Reflecting over this last year just days before heading off (and
one day before Cam’s 61st birthday) … a year consumed with the planning of this big trip …… I am thinking back to when the serious
planning of this trip began. We actually
were “talking about it” for well over a year, but our commitment to this
adventure began with signing up to join the 2015 CUBAR back in early 2014.
Preparation for this trip has been extensive ….. reading
about destinations in Mexico, following other’s blogs, signing up and paying
for CUBAR (the San Diego to La Paz Rally), putting everything … EVERYTHING … on
excel spreadsheets, travel insurance for us and the boat, buying folding bikes
for the boat, purchasing a folding, Port-A-Boat and motor for Mexico, gathering spare parts, figuring out
communications for the boat while we are off shore, figuring out entertainment
(music / movies etc) for while we are underway,
reorganizing and inventorying “stuff” on the boat, especially the lazarette
(storage area) and securing everything for ocean travel, taking weather courses
and becoming familiar with the various weather apps and programs so we don’t
get caught in some nasty weather (please dear God …), contacting and
contracting OMNIBob – a weather router who will help us interpret weather
charts, researching remote monitoring systems so we can “watch” the boat, when
we leave it down south, making reservations at all the various marinas we will
be hitting, both in California, and in Mexico come November, all the provisioning
we can do for a trans border trip (no peppers, citrus, tomatoes, avocados,
green onions or chicken from Ontario !) so casseroles and quick and easy “heat
and eat” meals, filling fuel tanks and last but not least …. learning Spanish (
Me llamo Kim …. Mucho gusto …. Dos cervas por favor). (OK …Really
need to work on that Spanish …. )
Beyond her regular maintenance which we did in the spring (hauling,
bottom painting, replacing zincs, changing fluids, fuelling up, waxing,
polishing, oiling the back deck) SEA LEVEL now has a new transponder, two new
sat compass sensors, a new charting system called Coastal Explorer as a back up
to our existing chart plotter and all the charts for Mexico.
It has taken a year to plan and execute, but thanks to getting started early and staying on top of things, WE ARE READY
TO GO …. And anxious to start this adventure.
Let the adventure begin …..
No comments:
Post a Comment