When there is SO MUCH to do, it’s tough to figure out WHAT to do….

I’m a highly structured individual, if I have a project, I have a “To Do” list (in chronological order, naturally.)  The problem with a massive undertaking, like getting the boat ready to cruise, is that I could spend the whole time before departure on writing and rewriting “To Do” lists!  So, I’m trying something new, I’ve made a “Priority” list.  If it’s raining, there’s a priority, if it’s sunny, there’s a priority.  If my first priority is stymied because I need parts/tools/5200 silicone sealant/or I just dropped something in the water, then I move onto the next priority.  Yes, it’s kind of a “To Do” list, but I’m not mapping every step and spelling out the entire process like I normally do.  For instance, today’s “Priority” is cleaning out our storage unit.  I don’t know exactly what I’ll do there, or how I’ll do it, but I guarantee there will be more order and less chaos when I leave it today.  And maybe I’ll pick-up a dinghy or two and an outboard to rebuild? Which just so happens to be the second priority….

With only -checks countdown clock- 138 DAYS LEFT TO GO, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!  AHHHHH!!!!!

Okay, let me try that again, I’ll pull myself together:

With only 138 days left before we depart, it’s very important to start removing things off the priority list. With big things like, “Engine, Watermaker, Safety Equipment, Solar Panels, etc.” populating the priority list, when one gets removed, it’s a big milestone on our journey preparation.

So, I took the day off work, it’s gorgeous outside, and the storage facility will receive my full attention.

Right after I finish this cup of coffee and stop freaking out that there are only 138 days left…..

Here is that same route as shown on the “Spot Adventure” site:

Tir Na Nog – Headed South

Share your Adventures with SpotAdventures

So please tell me the pros and cons of these formats in the comments, (and which you prefer for our future routes.)

My goal is to create tracks to illustrate interesting legs of our trip from time to time.  I want to be able to easily show our track, maybe some interesting pictures along the way, and the time of day that these interesting things happened.  (So you can see when we sailed through the night, where I caught a fish, etc.

Here’s a track I created from a trip I took on a friend’s boat.  We made a journey from Oriental, NC to Lake Worth, FL last November, fish were caught, dolphins played, and there was some great sailing along the way.  

Here is that “Spot Adventure” route shown Google Maps:

Tir Na Nog – South

Let me know if you have any comments, and if you like the Google Map format.

I have about a dozen sewing projects I hope to accomplish before our departure date. One thing on the agenda for today is determining which fabric to use to recover the seat cushions in our salon. Lots of factors to consider here: aesthetics of course, stain-resistance, “workability” (Martha Stewart, I’m not), and now with the arrival of our third crew member, whether or not the fabric makes a good scratching post. (A big part of the reason we need new cushion covers in the first place.)  In addition, Brad has suggested we refinish with waterproof fabric so he can just hose down this inside of the boat instead of dusting.

So today, I’m conducting my own little stainmaster experiment. I’ve picked up some samples from a nearby upholstery outlet, and I’m going to see how stain-resistant they will be.  Looks like that bottle of ketchup that lives in the back of our fridge will finally get some use, and we might have to open a bottle of wine, (for testing purposes, of course.)

Fascinating, I realize, but hopefully our hard work and research now will lead to more fun and relaxation later.

I was surprised earlier today when I checked the weather – 100 degrees, high humidity, and a ridiculous heat index, but NO thunderstorms for today, (they weren’t supposed to move in till tomorrow.)

If I’ve learned anything about the weather while living at the top of the Bay, it’s that when it’s hot and humid here, it’s going to storm.  Tonight proved that theory right with the storms moving in at 8:00.  It’s a decent storm with some nice lightning and some huge drops falling in short downpours.  The electric keeps flickering, hopefully it stays on because it’s still hot and a good night’s sleep for me relies on the A/C working.

The most interesting thing about this storm is that our cat has just now decided he’s terrified of lightning.  We’ve been through a lot of storms and he’s been fine, but for some reason, tonight he’s tearing back and forth through the boat?  Maybe I can distract him with a treat and a toy…..

So I just learned how to embed YouTube links into WordPress.  Needless to say, I wish everything was this easy.  (And in the future, before I try numerous ways to do things on my own, I’ll just search the WordPress.org forums and the help site, that should save me hours of frustration.)

Anyhow, using my newfound talents, here’s a cool video that my dad emailed to me a few days ago.  He didn’t include anything in his email message, so I can only assume that he thinks I should start shark wrangling?

Behold an embedded link!

So what do you do when you live on a boat and there’s a heat wave coming?
You clean the A/C filters of sediment and make sure things keep as cool as possible.

Like most boaters, we have what is called a “reverse cycle” air conditioning system, which can heat or cool the boat.  Raw water from the Bay flows through a filter, a pump, and then a condenser which pulls the “Cold” out and sends the “Hot” overboard.  (Don’t ask me more than that, thermodynamics was not my strong course in college.)

Unlike most boaters, we’re docked in 6′ of water (at low tide) that always seems to be full of sediment.  Couple this with the fact that our intake is near where the keel mounts to the hull, which is only about 3′ off the extremely mucky bottom of the marina, and we suck up a lot of dirt!  So I clean the filters often.

And before a heat wave, I clean them again.

With only 146 days to go until we depart, I’m VERY busy working on the sailboat, but tonight I had to do some work on our other boat, a 2000 Ski Centurion, which we’re selling.  (“Had to” may not be the best term, it was gorgeous tonight, and I really WANTED to go wakeboarding.)

So, I grab a buddy, and we’re on our way.  The bad news was that our third person cancelled on us at the last minute.  Therefore we couldn’t go wakeboarding, no third person means no observer, which means we’re not legal to board.  This also means that a certain individual is persona non grata on the Centurion until he issues a written apology, or at least brings along a nice 6-pack.

The two of us salvaged the night, running around the river and making sure the boat performed well.  I was also able to do some final tune-ups to finish preparing the boat for sale.  So now the boat is all ready for a new owner, but on the other hand the boat is also perfect for wakeboarding over the next couple of weeks….

We’ll see what the weather does….

BOAT FOR SALE!

My goal is to provide a bunch of photos, mainly because I don’t like to write.

I’m still getting used to WordPress, but finally a “Gallery” appears:

It’s our first blog, we’re still figuring things out.  Stop back often, things should get cooler soon.