The adventures of Cybèle 17
turning the page
These lines mark a new turning point in the lives of François and Valérie, our ambassadors in love with the Far North. It marks a transition from a life of adventure on the seas to a new life ashore.
I shared our last winter on board with you, in Iceland. And the ups and downs of our return to France in June 2022. We thought it would just be another stopover. ‘Twas not to be so…
Valérie Viel
Some background…
I left you, in July 2022, on the beaches of Ile de Batz, in Northern Brittany, with Cybèle sheltering us according to the tides and the rhythm of our stopovers in Batz, Roscoff and Brest for medical treatment.
The captain slowly recovered from his shingles, and we made our plans for the winter, and the following summer.
Scotland at last! Until now, we had only passed by. Keeping it for later. Close to Brittany. We would have plenty of time to explore Scotland, on shorter trips… we thought.
Autumn arrived – Back to Brest via the Molène archipelago.
Search for a port to pass the winter. Not so easy… We had no idea that Brittany’s ports were in such demand! An appointment to have our passports renewed. With the usual delays.
Looking for a car for our 6 months ashore. We found a car for sale, which they promised to buy back for the same price after 6 months! It happens sometimes! We still have it 1 year later!
Anyway… No sooner had these conditions been met than the autumn and winter of 2022 – 2023 took us by surprise in a whirlwind of events and “planetary alignments”. Some signs need to be recognized and accepted.
Events that mark the life of a family.
Health issues that force us to adopt a new lifestyle.
Friendships that open up new opportunities.
Like at sea, one must remain humble, analyze the environment and adapt course. Flexibility. Adaptability. Survival.
In December our provisional programme was to manage our health (I was no longer the only one involved), empty and sell a family home, accompany my elderly parents in their move and with their health, accompany children who were also going through turbulent periods of life, AND! Plan to renovate a small house by the sea, which we had almost acquired in the space of 2 months!
After much soul-searching, we finally and reluctantly decided to part with our beautiful Cybèle.
Forced to stay ashore without knowing how or when we’d be able to set sail again, we couldn’t reasonably abandon her at the pontoon. A ship destined for great horizons, and at least for life on board, we couldn’t even live on her any more.
And above all, on the advice of many boating friends, we shouldn’t wait to sell. We couldn’t let our boat lose value without not being able to give it the daily care it needs to remain in good condition.
After an initial enthusiastic visit with a promise to buy that fell through, we finally entrusted it to the care of specialist agents.
It’s not the sort of boat that sells just like that. Specially fitted out for long-distance trips and in excellent condition. We had to find buyers that were willing to pay the price for a “helm in hand” boat…
Over the winter, we continued to look after and maintain her, despite our busy schedule. In the spring, refit work forced us to move her to another port. We took the opportunity to take some grandchildren on board one last time for a trip to the island of Molène. Not far. But still too much for the captain’s health. This confirmed our decision.
We spent some time on her again during the summer, but only in port or at anchor, between numerous appointments for health and house renovations. And as if fate was reminding us that this was indeed the end, we also reveived – after denunciation… – a formal notice from the Affaires Maritimes (the French sea authority) for excessive length of time at anchor in front of our future home!
We learned that we were only allowed on these anchorages for 3 days and 2 nights! And not all future neighbors are nice. So added to all the above, were negotiations with the town hall and the DDTM!
After a few interesting but unsuccessful visits, we welcomed Guy & Soizic on board. Bretons exiled in Normandy, they came by sea, to reassure themselves and us, after a few hours and a meal on board, that Cybèle was indeed the right choice for them. They had the same project as ours. To live on board while they wind up their professional lives. Then to head to Northern Europe for ten years or so. With dog and cats.
So, we accelerated Cybèle’s preparations and emptied her many, many lockers!!!! It’s easy to see how we lived aboard for 10 years without lacking anything… there was stuff everywhere! We dream of having such great storage in our future home… But it’s also easy to see why boats cost so much when you consider the interior fittings and the hours of work that go into them.
Off I go to Roscoff. The boat needs to be surveyed and taken out of the water. The job falls to me with my son and a friend as crew, so as not to go it alone. Once again, the poor captain is grounded. He won’t even be able to have a final trip on Cybèle. He was happy just to take photos from the pontoon…
And for once, everything was going to plan, the signature of the sale was scheduled for early November.
The final clearing on board. A last morning to admire the sunrise behind the harbour masts. The last bags out.
And then came storm Ciaran…. We had to insure the boat again, which valiantly resisted the gusts, well sheltered in the port of Roscoff. We had made her completely safe and, for once, dismantled the cockpit enclosure and deflated the dinghy. We hadn’t winterized it yet because of all the visiting and sailing.
Her new owners were also eager to get back on board to spend the winter at home in Normandy.
Everything went well for Cybèle and we handed her over to her new captains.
It’s now up to them to learn to sail her and love her as we have.
For us, with most difficulties now resolved or in the process of being resolved, after 12 intense months, we can now enjoy our tribe and follow the work on our future home, while discovering our new home port, opposite the Ile Vierge lighthouse in the Finistère.
For me, it’s easier to turn the page than for the captain.
I’ve loved our nomadic lifestyle, rich in encounters, but I’m happy to have a little more time to enjoy family, aware of life’s upcoming deadlines.
The captain has devoted his leisure time to the sea and boating since he was 11 years old. Fortunately, he has other passions, and can now indulge in the joys of gardening, music and fine books.
But we haven’t forgotten our travels, which we hope to resume in a different way as soon as the house is ready.
This is also a time when when memories begin to flow. What with the photos that appear automatically on social networks, the friends who come looking for news, and the snow never falls in winter in Brittany, we’ll have to make some choices.
10 years of life on board.
10 years of sailing
10 countries (and more) covered or explored.
How can 2 people live together in a “confined” space.
Winters. Discovering Nordic lifestyles and cultures.
Summers. A few crossings and the charm of many coastal cruises.
From the Baltic to the fjords of Iceland, via the fjords of Norway and the ice of Svalbard.
Maybe these few lines could serve as an outline for a future article on the highlights of these 10 years.
Once again, our cockpit enclosure was a huge plus for our Cybèle and its future buyers. Even for anyone who hasn’t yet understood all of their desires. A wonderfully comfortable space for sailing and living on board, well sheltered from the wind and sun. Still too rare on many boats.
We won’t be leaving NV, as I still have the pleasure of carrying on with customer relations tasks on a daily basis.
You can reread all about our trip – and those of other NV ambassadors – thanks to the articles still online on the NVequipment website!
If you are inspired by and dream of Northern Europe, find our trip and contact us via our blog “Les voyages de Cybèle”.
You can always reread and rediscover François and Valérie’s trips or join the groups that Valérie has been moderating for several years: Femmes en Bateau and Women Who Sail Northern Europe. ⬇︎
