favour the centre-cockpit design yachts, which have a lovely rear berth.
One bright, chilly Saturday in November 2015, whilst wandering a Hamble boatyard, we fell in love with Zircon, a Beneteau Oceanis 36CC.
We needed a boat that drew less than 1.8m to travel through the canals. The 36CC had a fin keel with a draught of 1.5 metres; shallow for the size of the boat. We particularly liked the aft cabin, spacious galley and heads, walkaround layout, and big engine room.
‘I’m sure a reasonable offer would be considered,’ the broker advised.
Feeling very excited, we submitted an offer and to our absolute delight, it was accepted. We spent the next three years planning and preparing for our trip.
Our upgrades included:
■ Two 100W
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days