7th September 2013

The Selling of Winding Down

We've had our share of the shared boat Winding Down for sale now for over a year. So it was good to get a phone call from someone called Ken a month or so ago wanting info on WD. I sent him info by email and got a response back from him with further questions that I answered as best I could and suggesting that they could view WD at the home marina (Welton Haven) on 7th September (and a couple of other dates). We heard no more. Then, last Saturday, whilst watching Durham beat Yorkshire at Scarborough I got a phone call from a Wendy whose father Alec was also interested in buying the share. I rang them back when I got home from the cricket and had a chat and he offered us £250 below asking price there and then. I ummed and ahhed a bit then decided to accept. 

SO later that weekend I send off an email to the management company Carefree Cruising to inform them of this. But the sale all goes a bit wrong when Carefree ask Alec if he has much experience of steering a narrowboat. It turns out that he has previously hired a boat for only  a week and a weekend.and apparently the insurance company require more experience than that and that. Alec will have to go on a helmsman course. At this point contact with Alec is lost as he goes on holiday for 10 days. I speak to Alec's daughter and she is a bit miffed with Carefree for making no mention of this training requirement before. Anyway she says that her father is not contactable for over a week and that if anyone else is in the running to buy our share then they would understand.

Meanwhile I have emailed Ken again to ask if they are intending to come and view WD on Saturday? "Yes" came the reply we'll be there at 1PM and we are having a look round another boat with a share for sale there too.

The guy from Carefree who is based at the marina is called Guy. He is always busy on a Saturday doing turnarounds, I think there are seven Carefree boats based at that marina. So he doesn't have much time for showing prospective buyers around. So I decide to make the 160 mile journey (each way) to meet Ken and Eileen and show them around WD and hopefully dissuade them from thinking that the other boat (Jenny Wren) would be a good buy.

Pip has to go to Manchester that day for work so I drive down to Northamptonshire on my own. Ken and Eileen turn up and have a good  look round. They were very impressed with how clean WD was (thanks Mike and Wendy who were on last week). We have a chat about the syndicate and how things work and they seem keen. 

They then go off and have a look at Jenny Wren and meanwhile the next people who are out on WD today, John and Jayne, have turned up. So I am chatting to them when Ken and Eileen step off Jenny Wren. They say it's just the same inside as WD. We carry on chatting for a bit then Ken offers me the full asking price for WD. So we shake hands and agree to both talk to Carefree on Monday to start off the legal transfer process.

So, sorry Alec but you've been pipped at the post.

Ken and Eileen head off and I go for a little walk round the marina and up the cut for half a mile whilst chatting to Pip on the phone. When I get back John and Jayne are casting off for their trip on WD to the Ashby canal and back. So I take some photos and wave bye bye to WD. We've had good times on her and will miss her. But we'll have better and much longer times on Oleanna.

Hopefully the sale will go through without a hitch.

Ready for the off

On their way

Left turn

Bye Bye WD