Less than a month to go! With only a few weeks to go, Lasata is still missing a Radar, and I have yet to make those final minor fixes. We're still in Annapolis, and anxiously awaiting the Annapolis Sailboat Show. Hopeful that the show will bring lots of great deals and needed incentive, there is still time to put the final touches on and untie from the dock.
The initial plan is to take three leisurely days down to Norfolk VA. From there we will start our trip into the ICW and head for the Neuse River.

Inspections, Inventory, & other important stuff.

Getting ready for a trip like this involves lots of planning and preparation if you're going to do it safely, comfortably, and without blowing a ton of cash. I've been doing all the work on Lasata with the exception of replacing all the Keel Bolts approximately 3 years ago, and replacing the running rigging. With respect to both of these jobs, paying someone else do do the work was very convenient and mostly trouble free. I'd have rather done the jobs my self because there are a few minor things I would have done differently.

That said; I've had a rigging inspection done by the Rigging Company in Annapolis, MD. I recommend anyone who hasn't had their rig inspected in the last few years, do it and use these guys; they're very professional and know their stuff. Being on the boat with these guys looking my rig over was an educational experience at the very least. More on this later.

So, on to the inventory; I've not been on the boat as much as I'd like over the past two years. Because of this, I am not sure of what is still on the boat and what is worth keeping and not worth keeping. Luckily we'll be going down the ICW and will not be very far from shopping. I'll be keeping the spares to the minimum until I can spend a few days simply on the boat. However, at a minimum I plan to have the following spares;

• Three spare fuses for each piece of equipment aboard.
• Two Raycor filters.
• Emergency VHF antenna.
• Two handheld GPS units. 
• Water pump impeller for Yanmar.
• Yanmar repair kit (hoses / belts / etc...)

Other than that, as we make our way south I'll consider preparing as though we were doing an Ocean Race. This past Summer we had the opportunity to participate in delivering a sailboat from the 2012 Bermuda Ocean Race. In doing this, we attended and received a Safety At Sea certificate. To participate all boats had to have a thorough safety inspection as well. This Safety Inspection Checklist is the standard we're going to strive for before we hit Miami.

Butterflies go South, Chickens Don't

Committed to Go; this is it... I'm mentally and physically prepared for the trip. I've done trips much more difficult than this. My boat is up to the challenge, and I have skills surpassing 95% of what I'll be facing on the trip. As for the other 5%? Well, I did say "surpassing"...

So then, what are these little nagging nervous feelings? I think it is probably that that I am not fortunate enough to be independently wealthy or in retirement... and I like my things! The way mental and physical preparation can make one feel at ease with the challenge of  a trip like this, the same goes for being financially prepared.

In my case this doesn't necessarily mean to have a stockpile of cash lying around, rather I've taken the "4 Hour Work Week" approach ( a book by Tim Ferris ). Mind you; I've read the book and completely admit to being a casual follower of the principles at best... but the book did change the way I look at work and specifically, how I can do the things I want to do now.

That said; I'm off to the boat for more tweaking and day dreaming.

Going South

As the summer is ending,  we're struggling to do the fun "summer things" while "getting ready to go south". Although some of the things being done (a delivery back from an Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race, a weekend at anchor in St. Michaels, etc...) are in support of the act of living aboard, things like upgrading Lasata's electronics are slowly being completed.

The list of upgrades includes all new Electronics; for example new Raymarine transducer pack for Speed, Wind, and Depth. We've integrated these things with a new MFD Display for GPS/Chart plotter, and finally a new Digital Radar to be installed sometime very soon.

Other upgrades and additions to the boat include things like a Solar Charging system, and a few safety items like AIS to let other ships know where we are and a "Spot" tracking system to let our shore-side friends and family know where we are. These and a few other safety items to go, and we should be on our way.