With a heavy heart, we have sold our beloved Nimrod. A very nice Italian chap, Michele, who lives in Spain contacted our broker back in November and in mid February we flew out to Lavrion to show him and his surveyor the boat. We spent a couple of days beforehand ensuring everything was working as it should (and checking that Nimmie hadn’t broken any more toys over the winter!). Michele and his surveyor, Toni, arrived on the Tuesday and spent the day pulling her apart and checking every nook and cranny. The next day we had her launched for a sea trial. Nimmie behaved impeccably and even managed a down wind sail in just 8 knots of wind. She really was putting on a masterclass. Back into the yard at the end of the day and that evening we met Michele and Toni for a meal. We then spent the next day winterising her again as we were not sure whether Michele would put in an acceptable offer. We flew back to the U.K. on the Friday and waited to hear. About a week later we received an offer that was not unacceptable but was slightly lower than we had imagined. With a bit of negotiation we achieved a very acceptable offer that pleased both parties. The sale was completed in early March which meant we needed to remove our personal items and anything not listed on the inventory asap.

Consequently, we left the U.K. on Monday 18 March to drive down to Greece in our campervan, Dora. (www.doratheexplorer.blog if you’d like to follow our new adventures) Some 2,000 miles later we arrived in Lavrion and started to clear our stuff out. Two and a half days later, mission accomplished but it felt very sad indeed. It’s one thing making a decision to sell and quite another to realise that she is no longer ours. Luckily, we will have another chance to sail her as Michele has asked us to spend a few days with him in mid May so he can familiarise himself with her idiosyncrasies and also help him sail her towards Italy and her new home. He has also said that he would like to rename her so this may be the last time we can call her Nimmie!

It only seems fitting that the last photo of her as Nimmie is actually the first one we took of her back in 2008 when she came into our lives. It has been an incredible 16 years sailing her with never a dull moment but she has always looked after us and kept us safe. We hope she will have a wonderful time under new ownership with someone who will care and love her as much as we did.