Provisioning - prepping for our first trip...

So we did it.  We set sail for 3 weeks!  Our first trip longer than an over-nighter - and we don't really have a plan.  Yep.  We are plan-less.  But that doesn't mean a lot of planning didn't go into this plan-less adventure. 

I've been picking out and storing food for a few weeks.   I started with dry goods - rice, canned foods (beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, tuna etc) and some pasta.  I did not buy any foods that we don't usually eat, though.  No weird canned meats.  No Hamburger Helper.   I also made sure to have a decent supply of spices on board.  I already had a good start with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme, but added cayenne, crushed red pepper, nutmeg, bay leaves, an Italian oil dipping blend, and a few more I can't think of right off hand.  I also grabbed a small jar of basil pesto and one of sun dried tomato pesto.  Never hurts to have a little extra flavor when you are primarily making one-pot-wonders

  

I also slowly added more bedding, one tiny carload at a time.  And of course restocked the liquor shelf.  I've been getting acquainted with all of the little (and not so little) cubby spaces beneath the floors.  There's lots of storage, but I measured and found totes that fit in the space to hold the food/drinks.  While the totes take up a bit of space, it's potentially a watery area and I want to keep the food as dry as possible. 

In the last few weeks we managed to get the davits installed and the dinghy mounted on the back of the boat - and that has already paid for itself with 2 trips to the beach for the wiener's potty breaks today.   (They are supposed to be using their fake grass pee pad, but that is a whole other story...)  We also got our wifi booster set up just in time, and got it working.  Nice to sit in the marina and actually be able to reach the signal.  We do pay for that amenity after all.  The new chart plotter is also working well - we used the heck out of it today going out of Wassaw Inslet, to the ocean for a few hours and into the south channel of Ossabaw Sound. 

We also gathered all of our snowboarding gear from home - that stuff that's been crammed in the back of my closet since that ONE time we went snowboarding in Vail.  5 years ago.  But it seems to make some pretty great cold weather gear - we stayed toasty warm when it was freezing and wet outside.  After looking all over Savannah, I also picked up some fleece under layers - from Walmart of all places, and they, too, have more than paid for themselves.  Nothing beats cold weather nastiness like being properly dressed.  And hot tea.  And a fleece blanket.

I also cleaned out cabin (bedroom) #3 - it is officially the garage now.  The two aft (back) cabins are almost mirror images of each other.   I took the mattress from cabin number 3 and put it in cabin number 2, on the bottom of the pile.  Now we have an extra-cozy berth when we sleep aft.  And we just have the hard surface for the garage.  Perfect.  Next - after this plan-less adventure, I'd like to add some shelving with totes for all of the tools/supplies, etc .  After a search for zip ties this morning, I really think it would be well worth our time/effort/money to invest in some organization.  It works the way it is, but would be much easier if everything was categorized. 

Anyway, the rest of the provisioning consisted of a few trips to the grocery store for more of the fresh foods - I grabbed some meats and froze them at home, then loaded them the day before we left.  Our freezer is great (some boats don't even have a fridge, much less a  freezer, so I'm very grateful for mine!) but I wanted to be sure the meat was all solidly frozen to ensure the maximum shelf life.  Bread, fresh veggies, and dairy were the last.  I realized today just how great feta is as a boat cheese, by the way.  I love it anyway, but on a boat you don't need to cut it (cut the cheese), just crumble and use.  And it's strong flavor means you don't use a ton, so a smaller amount will last a long time. 

Alrighty, time to wrap it up.  Time to relax after our first day on the water!  It's only 6:30 and we're both about to fall asleep.  I'll likely write about today in the morning (stay tuned for a wee dolphin video!), while we wait for the storms to pass through before we head out.  Happy Saturday!