Canal du Midi restaurant boat sold on the first visit to a Portuguese entrepreneur.

Restaurant boat Le Colombiers has left for the holiday complex Villaportuguesa in the town of Vila Velha de Rodao on the River Tage. Le Colombiers is part of an expansion program and will supplement an existing fleet of hire boats and a passenger boat. Departure was quite a spectacle as the exit from the Chantier Allemand yard is done by returning the wrong way up the one way street. This is a one kilometer access road and the return journey has to be escorted by police.

Once all was ready the police turned up with two motorcycles and a patrol car and the lorry with its escort vehicle left in a blaze of flashing yellow and blue lights.

The boat will soon to be launched on the River Tage and our vendors will be taking a trip to Portugal to train the new crews on how to operate the vessel. I suspect a good time will be had by all and that the now ex “Le Colombiers” will fit into her new environment with ease.

It had been quite an operation to organise and I thank the Chantier Allemand for their help and professionalism.

Thanks too to our vendors whos cheerful assistance at every stage was really appreciated

We also appreciate their kind comments sent to us after a long day at Chantier Allemand when we finally waved goodbye to Le Colombiers

“Graham and Magali. Thank you for selling our restaurant boat and getting us such a good deal despite such a difficult context. Thank you for taking care of all the administrative side as well as the organization of the craning and transfer of the boat by international exceptional convoy too"