Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink

Lines from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  A sailor on a becalmed ship, is surrounded by salt water that he cannot drink.

We do not want to have that situation, after all this is suppose to be a pleasure/enjoyable time on the boat and to not worry about water is important.  To make water less of an issue we are looking at desalination water makers for the boat.  The process of taking salt water, pushing it through a membrane and having fresh water come out the other side is a great option to have.  We have all the salt water available around us so all we need is equipment to do the work.

Going down the list

When we mapped out the things that needed to be done prior to sailing we made a list, no surprise there.  It kind of went like this: 

1) decided we were going to go cruising

2) decided on the type of boat we wanted, shopped for the boat, buy it

3) sell the house

4) minimize the amount of stuff you have so it will fit on the boat

5) fix/repair anything that is needed on the boat

6) load the boat up and go sail

So far we have done 1 and 2.  As of today #3 is active and the house is listed on the MLS for sale.  We were thinking that in Jan/Feb 2021 would be the ideal time to do items 3 and 4 on our list,  but with  COVID 19 and the election coming up, we started thinking maybe it would be smarter to sell sooner.   Currently the housing market in Boise is hot and the houses in our neighborhood are selling with in a week.  Hopefully it goes fast for lots and lots of money to help fund the cruising kitty.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2835-S-Slate-Creek-Way-Meridian-ID-83642/79682323_zpid/

Where are we, who has the chart?

On land the options of where to drive is really based upon roads that are available.  You might choose to go by interstate, two lane back roads or try for the dirt option but you are basely going where someone else has gone before you.  It makes decision making a little easier because you are following a path and your decisions are turn left/right or change roads.  Using a GPS in the car is nice because you are really never lost and the system will recalculate your route if you put in a final destination.

For boating there are not a lot of common points with land navigation.  You can use GPS to calculate your route but there are not defined roads so when it calculates sometimes it can take over areas you might want to avoid.  The maps/charts for marine navigation will show depth of the water, make sure you check if it is high tide or low time numbers.  The charts will also show items and other items you might want to avoid.

Anchors away

The internet is such a great tool.  It allows you to do research, find stories, watch videos, and even buy stuff.  So after our researching and talking we took the next step and bought the SARCA Excel anchor.  That is the Sand And Rock Combination Anchor by the way.  The anchor is made in Australia and not many marine stores carry it yet in the USA.  We purchased it from Ground Tackle Marine in Victoria Canada and they shipped it via UPS ground to us.  I am not sure UPS has delivered many 47 lb anchors to Boise.

I told Kris it was her Mother's Day present and placed a big bow on it.  The anchor was wrapped with carpeting and plastic wrap but I "wrapped" it in a black garbage bag as well.  Since Kris was the one that ordered the anchor, it wasn't a big surprise but she still acted happy.  Now we have a 47 lb galvanized anchor in our family room as a conversation piece, and people don't think we are sophisticated.  We are planning on taking a trip back to the boat in September so will take the anchor to its new home then.

Reducing inventory

              

Both of us have engineering backgrounds and we have always been very aware of accumulating stuff. The saying "if you have the space you will fill it" and or "inventory is evil" has always been something we talk about and try and make sure we do not do. This is in the work life as well as in the home life. Many people would find our home decorated sparsely, if they thought it was decorated at all.   We are one of those people with a three car garage, with three cars that park inside it at all times.

10 months to plan projects, why so blue

If the boat was next door or within a short drive of us then doing some of the projects now would be possible. Since the boat is not close we are then forced to plan and dream how to do some of the projects. One simple project is our dodger.  The Manta Catamaran has a hard bimini, but  but between the bimini and the top of the cabin top it is open. Usually that area has a dodger with material and isinglass sewn into it so you have the visibility at the helm but are protected from waves, wind, and rain.

With the boat on the hard the need for this project is very low but when we get to the boat and put it in the water the need will be high.  The time we have now is large but when we put the boat in the water the time will be short.  We can get some local canvas makers that are close to the boat go and look at the project and bid it.  It would be better if we were at the boat and able to express our wishes and get a better plan laid out with the person that would be doing the sewing.   Since we do not have a final layout we are open to changes that would make sense when talking to an expert. 

One of the simple decision that also needs to be made prior to the sewing project is what color of material do we use for the sail covers and for the cockpit surround?  We have narrowed it down to a blue but go to sailrite, https://www.sailrite.com/, and see the many selections of blue there are.  We need to pick one but which one?

Being close due to Coronavirus or just being on a boat

If you have ever wondered or thought about going cruising on a sailboat for an extended time now is the chance to test that theory.  Not talking about sailing, or storms, or navigation.  Nope, talking about can you spend that amount of time close to your loved ones. Back in February people had the normal routine of going to work or school in the daytime, coming home for dinner, and then moving into bedrooms or family rooms to finish out the day.  This allowed for people to have space around them and to interact with a variety of people throughout the day.

Now you are stuck in your house/apartment for the full 24 hours and are seeing the same people for the entire day.  When working and not confined to your home you are around many people even if you do not interact them, they are around you and it breaks your day up.   With the Covid19 pandemic, forcing us to stay home we can watch television, or go on the internet to see people but for the most part we are just spending time with the ones we love.  It is nice but  we have been forced to do this and a good thing can often go bad as well.