Shakedown Summary

The photos from the Shakedown Cruise with appropriately themed music:

Boat Shutdown

Shutting down the boat today in preparation for our trip back to the UK. Mega to-do list and then dinner out tonight as a treat! Boat shutdown consists of doing all the chores which will enable you to come back to a lovely, clean, relaxing (and, in Florida, bug-free!) boat. Today's list:

- Top off all the tanks and chemicals where necessary
- Defrost fridge and freezer
- Dismantle the dingy and stow all dingy accessories
- Total boat wipe down (with bleachy water so we don't come back to moldy stuff)
- All laundry done
- Exterior boat washdown
- Non-perishable groceries provisioning (so all we have to buy is fresh when we get back)

This leaves the boat with 'all systems go' (hopefully!) for when we get back so that weather permitting we can head to the BAHAMAS!

Stevie Special Paint Job

Ever since we bought the boat, one of those 'little things' that always distracts us when we look at the boat has been the condition of the black stripe. It's like a scuff on the floor, a scratch on the paint, a ding in the woodwork - one of those things that no one else ever notices, but bugs the heck out of us (particularly me). Our black stripe has always been a bit dull, faded, with grey marks on it.

In St. Pete, Steve polished the entire exterior of the hull and painted the non-skid areas a sand color which went really well with the black and cream base color scheme. But like when you paint a ceiling and then notice that walls need doing, and when you paint the walls . . . same holds true on a boat, the stripe needs doing. Yesterday Steve taped and painted, and now the boat looks done!

Sunday - Whoops! - Monday Morning Breakfast

Sunday Morning Breakfast - On Monday!

Since Sunday was so busy, we put off the Sunday morning bacon and eggs breakfast til Monday. It was quite a nice thing to do to get up on a Monday morning and have Sunday breakfast!

We're 'Liveaboards' Now!

As of today, we are Liveaboards! No more condo, no more land-bound security net - our space is now 42 x 14 ft! What a change. But actually, it is much nicer than you would think. Although the kitchen (galley) is 5 x 3 ft, everything is at my fingertips. The whole place takes 30 minutes to clean (and that's for a deep, thorough clean). It's very 'wee', but well organised.
As with many wee spaces, as soon as you take stuff out or bring it in, it can look very crowded. Above is what the salon looks like while we're provisioning (getting food).

I've made approximately five trips to the supermarket to do the full stocking of the boat (and believe me, I am so sick of supermarkets!). We now have enough to be self-sufficient for the next 3-5 months. Yes, there will be food in the Bahamas. But, having been to the islands in the Med, we have a rough idea of what to expect at the Bahamaian island stores - some local produce and whatever stores arrive from the supply boat. We'd rather have a bit larger selection. Hence the big provision.

We spent quite a bit of time researching what is needed for 'ship's stores'. How do you eat well when there is no store to go to when you run out of something? There are lots of blogs with recipes and suggestions for how to provision for long trips. We took those and adapted for our taste preferences.
It doesn't stay chaotic for long! This is what the salon looks like when we've put the food away!

Preparation 3 - The Boat Prep

First Post By Steve (he's been busy!):

In the past two years these are the things we have done to the boat to get it ready to go and it's not finished yet:

Sails and Rigging:

Replace Running Rigging (Halyards and Sheets)
Replace Lazyjacks
Fit Reefing Points and Lines to Main Sail
Make good and repair sails
Service winches
New sail, winch, instrument and windlass covers

Engine and Transmission:

Strip and clean heat exchanger and oil cooler
Replace Thermostat and Raw Water Pump and coolant
Replace various oil and water pipes
Oil, Oil Filter and Fuel Filter replace
Polish Fuel
Replace propshaft and cutless bearing
Replace belts
New injectors, injector pump, fuel pump, oil seals

Electrics:

Two new house batteries
Overhaul high output alternator
Replace circuit breaker
Replace various bulbs including anchor and steaming lights

Communications & Navigation:

Fit chart plotter
Re-wire some of the HF Installation
Fit Pactor modem
Fix log
Fit Wi-Fi antennae

Refrigeration:

Replace the compressor and various pipes flush and replenish the system

Ground Tackle:

Replace both anchor rodes (chain and rope)

