Preparing to Leave

We are going to the Bahamas again. I think we are both more excited about this trip than we have ever been before. George is excited about living on the boat for nearly six months. I am excited about having variety in my life. It was challenging to reduce the monotony in my days last winter when we stayed home due to Covid. Each day seemed like the last. I love my home but I am looking forward to sailing to different places on Breeze On. 

Last week we had Breeze On pulled out of the water for a short haul. The bottom was power washed while she sat in the slings. This week we spent a day-and-a-half loading all but the cold food on the boat while recording the locations on the inventory. I have been doing a lot of cooking and freezing the leftovers to heat in the oven during passages. Our freezer has just enough space for a few ice cube trays so the frozen food slowly thaws in the refrigerator. If we have to wait more than two weeks for a weather window to go to the Bahamas we will have to eat the food I prepared here and I will have to cook more on the boat. 

Before we leave the US we have to apply to the Bahamas for health visas. The applications must include negative Covid test results. Since we are both vaccinated we can use a rapid test instead of the PCR test. Our plan is to use the Abbott BinaxNOW test through a company called eMed. We have purchased the Abbott tests from eMed, downloaded the eMed apps, and set up our accounts. Once we know when we will be leaving the US to sail to the Bahamas we will use the app to set up our tests. A trained person from eMed will observe us administering the tests (through a video chat on the app) and will issue a digital copy of the results we receive. Our hope is that the Bahamas will accept the digital test results. We tried to find out ahead of time from the Bahamas tourism bureau but they wouldn’t answer our specific question. Once we arrive in the Bahamas we use the same negative test results to gain entry (as long as no more than five days has passed since we took the test.) It will be close but I think it will work. 

Breeze On getting the bottom power washed. 

My production line of the dry ingredients for blueberry streusel coffee cake. 

Ingredients vacuum packed and ready to go. 

Just some of the food ready to be loaded onto Breeze On

George putting the life raft back into its compartment. 

It is very important to clip the life raft to the boat. Otherwise, it might float away before you have a chance to get into it! Of course we don’t plan to ever have to use it.