People dreaming about a trip like this often are very interested in the boat.

I acquired Grace in 2015, to replace a Catalina 30. When I was searching for a boat, my requirements could be summed up as 'the boat I'll be going down the ICW and to the Bahamas in'. Specifically:

- Shoal draft. The ICW is shallow in spots, as is the Bahamas. Grace draws 4.3'
- 6+ kt cruising speed under power. There is a lot of motoring, and sometimes against the current and waves. Grace has a 27hp Perkins and a 3 blade prop.
- Swim platform in stern. I love swimming off the boat, and sitting on the platform with a beer in my hand.
- Anchor windless. Yes, I can pull up the anchor by hand, and have many times, but a windless is a nice thing!

Complete set of electronics was a nice-to-have, as I could add what I needed. Grace came with autopilot (required), chartplotter with radar, speed, depth and wind. More on the autopilot and chartplotter later...

This past January, I made my list of needed enhancements:
- 2nd reef on main.
- Foam luff on genoa.
- Spinnaker (ok - this was an impulse buy, not on the list).
- Larger anchor with more chain in the rode.
- RIB kit for my Walker Bay dinghy.
- Bimini, and awning for when at anchor.
- Bigger alternator, smart charging system (from Sterling Electronics) and new batteries. Grace came with a 55 amp alternator and two 4D AGM batteries - resulting in chronic undercharging and damage to the batteries.
- Various and sundry smaller enhancements.

But of course, things never end up as expected.
This summer I decided I needed to replace the autopilot - an Autohelm ST4000, with something that had better tracking abilities in windier conditions. In the process of installing a Raymarine S1 Evolution system, my chartplotter stopped receiving GPS signals. Should be easy to solve - right? Well, after many hours trying to solve this (including new GPS antenna), I threw in the towel and bought a new chartplotter.

Then, on the way to the dock to calibrate the autopilot, my transmission failed! Also should be (relatively) easy - just purchase a new ZF10 transmission and install it. Well, it turns out the Hurth ZF isn't making the ZF 10 anymore, and nobody wants to rebuild them because of parts availability. The recommended replacement is a ZF 12 - except that it is slightly bigger... That meant raising the engine and modifying some fiberglass work. I'm fortunate I have a great, responsive mechanic (Tedd Gwilliams, if any is looking for one).

All this together was about $5k more than budgeted. Oh, well, you know what they say about B O A Ts...

However, now, with 2 ½ weeks until departure, everything is set and 'almost' ready to go.