Here we are T minus six days (if the weather holds) and things are getting wild. The last week was spent finishing up my job of sixteen years at JStokes, while trying to get down to the marina to put in some quality time prepping Charisma.

As of tonight I have cleaned and shined all but four "holds" on the boat. We figure that we will clean everything out and then start provisioning.  Cleaning everything out includes compacting Bob to fewer drawers so that I can have at least one to hold my 12 allowed items of clothing (including my underwear!) just kidding - I think get more items. Meanwhile at home I am packing up my bedroom. I've lived in that room for 28 years! Hard to pack it up - but why am I whining? I'm leaving for the trip of a lifetime! And I am very excited about it.

I am amazed at what it takes to prepare for such a long adventure. I have legal issues to address, animal issues, heck, kid issues too! The lists have kept me up late at night often, until my dear friend, Karin, convinced me to prioritize and focus on the trip. Thank you , Karin!

Thank goodness that Chuckie has been helping with our HaHa costumes. Tinker Bell is done and will be a show-stopper, Peter Pan is done, Captain Hook is close and the crocodile is almost done. Thank God for Chuckie’s help.

And the week was filled with parties! Family, friends and work. I am truly blessed and am loving all of the good wishes. Soon this blog will be from the water! Thanks for all of your support. Please, live vicariously with us!

Ann

We're about a week and counting.  Trying to leave next Thursday, 10/6 (or so) pending weather, and whether we have all our gear packed, stowed and ready to go. Been working very hard this week. Ann's been cleaning and organizing down below in the cabin and I've been pulling cables and wire to get the two new solar panels and the 1000 watt voltage inverter running. Long story short, the panels are working (two Kyocera, 130 watt panels wired in parallel to double their amperage), a Blue Sky "duo" regulator (to run the panels and a water generator that we're waiting for from Hamilton Ferris). Spent waaayyy too long in the Lazarette wiring stuff, but the result is pretty cool. I took us "off the grid" four days ago. The refrigerator runs all night and pulls the batteries down, but the panels, one of which faces the morning sun, power the boat back up and by 9AM, the batteries are completely full again. Really fun to watch how self sufficient we are becoming.Here's a couple pics of some of our work including the watermaker and THE LISTS! Everything at this point with only a week left is about lists.
     

Been a while since the last post, but been spending time getting ready for the big trip.  In October, 2011, Ann and I leave for Baja where we'll spend a couple months, then in March, 2012 we'll leave for French Polynesia.  Don't have a firm plan yet, just know we're leaving and once we get there we'll see how long we want to stay.

So, in preparation it's been a busy Spring and Summer:

• Put in a Spectra Watermaker (pic below)


• Hauled and painted the bottom


• Put in a Frigoboat refrigerator (pic of Keel Cooler, the bronze looking thing, below)


• Bought a new boom (the old one had a permanent bend and was looking like it was getting ready to break.  Ballenger Spars made a new custom one)


• Took the Cetol off the teak cockpit seats/floor with a heat gun.  The Cetol was waaaay too slippery when wet.  Took two days, but result was excellent.  Now I just have to bleach the wood, sand a bit and recaulk a couple seams and we're good to go.


• Bought a new "blue water" fishing pole and reel.  The other one was too small for the kind of fish we were hooking.

Still to come:

• Solar panels that I will hang on the lifelines/rails


• A water generator.  Ferris makes a unit you can tow behind the boat.  A small prop and 75 feet of torque-rope and it turns a small generator that puts out quite a lot of electricity for the batteries.  Great for tradewind sailing.