I did it!

I have officially declared that I will be leaving my job at the end of the school year. I applied for a a leave of absence. I hope I get it since it will give me a second chance if our plans go seriously awry! I suppose in reality it doesn't matter since it will be for only one year. With the high demand for special education teachers, if I need to work, I won't have troubles finding employment. So, my career is no longer something to debate at this time! I just hope I can return to this school district when this voyage is completed.

Now we need to focus on solidifying our itinerary for this summer, and of course getting "Tender Spirit" ready for cruising. We need to spend part of the summer in Alaska to put up fish and to visit family. We have some gear to install in Puget Sound later in the summer. The only time factor at this point is to leave the Pacific Northwest before the fall storms arrive. We are hoping to be in central/southern California before October and then cruise Mexico in December once hurricane season is over. Just when we head offshore and where is still the debate. Will it be the Galapagos, Hawaii, or straight a South Pacific island group?

Living aboard and cruising are two different mind sets. I have discovered the art of collecting stuff on board that has nothing to do with cruising. Some of it is a good thing because this is our home. Working and living on board creates an environment for things like kitchen appliances and other items that make life comfortable when we are plugged into shore power for the winter. We all need hobbies that add variety to our lives. I discovered quilting. I know I will have to make decisions on whether or not to take this cruising with us! The problem is weeding out our "treasures" to make room for critical items for the voyage. We also need to think in terms of living in warmer climates. I need to go through basic things like clothing. My wool and cashmere sweaters are great for Alaska winters, but will be bulky space takers in the tropics. I plan on keeping some warm clothes on hand, but I need to weed out "work clothes" and add some warm weather clothing......more tee's and less dress clothes! We will be weeding out a lot of useless items that were "must have" such as northern fishing gear and assorted gadgets. We have decided to maintain a storage locker for stuff that we don't want to part with, but makes no sense to take with us.