Halloween night… and the scariest thought is whether we are going to be ready to go in 2 weeks. The answer is a resounding NO, but we will never be fully ready…and the November 14 departure date is set. There is no more room in the inn after that date, as another boat takes our San Diego slip in a highly wait-listed spot. It’s a coveted slip and we are so fortunate to have been able to call it home. But, 2 weeks it is… Let’s go!
The liferaft (that we hope we never use) is installed on the back railing, the abandon ship bag (that we hope we never use) is packed, the Man Overboard system (that we hope we never use) is tested, the drogue (that we hope we never use) is packed and ready to deploy, and the EPIRB (that we hope we never use) is programmed with our information.
Calder lost a large rodent worth of hair at a local barbershop in preparation for Mexico and is feeling good. Our anchor chain is now a longer and heavier 250 feet on our primary anchor.
Our new and updated escape hatches arrived from France, which we installed as a family using paddleboards and a tight grip to ensure nothing fell into the water. Catamarans in distress turn upside down and float (rather than sink), so there are emergency escape hatches on the bottom of the boat; our hatches were recalled so we replaced them.
Our Jordan series drogue, a series of 150 canvas cups used to slow down and steady the boat in times of storms, arrived from the UK (Shout out to Ocean Brake). The launch wheels on our dinghy were ordered and received from New Zealand (Our third set from Beachmaster- the best!). Sailing is an international community not defined by traditional borders. We’ve been provisioning, vacuum-packing food to prevent weevils.
The new batteries are installed. Chris went up the mast too many times for his liking (he’s not a fan of heights, so our 60-foot mast is a mental challenge), as he has been working on our anchor light. The kids have polished all the stainless. I’ve completed our paperwork for travel.
We’ve managed to fit in some fun as well, enthralled by watching two baby tigers wrestling and the only platypus in the US swimming around at the San Diego Safari Park, lunch overlooking the preserve.
I’ve enjoyed nighttime paddles with Calder, games of chess with Cora, cribbage challenges, gelato runs, and conversations during “boat school.” Calder is beyond excited to have his fishing gear, visualizing dinners of tuna poke and mahi-mahi.
We’ve also delighted in the community of boaters and cruisers. Sun Harbor Marina (where we currently live) held a pumpkin carving contest and potluck, a wonderful and experienced cruising couple that we met at anchor last week came over to visit one afternoon, a cruising couple from Australia brought the kids TimTams for our upcoming passage, and we were able to catch the lines of friends who just launched their boat after 3 years of restoration. I’m excited to have the kids learn about another type of community that extends past borders, being a citizen of the sea, of the world. A night of light rain on the boat was refreshing, as we miss our community (and rain!) in Petersburg.
Despite all of the above progress, “the grand list” looms large. Part of the large amount of work at this time is that we are trying to do things right the first time around. As J.R.R. Tolkien says, “shortcuts make long delays.”
So here we sit on Halloween night, just a bit scared, just a bit overwhelmed, and a huge bit excited. Things take longer than we envision and do not always go smoothly. I just finished a great read about a sailing family called Leaving the Safe Harbor: The Risks and Rewards of Raising a Family on a Boat. I love the quote: “We are ordinary people who are attempting something extraordinary and sometimes succeeding.”
Feel free to ask questions in the comments below; school? Provisioning? Fuel? Sailing? What are you interested in hearing more about? I’ll try to cover this in future blog entries!
SV Terikah Adventures 
16 responses to “2 Weeks Until Departure…”
It’s inspiring to read about the tasks becoming fun adventures and learning/bonding opportunities. I think this is what life is about! Thank you for sharing and excited to keep reading about the adventure!
Did you bring acupuncture needles? I’m sure a stethoscope. Interested to hear what’s in your medical kit!
