I hate to jinx myself but it is starting to look like we are making progress. The job list is getting shorter and the interior of the cabin is getting slowly tidier again. Barb is starting to talk about provisioning and storage and I am thinking of fuelling up and getting the final parts of the wiring done. The only thing that we are having problems with is trying to get the Blu-Ray DVD reader working. When we were in Florida we got a really great deal on an internal Blu-Ray drive that we have finally been able to get a power enclosure for and Barb is having just too much fun trying to get her computer to recognize it. After several runs at it we (for that read tech-weenie Barb) finally got it working and were able to watch some of the Pirates of the Caribbean that we have on Blu-Ray last night.

That was last night. Today is a day for getting ready for tomorrow. How is that for a profundity? The weather forecast is calling for sunny weather and 10 kph of wind, ideal conditions for slacking the stays on the mizzen and jacking up the mast step. So, today I am getting all the bits and pieces ready and taking down the ceiling lining so we can loosen the through bolts and get the support bar in place. With any luck the actual lift will happen in a flash. I had visions of having to get my drill press out of the tool crib, from the bottom where it lives with the band saw as they don't get used all that often, but the staff here at RNSYS came to the rescue and allowed me to use the one in their workshop on the condition that I bring my own drill bits. Too easy! We got everything ready for the event tomorrow and are now keeping our fingers crossed that there will be no surprises.

We also got some of the electronics done. While in Florida at one of the West Marine discount stores I came across a great piece of kit called an electronics pass through. Basically it makes the linking of all of the electronic devices aboard very easy and allows you a window to troubleshoot if something is wrong. That went in. We also have found a spot to store the dog and cat food that is in use. At present we have a couple of Tupperware containers floating about in the cabin, getting in the way and upsetting my otherwise calm and patient temperament. Now they are in a large stand up container behind a closet door and out of the way. Praise be!

We are in the final stages of getting our NEXUS identification and passes. For those of you who don't know, NEXUS is part of an arrangement cooked up between the Canadian and American governments by which the good guys (you and me) don't have as long a wait to clear customs. It also means that the customs officials have an easier time of it too. To all intents and purposes to get it you satisfy both border agencies that you have never committed any kind of offence at the border and are, in effect, a low risk sort of traveler. You also agree to get fingerprinted and iris scanned and recorded and Bob's your uncle. The next time you cross the border you get a separate line at the airport, or you call in your NEXUS number if you are arriving by boat and that's it. At least that is the theory as we understand it. We're looking forward to putting it to the test when we arrive in the USA this fall.


From Barb:

I spent way too much time fussing over the installation of the Blu-Ray drive that's for sure. Nothing like unhelpful/nonexistent instructions to "smooth" the process. I finally said the heck with it and walked away from the computer for 30 minutes or so determined to not be defeated by a mere machine. When I resumed and gave it one last try before reinstalling all of the software it "decided" to work. Most frustrating, because I was not able to figure out what was wrong in the first place and I learned nothing at all in the process. Ah well, it now works and that was the objective.