Fresh Water System:

Replace water pump
Overhaul water pump to make spare
Drain and flush tanks

Toilets and Washing Facilities:

Replace both holding tanks
Overhaul both heads
Replace forward masurator, fit new masurator in rear and overhaul old one to create a spare
Replace rear shower pump
Refit front shower fitting

Safety Equipment:

Overhaul liferaft
Re-register the EPIRB
Replenish grab bag
Replace lifelines

Cooking:

Learn to cook well on a boat (no beans and toast!)
Figure out how to provision / store for 3-6 months
Install spice rack

Hull and Deck:

Haul and anti-foul hull
Replace zincs
Compound and polish the topsides
Compound and polish deck
Re-paint antiskid
Varnish Brightwork
Replace some opening ports

Dingy and Outboard:

Modify outboard mount
Replace davit lines
Fit lifting eyes to Dingy
Dingy cover
Outboard cover

Other 'Stuff':

Fit shelves
Cut back shelf in rear cabin
Install step (for short people)
New cushions internally and in the cockpit
New stereo
Fit storage boxes
Oil Lamp
Galley Strap
Fender Boards
Jerry Can mounts

By Katherine:

Until we totalled it all up, we didn't realise what a huge piece of work this has been. Now this isn't to say we did every bit of it. Some of this involved giving money to others (in some cases far too much!) so they could do it. But a great deal has been done by Steve himself - talented electrician, plumber, engineer, painter, carpenter, 'systems' whiz that he is.

After looking at the list, perhaps we should have gone with a newer boat which didn't need so much done to it. But having chartered two and looked at many different models of the newer boats at the boat shows, we certainly wouldn't find one as nice for the money. The materials used in the newer boats are of a much (much, much!) lower quality than ours. Snowbird was built in 1983 and has solid wood throughout. Both the Jeanneau and the Benateau we chartered had pressboard throughout - looks nice initially, but quickly buckles under the strain of sailing (both Steve and Matt were falling through the floorboards of the last charter boat which was quite new). Until you get into the really expensive boats, the Amels or Tayannas, the quality materials are just not there - so I think we're very happy with what we have!

Also wondering how all this got done with all the work projects on in the past 2 years!

Sail Covers - Check!

The sailcovers are now done!

There Be Gators!

After three weeks of work, Steve announced we were taking a day off (whew, yippee, wahoo!!!)! Somebody said this not working stuff was slow, boring and tedious. Ha, not with my guy! We haven't stopped since we arrived here. And, actually, even our days off are busy!

First thing (after breakfast, of course!) we went to downtown to St. Petersburg to check out the Farmers Market. After buying from Walmart we are desperately in need of veg that tastes like - well, veg - instead of insipid, bland, boring, picked too early stuff masquarading as veg! I want tomatoes that are red, not pink or peach, ripe and luscious. We didn't realise how spoiled we were buying from the farmers' market in Blackburn, what a difference in the taste of food. (Oh yeah, and I want cheese, real cheese - sharp, pungent, melt in your mouth French cheese - the kind which fails all US health inspections!)

After running various errands all over the county, then we went to GATORS for lunch! One of my favourites for seafood, sun and people watching. We lucked out and ended up with a waterfront table where we could watch the boats pulling up and the sailboats coming in and out of the pass. The famous smoked fish spread to start and chicken wings to finish - lovely!

Then we had a nap, then we went grocery (and boat stuff) shopping, then we had dinner (at 10:00)!

Sewing Central

Really into the sewing now! The fabric arrived for the sailcovers (which desperately needed replacing!), the awning, the rest of the winch covers and the all-important cockpit pillow! My sewing table - one of the more unique ones I've had - the vanity table in the bathroom. My cutting table - our bed. It has been really interesting trying to cut and sew these sailcovers. The picture doesn't do it justice, but that is essentially all the space I have around the machine (okay, maybe a few inches on the other side) and the sail cover is 16 ft long - I am becoming very accomplished at manuvering in tight places!

Preparation 2 - What Will We Do All Day?!

