Week 240: A pause in Greece
We close a deal on the sale of Matilda and spend the week in the marina waiting for the handover to commence next week.
Spoiler alert: We reached a deal on Matilda.
After a lot of back-and-forth, on Monday evening, we reached a point where we were convinced that the best thing to do was to pull Matilda out of the water and move on. It didn't feel like we were getting close, and there wasn't a firm offer at that point we could work with. Our main goal continues to be to return to Belgium and finish the work on Delfine.
I've reflected on it before, but there's always a point where the deal is done. It's a very distinct feeling. On Tuesday morning, after deciding to haul out, we received an offer we could agree to. Talk about a quick 180 turn in our emotions! While we can always wish we could get more, the market is depressed for trawlers at the moment. Regardless, we felt it was a deal we could accept, and it was a huge relief. From all the stress and worry to now planning the handover.
The buyer wants a swift handover, which we're grateful for and suits us well. The official closing date is set for the 1st of April. While this is great, it caused a few logistical challenges for us. Do we fly back to Belgium while we wait, or not?
Everything on Delfine is beginning to move forward quickly. We've already had to push out the engine mechanics. The floors were done, but we haven't seen them yet! The electrician and plumber started on Thursday, but we weren't there to do the walkthrough (we had to send detailed instructions on how to turn all the water off!)
We have a great team behind us, though. Martin, our boat electrician, was invaluable and guided the builder's electricians through some of the processes and standards. Others we trust, like Simon, also know their way around Delfine. We made it through. The builders, our architects and, in particular, our project manager, Kristof, also helped manage things to allow us to remain in Greece by attending meetings in our place.
While I'll be the first to admit there are worst places to pause, the marina is not particularly exciting, surrounded by a vast building site and no shops. It's no Porto Montenegro!
Honestly, it's been a dull and frustrating week. After the stress of closing the deal, we mostly stopped. We've fixed what we can from the survey for the new buyer. We are frustrated we can't be back in Belgium to keep pushing forward on Delfine and see all the exciting things starting to happen.
We had a bit of paperwork to organise in preparation for the sale and a few errands to run into Glyfada each day. We went shopping for a new backpack for Karina. We spent some time on some of the mundane admin stuff for Delfine, for example, implementing a proper cookie policy (apparently, my suggestion of simply writing nom, nom, nom doesn't meet EU standards).
On Saturday, we decided to get off Matilda and go to Athens to walk around the city, which we enjoyed. It's amazing just how full of tourists it is already. They are everywhere. We visited a few favourite shops and then caught the metro and tram back along the beach to the marina.
Today, we headed into Glyfada for brunch with Sotiris and his wife, Laura. Over the years, they have become good friends and had a lovely time sitting in the sun, chatting and enjoying the good food and the antics of their dog Buddy, who at four years old still thinks he's a big puppy and is always interested in other people's food.
And that's where we are at. It's an exciting week, and a huge milestone is coming up. On Monday & Tuesday, we'll be cleaning and prepping for the handover. Fingers crossed, it all goes well, and by Wednesday, Matilda will no longer be ours. On Wednesday & Thursday, I'll be aboard Matilda with the new buyer, training them on all the systems and relocating her to a boatyard near Salaminas Island just west of Athens, where the new buyer will be getting some work done to prep her for the season.
Both Eggs Benedict, both different, and both delicious. The Underdog (with the salad) wins, though.
It's been a challenging and stressful few weeks, but we're happy to reach this point. The new buyer is excited to take over Matilda, and we're delighted for them. They will be a great match, and we wish them every success and enjoyment with her as we have.
For us, it's a countdown of less than a week until we can get home to Belgium (that feels strange, but it is home now and where our focus is) and back on to Delfine. We can't wait!
Until next time,
Tim & Karina