
Over the years, I’ve used The Boat Galley newsletter to share what we’ve been up to and what we’ve learned while doing it. Here are two posts from a few years back sharing all the important little jobs we did to get Barefoot Gal (and us) ready for the trip.
Lots of stuff to do to be ready to head to the Bahamas at the beginning of May. Here’s this week’s behind-the-scenes look at what we’re doing — making decisions, continued list-making, and buying a few things:
- Decided that we want to switch from ablative bottom paint to hard, figured out the work involved and scheduled our haul out.
- Researched problems with current outboard (let’s hear it for YouTube) and Dave repaired it. No longer planning to buy new-to-us one.
- Began researching options for internet in the Bahamas (articles coming on this)
- Inventoried diesel, outboard and general boat spares, decided what we need to buy.
- Ordered two Sport-a-Seats for the cockpit (review coming after we use them for a bit) as an alternative to new custom cockpit cushions.
- Downloaded AquaMaps, a navigation app, and got familiar with using it (watch for review on this too!)
Quick tip: a list app that syncs between all your devices (phone, tablet, laptop) is wonderful for letting you add items to “the list” no matter where you are and sharing them between family members. Critical for keeping me organized!
[And in another newsletter post a short while later…]
Just a month until we’re leaving for the Bahamas! The dinghy rehab has been the big project this past week, but today should be the last major day of work on it. Whew!
What else have we been doing to get ready?
- Arranged for enough of all our prescription medicines and emergency medicines in the first aid kit. How to do this: Cruising and Prescriptions
- When we bought Barefoot Gal, two of her floorboards had bad sections from hatch leaks. We finally felt confident that we had stopped the leaks and it was time to replace those. We contracted with a local woodshop to do the work (Dave and I aren’t skilled at this type of work and the cost of teak and holly plywood is frightful so we’re leaving it to the professionals).
- With the watermaker install completed, I began stocking up on provisions for the Bahamas. Every time I go to the grocery, I pick up extra things!
- Put in a big Amazon order for various spare parts, provisions that aren’t available locally, spare sandals and more.
- I’ve spent a lot of time poring over charts of the Abacos and reading Active Captain and Waterway Guide notes on various anchorages. The more I use it, the more I love Aqua Map on my iPad!
- Chatted with other cruisers who have spent considerable time in the Abacos and have a cruising style similar to ours about favorite places.
- Purchased DAN Boater medical assistance/evacuation insurance, just in case.
P.S. It’s Dave’s 81st birthday this week. Cruising isn’t just for younger retirees! Want to know more about Geezer Cruising? Read here or listen to the podcast.
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
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