When Steve said he wanted to 'give up serious work' and, oh by the way, he wanted to do it in our 40s, my first reaction was, "OMG, what will we do all day?!" The concept of stopping work for more than a holiday isn't something encouraged by the American Keep the Economy Pumping Productivity Programming. You are supposed to work for as long as you can. Who would want to retire (because all you'll do is sit on a porch and die), right? I'd never even really thought about not working. The only alternatives I had ever considered were different types of work. Work is just what people do.

So when Steve said he wanted to do this (after the initial panic wore off) I had to start thinking about what I really wanted to do if I wasn't working on more than full-time transformation programmes. And once work comes out of the picture, you start to think about what you really want to do in your life. When you start to think that way, it's like looking at a blank canvas - what do I want to do?

I can see why people just fall into working forever, it's easy. There's no thinking involved. But I found being confronted with the blank canvas of my life really difficult. Thinking through and deciding what to put on that blank canvas is hard (especially when the hardy New England upbringing (work, work, work!) kicks in!). Some folks may have a long list of what to do if there is no work, but I suspect many more are like me - never really thought about it before.

Work isn't the be all and end all, and quite frankly I don't want to look back at 99 and think of how many great meetings I had or how much time I spent at my desk in a cubicle. Nope, I actually want to do a lot more than that, as I discovered when making my list of what I want to do post 'serious work'. (We are still tackling what to call this - it's not retirement, it's not a sabbatical, it's not a holiday - fodder for another post I think). I/we made our list and it wasn't an afternoon project - it took about two years to do.

There are books to write, instruments to learn to play, languages to speak, skills to learn, places to discover and explore. We want to sail around the Bahamas, up the coast of the US and in the Med. We want to bicycle through France and Italy, and motorbike through both the US and Europe. We'd like to explore both places by caravan too. Then we really need to get busy and explore the rest of the world - the Far East, Thailand, India, Japan, China, New Zealand, South America and the list goes on and on. We may be able to fit it all in in about 50 years or so!

Fender Covers

When we got the boat, we also got the fenders which went with it. They were old, dingy and grey - and those dirty things were very distracting in my lovely boat photos! While we were at the Southamption Boat Show last year, we found fender 'socks' which could be put on old fenders to make them look better. I spent this morning covering all our fenders and here's a picture of how they turned out. Should have done a before and after, but take it from me they look much, much better!

Sign of the Times

Boat is Back!

After being all smartened up, Snowbird is back in the slip. Steve is working through his massive to-do list while I get to go shopping for the bits and pieces we need to have an organised and homey boat. Stuff gets easily scattered around when you're sailing, either through us not putting things away or bounced about by waves. If things have a home, hopefully they will go back home after being used. With only 40ish ft of space, it doesn't take much out to have a rather untidy place (Steve, aka Tidy Head, will be chuckling gleefully when he reads this!).

The interior is a mess! Very dusty and cluttered from the interior repaint / revarnish - which isn't quite complete yet (grrr). Steve's got stuff ripped apart doing bilge pumps and heads so I'm staying well away. We'll have quite a cleaning job on our hands on Monday.

Things I picked up are mainly storagey type stuff - baskets for the shelves, bins for the chart table shelves, containers to keep little things from floating (or flying) around the cabin. Found a fantastic deck bag! What's a deck bag? Everytime I go up on deck I have 'stuff' with me (yes, I'm a stuff person and quite happy that way, thank you!) - camera, video camera, book, suduko, sunscreen, lip balm, water, etc., etc. This stuff can go flying or have to be rapidly and repeatedly picked up and stowed if we're tacking. So I've been looking for a good bag for holding all my stuff and I found it! Great bag with loads of storage for keeping all the bits and pieces I like to have on deck in one place.

After all the busy-ness, we cleaned up and had dinner out on the patio. Temp is mid-70s. November is my favourite time of year in Florida!

Dinner on the Beach

The boat is now back in its slip and we have retrieved everything from our storage locker. The condo looks like a staging facility with everything organised in piles - need on the boat now, need on the boat when Steve is finished tearing it apart, need to sew (this should be interesting!), need to put on the boat when it is clean and need to put on the boat just before we go.

