A brief look at the last 10 years ...

After buying Nooit Gedacht in 2008 in Nancy, France, we based ourselves there for the first year, upgrading and modernising our new barge, while cruising the area and learning to handle a large boat (a 21m leisure barge is, after all, a little different to various canoes, sailing dinghies and narrowboats). On my retirement in 2009 and following our first major cruise down the Canal des Vosges and on to the Petite Saône that summer, we spontaneously decided to base ourselves nearer to home at H2o's 'Old Lock' moorings in St. Jean-de-Losne in Burgundy (we were living in Zürich, Switzerland at the time). 

Since then, joined later by first one then two water-loving golden retrievers, we have cruised widely on the waterways of central France: the Petite Saône, the Canal du Centre, the Canal de Bourgogne, the River Yonne and the Seine, the Canal du Marne au Rhin, the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne, the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, the Canal des Vosges, the Canal de la Sarre and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, enjoying many of these delightful French waterways several times. The joy of these trips is that each time they are different, always offering new views and experiences, whether it be a friendly local village shop, a newly savoured restaurant ("Au P'tit Kir" in St. Léger-sur-Dheune on the Canal du Centre, or my 70th birthday at "Les Maronniers" in Pontailler-sur-Saône on the Petite Saône spring to mind), a classical concert in a local church or an out-of-the-way, tree-shaded mooring inviting one for a cooling swim in the river on a hot summer's day.

One day the time comes, nevertheless, when one has to start thinking about hanging up one's clogs - and at 76 I believe that time is gradually approaching for me. So as mentioned in the introduction, our barge Nooit Gedacht is now up for sale to others looking to realise that wonderful dream ...

For those who ask, and we have been asked many times, I would translate "Nooit Gedacht" into English roughly as "Oodathawtit", an unattainable dream finally come true!