Checked the Checklists? Check!!

OMG….I have a checklist for all my checklists. I have a checklist that I started 2 years ago that I still check!! My biggest checklist is broken down into 5 subcategories that has at least 10 items in each and even those generate side checklists as the work gets done. Ugh….but yes, I’ve painfully learned that you need to have these checklists because there are so many things to do to get ready for something of this magnitude. I know this isn’t a trip to the moon or anything like that, but it sure feels like it at times.

On the plus side of having these checklists is that I’ve been able to put my hands on every major (and minor) system on the boat. Sometimes that’s a good thing and other times, not so much as it can, and usually does, lead to more work and another line on one of the many checklists. I can say that short of a major engine overhaul, I can most likely fix anything that breaks along the way. Lord knows I have enough spare parts onboard to do that for sure. Which leads me to another topic…

Storage space on a boat…. two words, NOT ENOUGH!! I’ve watched the videos of cruisers sitting on the floor of their boats surrounded by an immense amount of food/supplies and I’d laugh as they tried to find space for everything. Well, I’m not laughing any more cos we’ve already done multiple passes thru the boat to consolidate/remove stuff just to make room for other stuff that we really need (like food…LOL) and will probably have to do at least one more pass before we’re done. Our good friends Jeff and Kim were kind enough to share their provisioning list with us and my first thought was “where the hell are we going to put all of this…”. I just hope that once everything is loaded on Infinity that there’s still enough freeboard left to keep her afloat!! The draft is going to go from 4′ 3″ to like 10’…yikes!! Oh, I’ve also been told that the pillows onboard are sacred and not open to any discussion about removing them. My trade-off for that is an increase in the bourbon supply onboard!! Sounds like a win/win to me….

So, for the most part, things are coming together in an orderly fashion for the upcoming departure. The last major item is something we have no control of and that’s the weather. So far, so good with any “h” word systems developing and I really hope it stays that way. If not, we’ll deal with it as it comes.

Special thanks to everyone that’s joined the blog to follow us on our journey and I hope you enjoy the stories to come. Please feel free to leave comments below!! I’ll try my best to get back to everyone in a timely manner.