10 Years After and End of and Era

 I once watched a program on TV about a group climbers attempting to climb Everest. One of them said that, should he reach the summit, this would be his ultimate achievement. I was still working on Wildrose at the time and she was still not in the water.

Then, not long after, as I was putting the last coat of paint on Wildrose, I began to see that this journey of restore and refurb of narrowboat Wildrose, had become my therapy and it would be my ultimate achievement to get her back on the water, up and running, cosy and ready for adventures.

Well I did get her back on the water and ready for adventures and I have had many happy times pottering about over the couple of years she has been back on the water.  Although |I have never done much by way of sailing since getting her back on the water, I had travelled the entire Midlands canals with Jim during the 10 years we lived on her and somehow when she eventually was back on the water, I could't get to grips with going solo. Neither did I feel any need to do so.

Then when looking at her as the summer ended this year I saw that she needed another repaint, I really struggled to see her as anything other than a huge drain of my finances, and more importantly my energy and if I wasn't going to be sailing her at any time in the future, what a waste of my efforts to see her just sitting there becoming no more than a floating summer house, but with huge maintenance costs.

And so I have had to come to terms with the fact that she has done her bit for me and the realization that getting Wildrose up and running and back on the water was my Everest, and climbers who climb Everest don't then sit at the summit for the rest of their lives worrying about their diminishing levels of energy and how much it's costing.

And so at the end of September I bit the bullet, advertised her and she became the new home for two delightful and enthusiastic people who wanted a narrowboat to refurbish and live on.

So it gave me great pleasure to hand her over and watch them sail her away.

Casting off

Chugging out of Bumble Hole on their way

Alison and Emily making breakfast

Good bye, good luck, have fun and enjoy