The first week in the boatyard has been all about preparing to work.  We’ve been going over our list of projects and strategizing their order of completion.  We plan on being hauled tomorrow, and we will be on the hard for at least a couple of weeks.  Because we won’t have water or refrigeration during that time, I have been trying to cook up all of the food in the fridge and freezer.

Job one was clearing as much of the boat as we could so that we’d have room to work.  We rented a small 5’x5’ storage unit for the month so that we could easily segregate the items that would be put back on the boat.  We took everything moveable off the deck, emptied out the lazarette, and put all of those items in storage.  We then emptied out the aft cabin, which had become our moveable storage unit a/k/a garage a/k/a dump zone.  One change that we’re making is taking the cushions off of the aft cabin bed permanently; with those gone, we gain space and stability for the things that will remain.

Then we went through the boat, area by area, and removed everything that didn’t need to come back.  It’s easy to clutter up such a small boat, and the added weight doesn’t do us any favors.  We went through every drawer, cabinet, and storage locker, culled what wasn’t needed, and inventoried the rest.  That was a long but very satisfying process.

Job two was gathering the supplies and parts we’ll need for the long list of jobs we have planned.  We had some supplies in storage, but we ended up making a number of orders from Amazon and Defender.  We also restocked our supply of fresh water filters from Freshwater Systems and coir bricks for the head from Airhead.  One of the best things about being at a marina for a long time is the easy ability to get mail and packages, and we’re taking advantage of that.

Job three was making appointments for both of us at the doctor, the dentist, and the optometrist.  Since we store our car here in Oriental while we’re gone, this is the easiest place to attend to all of these needs.

And finally, interspersed with all of this were wonderful visits with friends.  It’s been a great week.