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Sounds like everything is going as smoothly as possible. Congratulations on the pumpkin carving. My goodness Calder must have lost 10 pounds in hair. 😆 🤣 😂 😹 😆 Make sure you’re safety compliant. I’m leaving January 7 and will be there until the 4th of June. Lots of storms your way. Don’t forget Hershey chocolate syrup. A must for hardy deckhands . Keep on keeping on. Love you guys and stay safe. Caught a 13 pound king salmon. Delicious. Happy Halloween 🎃
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Love it all! Thank you for sharing! Two weeks!!!!
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Well you guys don’t just around! That is an impressive list of accomplishments….it takes some owners years to get to where you are!! T minus 2 weeks…you got this!!! Team Rhumb Line wishing you all the best!
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Great progress team! So many major accomplishments checked off the to do list, but we can really identify with the comment that tasks take longer than you think. We love your all hands on deck approach to getting it all done. Thanks for the update.
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So excited to share an anchorage in the Sea with you! ❤️🥰
Rick and Cynthia
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You guys are killing it! Can’t wait to see Calder land the first fish underway!
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Love the updates! Your enthusiasm is catching and your attention to safety and detail is inspiring. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
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Love all the pictures. Hard dates are hard!!! Some of us work better when we have them… 🙂 We’re with you every wave of the way.
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Hi Jen. Sounds so exciting! Thank you for you sharing the blog with me! I can’t believe all this time has gone by and we haven’t made it over there to you. I’m about to leave town for the weekend and will only be back briefly before leaving again, so I don’t know if I can catch you before your departure. In any case, if you need a roof over your heads for any reason, our house is open to you. Safe travels and can’t wait to live vicariously through your blog posts! -Tess
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Fears are so normal – it’s what keeps us on our toes! You’ve each done all you can to be prepared, and you will learn so much whenever Stuff Happens. I remember when we bought the big boat, sitting in the pilothouse in tears thinking “what in the world were we thinking?” and “I could break someone else’s boat or hurt someone with this big beastie” – yet we figured it out, day after day. 45,000 nautical miles later, we’re still learning, and more confident in our ability to deal with whatever comes at us… but never over-confident.
The community of cruisers, as you’re seeing, is the best – like-minded people who have set aside their fears and obstacles of everyday life to get OUT THERE! Sometimes we get entertained by our fellow boaters, and sometimes we are the entertainment. Sometimes we need to lend a hand, and sometimes we need one. Cruisers are the best!
I hope you’ve had a chance to get some of Eileen Quinn’s music – “Tomorrow I’ll Go Cruising” is a pretty accurate description of what you’re going through right now!
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Keep your heads above water
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Congratulations to all of you! You have an exciting journey ahead of you. I am Mary (Ledger) Drabek, Charlotte Burger Ledger’s oldest daughter, one of the twins. My sister, Jan Ledger, forwarded an article about your upcoming trip. I am looking forward to following your blog. Safe travels, good health and God bless all of you!
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The lines were cast so long ago I believe. Like so many mariners throughout time, probably cast them off the day you decide to leave the comfort of home, community and chosen work, for the call of the sea and distant shores.
The day of departure is really just an act of ceremony, a way to physically denote the first nautical mile, the first change in latitude and longitude. It is a day to celebrate the thousands of miles you have already come, the years of building a skill set, the months of preparation, the days of anticipation. Castings the lines for the firs time is a ceremonial act of cutting the umbilical cord, it is a birth.
Your new life will unfold at a few knots an hour, so happy you have taken us along for the ride. Fairwinds, and following seas.
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Provisions seem a big part of the planning, are you prepared some food or all natural fresh to cook by the day , sound is a big hub to think of a months ahead for meals. It’s so great to see all the progress you guys are making! Should be so much anxiety around, so many things to think about. But that’s the great thing of your new community every one helps and gives advice. Keep us update! I love to here from you guys😘
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Thank you for the updates of your upcoming travel! You are adventuresome and it will be so memorable for your whole family. We will be following your progress and wish you safe travels!
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