The end of the road

And unlike Quo we really mean it!

Today, Jane and I signed off the final paperwork relating to the sale of "Erbas" and she is now officially in the hands of her new owner

And there she was, gone.



But not forgotten

The end, all but

There's just some paperwork left to sort out on Friday but to all intents and purposes our time with Erbas has come to an end

Yesterday, Erbas was craned onto a lorry and set off for her new home at Glasson Sailing Club in Cumbria

Unfortunately I missed her departure which was earlier than expected

Happily, Erbas has gone to a good home with an enthusiastic new owner who I'm sure will care for her as she has been cared for by her previous owners

We wish her new owner Richard fair winds and great adventures and we know Erbas will look after him as she has looked after us

Our adventures continue with our new boat "Pagan" and you can read all about them at svpagan.blogspot.com

And now, the end is near...

A couple of trips to Burnham over the last couple of days preparing Erbas for sale

I've, as agreed with the soon to be new owner, installed a new battery charger and the other job has been to remove the sails and all the canvas



Everything is now ready for the yard to remove the mast, which they're doing today or Monday and then on Tuesday she's off by road to her new home in Cumbria

Sold STC

We've accepted an offer on Erbas. More to follow once the paperwork is done

A quick wash and brush up ...

We were pleased to find the other day that, at last, Erbas has been lifted out and is now ashore in the Clarke & Carter sales area

We were less pleased to find she was looking a bit shabby!

She was dusty and pressure washing had inevitably removed what little was left of the last antifouling

We want her to catch the eye of passing potential buyers so we were back the next morning with brushes, rollers and a tin of jollop



Jane set about covering the bottom with the roller whilst I cut in the line of the topsides by eye with a brush (I'm pretty good at it too, if I say so myself. I did for a time paint and sign-write narrowboats for a living!)

Despite several breaks to stretch aching muscles we had the job done in about three hours








And how much better she looked too!

She's still looking for a new owner to love her

Sabre 27 for sale

There's been lots of interest but no buyer as yet

For Sale! The best 27 footer on the market :)

Well that's what we think anyway

Erbas is up for sale with Clarke & Carter at Burnham on Crouch and available to view six days a week (they're closed on Sundays but arrangements could be made)

1976 Sabre 27 For Sale

Get in quick, she's generating a lot of interest!

The Final Voyage

A final round of removing the odds and ends I'd missed over the last couple of days and one last wipe over the inside saw "Erbas" ready for her last trip under my command (if everything goes to plan!).

I set off down river on the last of the ebb and made good time to Burnham Yacht Harbour where I moored up on the allocated berth.

Then it was up to the brokers office to do the paperwork and that was that.

"Erbas" is now up for sale with Clarke & Carter and priced to sell at £10,950 but we're open to sensible offers.

Then it was up to the train station for the short trip back to Fambridge and the long walk to the Yacht Station. The walk was shortened by a lift down Ferry Road from Wiggy who was on his way to do a job in the yard.

I'll no doubt see "Erbas" again as I intend to pop down to Burnham around once a week to keep her aired and clean. That's assuming she doesn't sell quickly given that the broker was on the phone to a potential buyer to say she had arrived as I left the office!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, "Erbas" has given us enormous fun and pleasure in the short time we've owned her and she's looked after us when things have got sticky. She'll hopefully find a new home with people who'll appreciate what a fine boat she is

I'm not particularly emotional about the parting. It's not as if we're giving up sailing and we have a new pride and joy to get stuck into. But I will always look back on our time with "Erbas" fondly

Goodbye old girl, here's hoping you have many more miles to go with a new crew ....