Update! We are back in the water, the boat still floats although the captain’s wallet is considerably lighter… but that is boating. What you plan for and what actually happens are two different things. Now I understand all those boats out there called “Change Order”. Luckily our shipyard down here in Chula Vista was very good at communicating what they found and what they felt needed to be done. It is hard to have your boat ripped apart and put back together when you cannot be there to observe, monitor, or question. But having a good person managing the job helps. And they got ‘er done… a few little blips yesterday and today which were taken care of fairly quickly ( nothing is impossible if you are can throw money at it)..
The original list was fairly small, comparatively – but things happen and there are issues you can’t see until you actually get in there and look. New shafts for main and wing – been there, done that… replace all the rigging for the mast and boom and replace the two lifts… check..bottom paint… new toilets! new garburator! various electrical issues tracked down and dealt with… life raft inspected and repacked…
when you are heading out on another long adventure, knowing you have done everything you can to make sure the boat is the best it can be is the only way to go. Whether you can save money and do the work yourself or, as in our case because we don’t live here in San Diego, you find someone you can trust to do the work and make sure you communicate with them continuously – it all adds up to peace of mind when you finally untie and head back down into the great unknown. Well, it’s not really the great unknown because we kind of have an idea what to expect – but beyond that, when we put our heads together and pick our next destination, that’s when preparation is key.
The past few days have given us an opportunity to meet and talk to some more adventurers, and along with our friends who are currently cruising on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, these new acquaintances are opening our eyes to the possibilities. Boats like ours have travelled to the bottom of the earth, and back – across to Hawaii the way some of us head over to Pender Island and drop a hook for a weekend… sailors who are starting to live out their dream, who have come to our marina here in preparation for setting out and exploring the rest of the world, not just Mexico, but beyond, and beyond, and beyond..it is breathtaking to think of the possibilities, and not a little daunting to take that second step ( the first step was to get down here – now the real fun begins!)
Meanwhile – it’s lovely to be back on our floating home, after the hard work of moving from the coast house up to the lake house and compressing 4000 square feet worth of furniture into 2000… needless to say no vehicles are being stored in the garage. But now we are here, I am forgetting all about those problems- except as I am sitting typing, Lawrence is describing the issues involved with taking our boat down to Mexico… since we docked a few hours ago he has been on the phone talking to various people about what we need to do.. protocol and such…it’s starting to look very convoluted and difficult.
I think I will go back to thinking about something I’m good at and understand – menu planning !!!!!
After all, no matter what, the crew has to eat! Speaking of which – it’s Wednesday night in Chula Vista and I haven’t heard the band start up at the pub. I think we need to quick working and head over there to see what’s up!