It took us just 5 seconds. Turning the corner in the road we spied this strange shape looming through the mist, and we turned to each other and nodded. This was going to be our next venture, after a castle in Scotland, a 70 year old wooden boat in Barcelona and an artist’s house with cave dining. At the time, the state of the ‘boat’ house was ignored as our thoughts were overwhelmed with the possibilities that this could bring. Standing on the front deck, with a slight breeze humming through the pine trees, the birdsong of golden orioles and the chatter of red squirrels, we knew that this was our new home.
Then there was the renovation. 40 years of accumulated rubbish needed to be disposed of. Top to toe, or rather top deck to bottom deck, redecorating was required, inside and out, and the surrounding area landscaped. We did all the work ourselves, including the moat surrounding the ship giving it a sense of floating in the blue sea, and even added some koi and goldfish to complete the illusion. The addition of a new solar electricity system has helped with our eco credentials.
With over 60 years of hospitality experience between us, we knew that we would start offering Bed & Breakfast, but the fore and aft decks gave us an additional idea of serving afternoon teas. We had our ‘launch’ party in June and changed the name of the ship to Silva Navis, which, roughly translated from the Latin, means Ship of the Forest.
Now, unfortunately, ill health has meant changing our plans and we have had to make the difficult decision to put the ship up for sale. We hope that some like-minded person will see the adventure as we saw it, and be able to sail away into their own dream…
Steve & Sheigra
www.silvanavis.com/for-sale
More info: silvanavis.com