Having done that an evening of relaxation was in order so we heated up dinner, put some wine in a jug and went down to the beach. A balmy evening requiring only light sweaters, perfect for al fresco. Very romantic too - until all the hobgoblins came running by as they were trick or treating and then the kiddies Halloween party kicked into high gear providing our romantic interlude with the background accompanyment of the music from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. It was all in good fun though and the kids were very cute (especially the one dressed as a pumpkin passed out in his stroller on the way home).

What a difference a day - whoops - five days makes! Sunday we were in Windsor all bundled up for the chilly weather (although with the best of company!):

Today - Dinner on the beach while watching the sunset.

Going Back into the Water

The boat has been out of the water since we got here, getting the bottom repainted so it's all clean and smooth for sailing. Not that it should make a real difference in our speed, ours is a very slow boat!

Steve has also spent the past two and a half days polishing the outer hull. He was well into his first day when the yard guy said to him, "You're doing it wrong and using the wrong stuff." But he then took pity on Steve, showed him the professional secrets of how to polish and the magic ingredient to use (ssshhh, don't tell anyone!). The hull is now so shiny the water reflects off it!

Here is Steve - post polish.

Tomorrow we start on the inside. From what I hear, it is slightly disordered since the interior repaint...

Florida - First Couple Days

And so it begins! After the nine-hour flight to Florida (2 books, 2 movies,
2 meals, 2 drinks, 2 diet cokes, 2 to-do lists - 0 naps) we arrived in Tampa
and headed off to Bill and Joe's to pick the car up. It was in great shape
(might be the best it has looked ever) and they were as fun and cheery as
ever. Then down to St. Pete to find the condo where we'll be staying for
the next three weeks while we do the trip preparation. Condo is very nice
(tropical motif throughout) and convenient to the marina and various boat
'stuff' stores.

The first non-travel day was spent getting groceries, checking out the boat
(currently out of the water having its bottom repainted - looks very good,
btw), checking the mail (no car or boat registration decals waiting (sigh)),
and having a Chinese. Bill stopped by with the rest of the luggage which we
couldn't fit in the car. We tried to watch An Affair to Remember, but too tired. We were sound asleep by 8:00!

Next Big Step - Done!

Things are all done at Highcroft (sigh) and we're now moving between
locations. Note to self: Next time we pull up stakes to go on a big
adventure let's take a little time between finishing work and going to get
ready for the big adventure! Whew!

Think we're there though, three huge suitcases packed with everything we
think we could possibly need (in addition to everything on the boat already,
may be a space issue before we go!). Today was my last day with some of the
best people I have worked with so far!

This weekend is going to be spent down in Windsor with Jess which should be
lots of fun!

Getting Ready to Go

Getting everything ready to go - house, office, files, computers, and phones. Think of the 12 Days of Christmas:

12 (times 2) inches of paperwork
11 loads of laundry
10 bags of trash
9 cables and adaptors
8 attempts at computer backups
7 'would you pleases'
6 page To Do List
5 Leaving Do's
4 loads of dishes
3 huge suitcases
2 copies of everything
And a slightly crazed, very nervous, but ready to go, future sailing devotee!

Going Sailing - The Categories

Over the past two years we've spent a lot of time getting ready to go. We read books, went to boat shows, tried lots of things and made lots of mistakes. I think we learned a thing or two along the way (and not just about sailing, but about ourselves). The preparation for sailing has evolved into categories, one of which I've already talked about - communications. The others are:

Finances
Boat
Sailing skills
Live aboard a boat skill
Affairs landside
Securing future income
Mental preparation
Research
Physical skills

It's Time to Get Serious Now!

All of a sudden October 27th and Going Sailing seems really, really close! Our trip has always seemed like something off in the distance, but now it's becoming very real!

It's not like we haven't been preparing for it, the plans and to-do lists have been created and checked off consistently. New lists and new checks each month. I think because we're now working on the 'What Must Be Done Before We Go List' the minimal amount of time we have remaining has suddenly become really clear!

We have done a lot of preparation in quite a few different areas - first and foremost financially, building our sailing skills, mental preparation (the physical will happen when we get on the boat!), communications (of which this blog is a part of). We've spent quite a bit of time working on how to create a gourmet lifestyle on a shoestring budget (which has been very interesting, but I think we are there!).

Today I started packing. My to-do list is 4 pages long (single spaced, double sided). I'm going to be really busy between now and October 27th!