COMMENTS BY VENDOR OF
SHARE OFFERED FOR SALE NOVEMBER 2022
For an independent review of the benefits of shared boat ownership go to www.dutchbargeboatshare.com
Owning a barge in France = living the dream? Yes, for those who can afford it - but not many can. First there's the purchase of the barge. Then the annual fixed costs (insurance, licence, mooring, maintenance etc), which can amount to £5,000 or very much more. Our alternative, 'co-ownership', puts the dream within reach. It substantially reduces the costs and, at the same time, relieves pressure to make use of a barge at every opportunity out of the sense of obligation that sole ownership brings. Co-ownership brings with it a mutual obligation between the owners to act in their collective best interest, enabled via the diligence of a Management Team drawn from their number.
An annual contribution of around £750 or less will enable two or three weeks cruising per year (alternating) - just add the cost of getting there, diesel fuel and sundries. Such value! If it were possible to charter in France a barge like DONJEUX even for one week that would cost thousands - just check out the rates charged by the canal holiday companies. This for an outlay of less than £8,500 to buy your share, which experience shows you might well recover on selling it later (not guaranteed, mind!).
DONJEUX's home base is the Aquarelle Marina in Auxerre, which is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth largest city in Burgundy. Located in the northern Burgundy vineyard area (of which Chablis and Irancy are the most prestigious appellations), the city has many interesting sites including a cathedral and an abbey, as well as a variety of shops, markets and restaurants. The driving time from Calais is about 4.5 hours and from Le Havre about 3 hours; from Ouistreham the drive cross-country avoiding Paris takes 6 hours, including stops.
There are numerous cruising options from Auxerre - all starting either northwards down the River Yonne, or southwards up the Canal du Nivernais. In some years owners arrange 'remote handovers' away from Auxerre which allow the cruising range to be extended beyond what is possible in two or three weeks. It is thus feasible to reach Paris via the Yonne and Seine, for example.
Some owners take Christmas or New Year breaks onboard, or use the barge as a stop-off when driving to the Alps. Thanks to a pair of particularly enthusiastic owners, DONJEUX spent the winter 2018/19 berthed in Paris - where many other owners and friends made use of her.
Taking a barge like DONJEUX 'uphill' through canal locks requires confidence and at least one crew member with the agility to climb lock-wall ladders and to control mooring lines in sometimes turbulent waters. She is best cruised on canals with at least three adults onboard - although a nimble teenager could substitute for one of the adults. Cruising the canals just double-handed can be challenging, and is recommended only for those with experience and confidence. Cruising on rivers, on the other hand, where the locks are usually easier, can be a doddle, even for two. Whether rivers or canals, the experience and the fun are equally rewarding.
On average over the past eight years, one share has come on to the market each year. Typically, the selling Owner(s) will have had the share for six years. This indicates satisfaction with how the DONJEUX Owners' Association (DOA) is operated. Administration, finance and governance are tautly run; engineering aspects are competently managed and maintenance costs are kept low, largely through some Owners spending a week onboard each Spring to carry out a programme of scheduled tasks and some upgrading when needed. As a result of avoiding, for the most part, the use of commercial maintenance providers, the service charges are kept low.
This year the Association has its AGM on Sunday 11th December - these days done virtually. Buy this share before then and you can join and integrate with our group of enthusiasts, who will make you most welcome.
How to proceed? Email the vendor who will give you their phone number so that you can have a good chat about Donjeux and about cruising the waterways of Burgundy. If want to proceed, make an offer and send a deposit of £100 (returnable). You will then be supplied with: the DOA governing document; Minutes of latest two AGMs; DOA Accounts for the latest two years; and the New Owner's Guide to the barge. Once you've reviewed those and confirmed your intention to buy, the sale can be quickly concluded. A Bill of Sale will be raised to seal the deal.
The web site address is :- www.donjeux.freeforums.org
An annual contribution of around £750 or less will enable two or three weeks cruising per year (alternating) - just add the cost of getting there, diesel fuel and sundries. Such value! If it were possible to charter in France a barge like DONJEUX even for one week that would cost thousands - just check out the rates charged by the canal holiday companies. This for an outlay of less than £8,500 to buy your share, which experience shows you might well recover on selling it later (not guaranteed, mind!).
DONJEUX's home base is the Aquarelle Marina in Auxerre, which is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth largest city in Burgundy. Located in the northern Burgundy vineyard area (of which Chablis and Irancy are the most prestigious appellations), the city has many interesting sites including a cathedral and an abbey, as well as a variety of shops, markets and restaurants. The driving time from Calais is about 4.5 hours and from Le Havre about 3 hours; from Ouistreham the drive cross-country avoiding Paris takes 6 hours, including stops.
There are numerous cruising options from Auxerre - all starting either northwards down the River Yonne, or southwards up the Canal du Nivernais. In some years owners arrange 'remote handovers' away from Auxerre which allow the cruising range to be extended beyond what is possible in two or three weeks. It is thus feasible to reach Paris via the Yonne and Seine, for example.
Some owners take Christmas or New Year breaks onboard, or use the barge as a stop-off when driving to the Alps. Thanks to a pair of particularly enthusiastic owners, DONJEUX spent the winter 2018/19 berthed in Paris - where many other owners and friends made use of her.
Taking a barge like DONJEUX 'uphill' through canal locks requires confidence and at least one crew member with the agility to climb lock-wall ladders and to control mooring lines in sometimes turbulent waters. She is best cruised on canals with at least three adults onboard - although a nimble teenager could substitute for one of the adults. Cruising the canals just double-handed can be challenging, and is recommended only for those with experience and confidence. Cruising on rivers, on the other hand, where the locks are usually easier, can be a doddle, even for two. Whether rivers or canals, the experience and the fun are equally rewarding.
On average over the past eight years, one share has come on to the market each year. Typically, the selling Owner(s) will have had the share for six years. This indicates satisfaction with how the DONJEUX Owners' Association (DOA) is operated. Administration, finance and governance are tautly run; engineering aspects are competently managed and maintenance costs are kept low, largely through some Owners spending a week onboard each Spring to carry out a programme of scheduled tasks and some upgrading when needed. As a result of avoiding, for the most part, the use of commercial maintenance providers, the service charges are kept low.
This year the Association has its AGM on Sunday 11th December - these days done virtually. Buy this share before then and you can join and integrate with our group of enthusiasts, who will make you most welcome.
How to proceed? Email the vendor who will give you their phone number so that you can have a good chat about Donjeux and about cruising the waterways of Burgundy. If want to proceed, make an offer and send a deposit of £100 (returnable). You will then be supplied with: the DOA governing document; Minutes of latest two AGMs; DOA Accounts for the latest two years; and the New Owner's Guide to the barge. Once you've reviewed those and confirmed your intention to buy, the sale can be quickly concluded. A Bill of Sale will be raised to seal the deal.
The web site address is :- www.donjeux.freeforums.org
Donjeux negotiating lifting bridge on Nivernais Canal.
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Looking north towards the West bank in Auxerre.
Under cover for hull blacking, June 2020.
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USEFUL LINKS
Location of Port du Plaisance (marina) - Quai de L`Ancienne Abbaye, Auxerre. Tel: +33 386 469 677
www.aquarelle-france.fr
Dutch Barge Association - www.barges.org
Auxerre tourism site - www.burgundytoday.com
Location of Port du Plaisance (marina) - Quai de L`Ancienne Abbaye, Auxerre. Tel: +33 386 469 677
www.aquarelle-france.fr
Dutch Barge Association - www.barges.org
Auxerre tourism site - www.burgundytoday.com
