We are taking our time now as we're waiting for Chloe's hull to be welded up in Normandy. Two weeks ago, and the last time we physically saw Chloe, she was lying on the factory floor as a lifeless, flat pack of CNC cut, Aluminum parts.
Now though, she's start to spring into 3D shape as welding has started. These next couple of pictures show her initial structure, starting to develop.
Tack welding of her ribs and bulkheads has progressed and she's mounted on a hull frame jig. Like her sisters before her, this jig will serve as her frame's template, to 'copy exact' the shape of her hull.
Chloe will be hull # 21 of the Garcia Exploration 45 line.
We'll make sure we post a lot of pictures, along the way. Perhaps we'll be able to assemble some kind of time lapse, specific video of Chloe's hull...
We now have about 9 months of waiting time until Chloe's splash date in April 2019. The first few months of that is welding time and then she'll be relocated by road to the coast for her fitting out phase.
In the mean time, we're reading, learning and preparing for all the detailed systems that Chloe will involve. It's a lot of reading material to absorb and many decisions to make. Her energy generating systems, her communications systems, heating, plumbing and navigation... in addition to her sails, ground tackle, spas and lines.
Like most technical things, the products on the market are popping out relentlessly as people's creativity, all over the planet is realized and brought to market. It's a dynamic environment of changing products.
However, we want to keep Chloe, simple, fixable, reliable and solid.
While waiting, we decided to continue to tour France while periodically circling back to inspect Chloe's progress. France is a huge country and just full of 'Prettiness', everywhere you look. Now the worlds' #1 tourist destination, the French culture has clearly evolved to emphasis the visual appeal of their countryside and their towns. Pretty much all small French towns are picturesque, as if competing between each other. "We're the prettiest!! " , "No. No!! We are"...
Both crumbled down and restored traditional, stone cottages and buildings are everywhere... each would make for a picture postcard image.
The base lime stone used to make the walls and floors is a truly lovely color.
There are no bill boards, advertising, neon lights, commercial, in-your-face stores that you see along every freeway in the US - all of this kind of ugly commerce is apparently, 'banned' by the people of France... or at least it is 'contained' into isolated pockets of out-of-sight areas, surrounded by trees..
We rented a gorgeous little cottage south of Cognac, a hundred miles or so inland from Bordeaux, spending some time in the French community of Chalais. Pretty buildings. Pretty fields. Fun Markets. We now understand Van Gough's paintings as they were inspired by fields full of "Rolly balls", as Dawn calls them. Rolled up bails of hay and straw that are dotted around the fields at this time of year... so pretty.
Corn fields, Rolly balls, Sun flowers, Vineyards for miles and miles... a never ending river of French Prettiness...
We loved the cottage we discovered near Chalais. If you enjoy the look of it in our video, you can rent it also, either on line at :
https://www.homeaway.co.uk/p8121385 or better yet, book directly with the owners at: rdonaldson13@hotmail.com. Ask for Rod or Kay.
Talking of natural beauty, we had heard many times that the Pyrenees mountains are among the most beautiful in the world. They certainly are - we can now say that for sure. We continued our trip down the west coast of France, heading to the Spanish boarder. The Pyrenees started to loom.
We took the Petite Train de Artouste that runs from the top of a cable car station, along the mountain side to a Lake Faberge. An hour long ride that can only be described as breath taking. Views, wildlife and flora that is truly world class.
In the next couple of weeks, we're heading back to Cherbourg to see how Chloe's doing. And then we're leaving France for a bit of sailing.
