Planning our offshore venture has brought to light just how unprepared we were for such an undertaking. The plan/project has at least provided a much needed focal point.

Since conceiving the plan, it seems I’ve been spending money hand over fist it seems. Nothing fancy, just standard safety stuff which has forever any a day been languishing on the ‘I’ll get round to it’ list. Things like a life raft, EPIRB, updated charts, pilot books, ... . Fox’s chandlery went the extra mile for us and managed to source up to date electronic charts for my steam powered plotter. Full marks to them.
So, that’s the navigation and safety side of things taken care of.

To cushion the financial blow, I’ve sold some bits of equipment off the boat which were now surplus to requirements. God bless the YBW forum. Every little bit helps.

Still on the to-do list for the next couple of weeks: the electrics (lighting). All of the cabin lighting is still original. Some pieces are just falling to bits and what still works uses a lot of power. LED lighting has now become affordable, so will tackle that job (with the help of Number 2 child) before February is out.

Also, I’ve been going through ‘the boat pile’ in my study. What a treasure trove that proved to be: turned up loads of useful stuff I had long since forgotten I had. I figure there must be more similar stuff lurking on the boat. Next in the diary: a trip up to the boat taking care of the lighting and going through each and every locker. See what we can turn up.

And finally: sorting fendering for the tender. Essential since we’ll be moving from a pontoon berth to a swinging mooring in April. Hopefully we can resurrect the outboard which has been sitting idle in the garage for over 5 years. Fingers crossed.

Tomorrow I should know if I will have 5 weeks off work for the trip I have in mind. Five weeks should be ample time – I guestimate the trip would take anything from 12-16 days at sea. With 5 weeks in hand I would be able to wait for a suitable weather window and have time for R&R once we get there.

Stay tuned – you’ll know if it's a go/no-go as soon as I know. All I can say right now is: I so looking forward to this.