Holy $hit! Are we ready?!
Seeing as this is out first blog, not really sure where to begin, so we will start now (12 hours before departure).
This has been a whirlwind 3 weeks; we have been cleaning, painting, organizing, buying, moving and planning on the trip we about to embark on. the buying part has seemingly been non-stop! I feel we are going to be broke before we start!
So what have we been doing exactly to cover all of this? lets start with cleaning and painting: every part of the boat has been scrubbed down, cleaned out and all of the outside decks have been re-painted. No more rust spots or peeling paint! This turned out to be a huge undertaking, as not only did we have to scrape, wire brush, prime and paint, but it took countless trips to stores (Home Depot/ West Marine) to ensure we had the correct product and tools to do the job. We also spent a bit of time at Samsel Supply and various outboard mechanics to ensure the new dinghy was properly rigged for towing and the engine would be reliable. In hindsight, a new 4 stroke engine would have been nice, but we wanted to try to make do with what we had engine wise. Lauren spent days and days cleaning and organizing every nook and cranny to maximize storage. Then she had to re-do it as we brought more and more stuff from home. She is a genius when it comes to this, as there is no wasted space (and we haven’t filled every storage space) and everything must be stowed while underway so there is no accidental breakage or flying projectiles.
Now on to the moving: this has been all Lauren! Sure, I do the heavy lifting, but she is the brains behind the operation. Who knew we needed soap? (just kidding!) Seriously: she has been all over what we need and what we don’t…although this has sparked some conversations of what we each think is important… Me=alcohol She=food and clothes Not only did we have to move onto the boat, but also from out of the house. The basement had to get waterproofed so we didn’t have to worry about that, the plumber had to be called to fix a water leak, all of the house needed cleaned and cleaned out, including planting new grass to fix where the contractor tore up our yard. The garage needed cleaned and organized, and the animals needed to be acclimated to the new home. Frank (our dog) is no stranger to the boat. He has been aboard almost as much as we have. The cats: well, lets just say they are getting adjusted. They actually haven’t been bad; a little timid and exploring the boat, but have in fact haven’t been as freaked out as we thought they might be. Don’t forget we haven’t left the dock yet, and they have yet to hear the Detroit Diesel roar to life!
The buying: paint and supplies (over and over), new dinghy, new lines and lights for dinghy, registration for both boats, cleaning supplies, food and alcohol, boat decor, security items, dog and cat stuff, subscriptions, internet upgrade, power inverter, cooking supplies… I could go on and on… We will put together a spreadsheet of expenditures so we (and you) can see where we are spending money and keep track of our spending.
So this brings us to the end of our first post; Lauren wants to know how I have so much to say and we haven’t even left yet?! You will be kept well informed as promised; We want to be able to share our experience with everyone who wants to follow along and we are now 12 hours from departure. We will update frequently and look forward to hearing from everyone!
Cheers!