December 2023 and Tides Inn is sitting peacefully waiting for the final stores onloading.
After returning from Florida in May 2023, we refinished the teak trim during the summer and repainted the bottom in the Fall, again raising the waterline a little bit.
The boat is loaded with fuel and water, plus 150# of dogfood upfront, balancing the dinghy and outboard hanging on the stern. Still need to load food stores for 4-5 months.
Preparing for 4-5 months of stores takes a bit of planning and arranging, starting at home. We will be able to grocery shop in Florida for perishables but, we try to get everything onboard that we will need for a couple months in the Bahamas where the stores are scarce and prices high.
Best to do a bunch of shopping at Costco before departure.
Once everything is carted down to the boat, its another round of organizing what to store where. Items that we need early on go in the salon behind the settee cushions.
There are large storage areas under the settee seats but they are all full of sailing gear, tools and spare parts. The starboard side shelves are full of sailing gear and not available for stores.
Items that we won't need until later in the cruise go into bins and bags in the aft cabin. We still have a couple more blue crates to place in the open area.
Once loaded up, we still have cockpit folding chairs and dodger covers to store back here.
Hopefully this year we won't have to unload all this to access the engine, transmission and shaft. The last 3 trips south we have had to unload it all at least once enroute for unplanned maintenance issues.
We have 3 bins of clothes for the homeless that we take and provide to shelters along the way. Sue collects these clothes all year long and we take them south.
Just about fully loaded now and I see just a sliver of bottom paint still showing at the waterline. Perfect. As we eat our way through our stores we will rise up towards our normal level.
All still on track for a 1 Jan departure.
