Preparation

We spent most of today getting ready to depart the Bahamas and make our passage to the United States, leaving tomorrow morning.  I did one last load of laundry—in a real washer and dryer!—and made a cabbage and apple slaw that we can eat during our main meal. I normally prepare a green salad to have along with our main dish but during passages I prefer to be in the gallery as little as possible. In addition to the slaw we will have a cold lentil salad that we will eat while we are in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. I used to prepare meals that could be warmed in the oven but have found that using the poorly insulated oven while it is already warm outside makes the cabin very hot. Once we get out of the Gulf Stream on Friday we will heat up some leftovers for our meal. 

George “pickled” the watermaker since we won’t be using it in the US. For non-sailors—pickling refers to running fresh water with a preservative through the filters to prevent bacterial growth. That isn’t necessary if the watermaker is used at least once a week, which it is when we are in the Bahamas. 

George also did some weather routing and entered a route into our chartplotter. Our planned destination is Brunswick, GA but the weather forecast has been changing with every update. We may have to change our plans once we are underway. 

I have no idea what this tree is but we have seen a few of them during our walks. I find them strange and interesting.