Deadline

Our friend Robb says that it happens with research trips to Antarctica. Everyone rushes to get ready, and then, if the departure is delayed for some reason, they find themselves rushing to get ready all over again - even though they had been ready to go the first time.

And so it is with us - it's always a bit of a circus getting ready to put to sea, even if we were ready to go a week ago.

There are just so many details to look after with a boat, and so many of them are vitally important for the safety of the crew.  Starting a passage gives you a natural deadline for taking care of things that you've been meaning to get to - so the list of jobs grows in proportion to (and slightly faster than) the amount of time you have to prepare.  Even if you're six years into the sailing life, aboard your second live-aboard boat.

Alisa just read the boys a chapter of The Horse and His Boy for their bedtime story, and the boat is feeling quite shipshape.  We have a load of duty-free fuel on board, and a bit of duty-free booze to go with it, and we're cleared out for Neiafu, Vava'u, Tonga.

Here we go!