More Boat Projects and Provisioning

A few more pictures from recent provisioning and boat projects. Both activities are going well and we are on schedule to depart in a few days. However, we have just realized that if we get to French Polynesia too early, we will not be there for Bastille Day (July 14) due to Chris only having a 90 day visa (Rani has EU citizenship and no restrictions on her stay). So we now plan to leave La Paz around March 15, stopping en route a few times so as to arrive in Polynesia on April 20 or so.

Two carts loaded with groceries - about $600 worth. One of the Mega grocery store employees drove us across town in his own car with this load because it would not fit in a taxi!

We are using some of the bilge to store wine and other liquids. We found some excellent Spanish Rioja for about $6 a bottle at the Mega.

Sorting things out in the cockpit. The bottles Chris is holding are Jamaica concentrate and each of these will make about 6 liters of refreshing hibiscus flower juice.

For provisioning, we will carry enough non-perishable goods to last us until New Zealand (6 months away!)  This is a serious amount of food and we have already made 2 substantial trips ($1000 total) and a few lighter ones. We still have one more heavy one for all the perishable items and a couple of lighter runs for miscellaneous. We have made a provision plan for the boat and tried to allocate entire lockers to specific food types (e.g., dry goods such as flours, oats, granolas, rice, tea, coffee, and noodles go under the starboard V berth locker, long term can storage in the port V-berth locker). So far we have found a place for everything, but marvel at our neighbors on a 24 foot Pacific Sea Craft Dana who have stowed similar stores neatly in their much smaller boat.

Chris is spray painting our slightly rusty chain with enamel. He will mark every 25 feet with orange bands to help us when anchoring.

The solar panels were zip tied to the lifelines (pretty tenuous) but are now attached via u-bolts and aluminum cross pieces to 1 inch dowels that are in turn lashed to the stanchions and the pushpit rail.

Completed autopilot cantilever bracket

Slip covers are finished for the settee. We still need to make covers for the dinette. The cushions are more blue than the purple shown in this picture.