Savannah: A long look back

It appears they're doing just fine without me!!

I was reading through our old blog entries the other night – feeling nostalgic and missing my boys – and I came across our list of projects we HAD to do before we left. We completed a huge amount of work, but I found it quite funny that many of those projects are still unfinished 3 ½ years later. So this post is for those people who aren’t quite sure if they’re ready to leave. I think this is timely as it’s getting close to the end of hurricane season in North America and many are preparing for the Ba-ha-ha in CA (the yearly migration to Mexico) or for heading south here on the east coast. My advice, Just go. If it’s important, it will get done.

Just for fun…Here’s our list from 2010 and the CURRENT status of those projects…it’s actually a pretty short list now that I look back on it.

Galley Remodel

Lucky for me, this was complete and has made a world of difference in our comfort level. We expanded our fridge and added a freezer.

Extend bed, new mattress

While we did get a new mattress (love it!), we never extended the bed. We just switched which way we lay our heads. And now that I’m stateside in a real bed, I find myself sliding down to the end so I can hang my feet over and hugging the edge of the bed (normally the wall on the boat, so I give Andy more room).

Single Side Band “stuff”

We did install the modem but it took a good year after being out to finally figure out how this thing worked. In the end, we bought a new radio (and still took an additional six months to come up to speed). This is an area that still seems to need chicken bones and voo-doo dolls to make it work. One lesson learned for us though…we bought a huge, expensive antennae and drove it down to Mexico for better reception. It never worked properly and literally broke off into the water shortly after purchasing it. After duct taping it back together we now use it to hold the very inexpensive 30 feet of wire needed for proper reception. Most of the time, it works like a champ.

Lifeline netting

Installed and very helpful for keeping toys on board.

Deck box for compressor

Never did this. The compressor has a permanent home in our head on top of the engine cover.

Configure cockpit for shower curtain so we can have some privacy while bathing

Never did this. We still shower outside but have decided it’s not that big of a deal. The way our cockpit sits, I don’t’ think anyone can actually see anything. I wear my bathing suit top anyway just in case, but overall, cruisers aren’t really that concerned with your showering habits (I do have to watch out for tour boats in Palau though…learned that the hard way). Jake forgoes the shower altogether and just jumps in the water naked, using soap when forced to do so.

Now here’s a list I did find useful…

· Quit Job/ Retire/ Leave of Absence (my favorite)
· Get all checkups, shots, teeth cleaning, eye doctor, hair cuts, etc.
· Beef up the first aid kit for long term/remote travel
· Put together ditch kit
· Establish residency in homeschooling, tax friendly state.
· Sell Car/Truck
· Provision – a few times. I find that I am always thankful to have too much, rather than not enough. Many people disagree with this advice. It depends on your relationship with food….we love food, therefore we never leave home without the essentials.
· Last but not least…Plan a party! Say goodbye to friends and family, relax, have fun. You’re just getting started…