Well we are back in Maryland after our 10 days in Canada and HOOLLLEEEE do we ever hear the clock ticking now. We are about 5 weeks away from heading south and in that time we will have my parents down for a week, Greg’s brother and dad down for a weekend, we need to get out sailing for at least a week or so and we need to get the must-do’s done on our job list.

Getting to know a new-to-you boat triples the length of the do-to list because in addition to fixes and preventative maintenance there is also the get-to-know-you phase were you literally just have to look around and familiarize yourself with what everything is.

Greg and I handle this ticking clock very differently but we both feel the effects. My resting heart rate climbs and stays high but I am more able to lean in and stay calm (outwardly) and focused…Greg gets a bit unfocused and has a harding time sticking to (or establishing) priorities. He gets distracted with not-problems. However, to keep focused I need lists, sometimes lists within lists.

So to refocus this dynamic duo and in true Megan fashion, yesterday we made a list to provide us with the support we need to deal with the looming deadline of the last week of October.

Greg has posted about our to-do list before but I need bigger buckets at this point so here it is, the “High Priority To-Do List In Order to Sail Offshore and Not Be Dumbasses”

• Engine

• Outboard

• Generator

• Insurance

• Comms

• Personal AIS

• Cruising Guides

• Canvas

• Navigation lights

• Solar

• Water purifier

• Haul out / shaft seal

• Sewing Projects Part 2

• Spares

• Life raft

That’s it. There are other items on the “Master To-Do if we have the time” list…but as the list name suggests these are nice to do, not need to do. This list includes items such as replacing port light gaskets (which we already have) and cleaning the fresh water manifolds but those things not being done don’t put us at risk of anything other than minor hassles. Nice to do. Don’t need to do in the next 5 weeks.

So let’s take a closer look at this MUST DO list:

1. Navigation lights: This one is done as of yesterday! As with the cabin lighting, the mast had halogen lights and the anchor light was a bit dim so up I went to switch them out for LEDs (and taped up a few things while up there as well)

2. Solar: Today we are ordering a 370W panel from LG and will be mounting on our Kato Davits with their Solar mounts (which we are picking up tomorrow). This job is complicated and will involve a lot of wiring and Greg has been giving himself a pep talk about it for weeks…stay tuned because this one will be worthy of it’s own post for sure.

3. Water purifier: Drama, drama, drama…if you follow us on IG then you’ll already know this but this job is almost done. Started the install of our Acuva water purifier last week (after we had to replace a damaged carbon filter) only to find that hoses didn’t fit properly and that the new carbon filter was crack (discovered when the system pressurized and water sprayed out of it!)…3rd carbon filter is en route and we hope to wrap this one up this week.

4. Haul out / shaft seal: Remember that post about the bilge water? Well that water ended up being from our A/C drainage (always taste it!) but we discovered that our shaft seal was leaking too. Unfortunately this fix is complicated as it requires a haul out ($$$) so while the boat is out we might wax it and change a few through hulls. We are hoping to schedule this for September 30th. We will see how it all goes…

5. Sewing Projects Part 2: Back cushions for the cockpit using some crazy pink flamingo fabric that Erin gave us (every day this boat looks a little more crazy) , carpet for the cabin sole and replacing the foam and fabric on the V-berth insert…we have all the materials required for these jobs so it’s just deciding when to start them…after which the SailRite will be tucked away hopefully for a few months!

6. Spares: We need to round out our list and inventory to make sure we can deal with stuff as it comes…hose clamps, various grease and lubes, starters, electrical parts, latches, and basically everything we need for the engine, generator and outboard including spare fuel filters, oil filters, and impellers among other things.

7. Life raft: We need an 8pp raft (we currently have a 6pp) since when we are on passage we will likely always have a few other adults with us…for our first 2 passages (Norfolk —> Bermuda; Bermuda —> USVI) we will be joined by Bill (Greg’s dad), Andrew (Greg’s brother) and Heidi (Greg’s sister-in-law) and I’m sure they would want space in the life raft if sh*t happens (calm down Erin…it’s going to be fine)

8. Engine: Before shoving off we need to change the oil, clean strainers, replace the fuel filters, check the impeller

9. Outboard: We have 2 hours left in our break-in period and then need to change the engine oil and the gear oil (we’ve never changed gear oil before so should be interesting)

10. Generator: We need to test this baby (hopefully next week on anchor somewhere) and then do the same things for it’s diesel engine as the primary engine…change the oil, clean strainers, replace the fuel filters and check the impeller

11. Insurance: Greg’s health insurance from work expires in November so we are hunting for the best (i.e. comprehensive but doesn’t break the bank) travelling family health insurance we can find…recommendations welcome!

12. Comms: The Iridium Go and Garmin In Reach need to be set up (this stuff is totally in Greg’s wheelhouse so no concerns here) ; we also need to get the Caribbean and South American Navionics charts for our plotters

13. Personal AIS: We have to set up the personal AIS devices we have for each of our 5 PFDs…it’s a man-overboard (MOB) locating beacon that using the AIS system as well as the VHF radio system to pinpoint a persons location should they fall off the boat. This is an open the box and hope they have good instructions kind of exercise

14. Cruising Guides: Greg ordered this morning while making this post - sweet! We got the Sailors Guides for the Virgin Islands, Northern Leewards, Southern Leewards and the Windward Islands…these will be fun to read through when we are en route!!

15. Canvas: We have been on the fence all summer about getting new canvas from Hallberg Rassy or not…we’ve asked them how long it takes to deliver and if we can get it in time we think we’ve decided to do it…it’s expensive but the bimini leaks and is baggy and the plastic windows are starting to be a bit too cloudy to see through well…we’ll keep the current ones as spares but I think this upgrade will be good

So as of right now we are 2/15….and have progress toward several others but we can’t count it until it’s crossed off (that’s the official rule). So until we are 15/15 we are head down, focused and managing our anxiety as best we can while dreaming of warm breezes and clear blue seas.

P.S. As Greg proof read this post he started taking deep breaths and said to himself, “so we need to average 3 items a week” LOLOLOL…trust his engineer, black-and-white brain to summarize the list that way…Pssst Greg, those items are not all equal in effort and time, but if it makes you feel better than sure, 3 a week will get us there ;)

Much love,

MH