(Bahama Bound, all things considered, continued from Mar. 24 blog post) 
Please ignore highlighted words in the text.  

Two more considerations for the trip…

Body…

Health:  Usual recommended first aid items plus, antibiotics, clot aid, super glue for deep cuts, white vinegar for jellyfish stings, blood pressure cuff, heating pad, sea sickness wristbands/pills, Ginger Aid tea, ginger ale, ginger cookies, getting a theme here?  Yes, ginger is good for sea sickness, and although we never “heave ho,” you just never know. 

Fitness:  resistance bands, Pilate DVDs 

Gear:  wet suits, rain suits, snorkeling equipment, water shoes, marriage savers.

Nutrition:  Some food items are difficult to purchase in the Bahamas, and if they have them they’re expensive, so the provisioning list is long, but stocking 40 plus dinners with meats/meals in Seal a Meal packages in our freezer, canned pasta sauce, new bread machine, powdered milk, potatoes, rice, pastas, canned veggies and fruits because produce is scarce there.  Removing cardboard from packages to eliminate trash and storing crush able items in tubs are two space savers.  In trying to eat much like we do at home, we just have to prepare a little differently.  The grill on board is quick and healthy solution for the meats.  Canning ahead is great for soups, red and white chilies.  Our oven will come in handy for baking items that are plentiful in the states, but that we won’t find in the Abacos, a three burner stove top, plus a microwave should cover anything and everything we want to prepare. 

Boating Equipment/Necessities…

Marriage savers, looky bucket, dinghy swim ladder (Dennis made), barbecue grill, Sailrite Ultrafeed Sewing Machine with extra snaps, straps, and sail patches, many extra boat parts, heaters, pumps, switches, too numerous to mention.

Preparations update: 

Dennis has been up the mast 5 times in the last week, three of them today, but finally got the antennae replaced all by himself (and a little help from his Admiral)…saving some $.  Scariest part was with the wind blowing 5-8 knots he had to use a blow torch at the top to solder, and then to loosen a fitting that he couldn’t manage with wrenches.   At the bottom I’m thinking, “What do I do if he catches himself on fire up there?!!!”  But he is super cautious, and thankfully completed the job with just one small drop of solder stuck on his jeans. Just off one of the the main streets in our subdivision we were quite entertaining with people honking, yelling and even one friend stopping for pictures.    

It was worth it though after completing a radio check and hearing radio calls from miles away…just amazing, and also realized it's no telling what we missed all those miles up the east coast last year!

Today saw the return of our autopilot computer from Raymarine…installed and ready for calibration tomorrow, fingers crossed it also works correctly, we are cautiously optimistic.  Best part, it was under warranty!