That Doesn’t Look Like Mexico…?

My friend Irene recently reminded me of the “Cruiser’s Motto”…”Any plan over 4 hours in the future is subject to change.” And that about sums it up! While we had planned to travel to Mexico this fall we are still working on wrapping up some projects as we approach October and none of the new equipment we’ve installed has been tested. Also…with COVID-19 still going exploding everywhere, it just doesn’t feel like a smart plan to leave just yet. Soooooo we’ve decided to slow the project pace down a bit and spend the winter exploring the San Juan Islands and British Columbia. In a few months, we’ll head to Alaska for the spring/summer before heading to Mexico next fall.

As for the past month, the pics below provide a small glimpse of things we’ve been working on including…a lot of late night wiring, mounting two 110 watt flexible solar panels to the new bimini canvas, installing new AGM batteries, wiring the bow thruster, anchor windlass controls, and navigation monitor to the helm station, installing the Iridium Go satellite antenna so we can use our satellite phone to communicate and to download GRIB files for weather routing, making new rigging to hoist the dinghy out of the water, adding insulation to the ceiling and making new ceiling panels (ours were nearly 40 yrs old), and washing the teak decks and cabin top as well as washing and waxing the hull.

The smell of autumn is in the air and we have so much to look forward to by wintering in the PNW including snow capped mountains, lovely winter birds, whale sightings, and amazing hikes. We’re also excited to test our gear and plot our spring adventures. As the pace of life slows, I‘ll try to make my posts more regular to provide a glimpse of life, good and bad, aboard a 43 foot floating home. If you are interested in some aspect of boat life that I haven’t discussed, please leave a comment and I will talk about it.