Six Weeks to Go!

C minus six weeks.... (C=Cast off!)

What? 6 weeks? Really ... how did that happen? Time is quickly whizzing by as we get ourselves ready for our great sailing adventure.

Reality really set in when Hugh semi-retired May 1st. Now we can run around getting things organized, together! Its like everyday is a Saturday ... I guess that's what retirement life is all about! I think I like it!

Items on our many lists are quickly getting checked off ... new wills, check! New glasses and sunglasses, check! New iPhone (7 plus which is "water-resistant!!), check!! We have ordered  a new custom fit sheet set which is very exciting. I did try to make my own sheets from a regular sheet set but, wow, that is a hard job. They will work but in an emergency only!! I'm also gathering knitting projects to do along the way. I am an avid knitter and hate to sit and do nothing, and I have a feeling I will have some spare time as we travel.  Let me know if you need me to make anything 😊 Its all coming together.

I am slowly getting my head wrapped around provisioning the boat. I decided that I need to stock my galley pretty much the same as my kitchen at home. Makes sense, right? So I am going through all my cupboards and making lists of things I use all the time ... spices, staples, condiments, oils / vinegars etc. Some things I will bring from home and some things I will buy new.  I am also looking at all my Tupperware to store it all in and will order more containers. Everything needs to go into Tupperware or Ziplocs to protect it from the moisture on the water. I will be bringing a ton of Ziplocs with me! I'm feeling calmer about provisioning.

There are piles of "stuff" all over the house that need to go up to the boat. It always amazes me how we can take up so much and it somehow disappears into the boat. We bought a set of stacking drawers that we will be putting in our spare aft cabin (the "garage") for extra storage room. We'll see if everything we take on board this year disappears!

We are  slowly putting the boat back together after the winter and we finally spent two nights on board. They were a  little chilly!

The Main Salon

Our Cozy Cabin

Thank goodness for our fireplace to keep us warm!  

Time is quickly flying by and we want to see as many friends and family as we can, one more time, before we go. My mom is coming to terms with the fact that I am gong to be away for 10 months. I bought a  map of the Eastern USA and put it on a cork board with our route marked on it so she can follow us as we go.  The good news is we can talk/facetime/and text as much as we want along the way.  Isn't new technology wonderful?! When Hugh's parents did this trip in 1980, apart from the Super 8 movies, we hardly ever heard from them ..."no news is good news" was their motto! Plus, we will be home in October to attend my nephew's wedding and celebrate my "big" birthday!

Its all very exciting and scary at the same time. Exciting as its a huge adventure that we have been talking about since we met. We will see lots of amazing places along the way and meet people from all over the world. Besides, spending the winter in the  Bahamas sounds pretty good to me!
Scary because  I'm afraid of lots of things ... thunderstorms and lightning, big winds and waves, missing my family and friends ... you get the picture!! I guess its the unknown that is scary.

But we can do this ... One day at a time ...