Buying Into - The European Dream

Why waste time specifying the perfect boat for exploring the waterways of France and Holland when Nick and Sandy Trotter have done all the hard work for you?

- Hugo Andreae

Like many people, Nick and Sandy Trotter harboured a retirement dream to buy a boat and spend their second youth cruising the waterways of Europe. But it took a nasty wake-up call to spur them into action. Nick was aged 58 at the time and still working all hours of the day in sales when Sandy’s brother Philip was diagnosed with cancer. He lived long enough to see the beautiful new boat Nick and Sandy had bought for their big adventure but lost his battle shortly afterwards at the age of just 56. His premature death proved to be the catalyst for Nick to take early retirement and bring their departure date forward while they were both still young enough and healthy enough to make the most of the opportunity.

While the decision to advance their departure date wasn’t planned, it’s about the only part of their adventure that wasn’t meticulously thought through. Having worked their way up from a 27 Shadow to a Capriole 1020, they already had a pretty good idea of the size and style of boat they’d need if they were going to be comfortable living on board for months at a time. They’d stumbled across a Stevens 1340 at the 2005 Southampton boat show, which ticked all the boxes they were looking for but was slightly too big for their needs. The 1200 model with its two ensuite cabins at either end suited their needs and budget better but they still relied heavily on UK agent Karl Farrant to help specify it with everything they’d need for life aboard in Europe.