Projects & Provisioning in Brunswick

We wish each of you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. We will enjoy the feast with other boaters and the staff here at Brunswick Landing. The Marina is furnishing turkeys and ham and everyone will bring a dish.

We took this picture looking west from our boat in our slip. We caught just a glimpse of the sun in a little break in these sassy-looking clouds. The forecast for today and all weekend is sunshine! Yeah.

We've been busy with projects and provisioning:

At the end of the day (right around cocktail time), we like to see what we can check off of our to-do list. We always have some progress to note, but we've been adding unexpected projects to the seemingly never-ending list. Three days in a row and three more projects. First, the sump pump in the shower quit. Then the head would not flush. Last, the fresh water pump quit. The sump pump works again, after Larry took it apart and cleaned it thoroughly. Fortunately, we had a new fresh water pump on board, so we again have fresh water. But fixing our Lavac, vacuum-flush head became a major project. First, the bilge pump was cleaned and new seals added. Then, we replaced the lid and the seals that go on it. But it was still a no-go-and not just for the head, you know. All the sanitation hoses have now been replaced and our system works like new.

While not ever 'glad' to have new projects, we're glad that all of these break downs happened while we are still in a slip and have a pickup to run errands and buy parts and replacements.

We've also been able to complete some projects that we did have on our list: a partial list includes working navigation lights, working cockpit speakers, another spice rack, a better location for boat ladder, and polished stainless. We will replace one of the regulator's for our solar panels when it arrives.

Our dingy was in the water for about three weeks in July while we were adding solar panels; this time was long enough for the rib to be covered with barnacles. New to this experience, we sought advice about the best removal process and received several different remedies. We poured vinegar on the dried barnacles, waited a couple of hours for the vinegar to go to work, then scraped the hull and tubes. This procedure worked great for us and we will not be leaving our dingy in the water again -not here anyway. Barnacles and other growths happen fast in Georgia's coastal waters, mainly in July and August. We had to hire a diver to clean barnacles from our prop and around our through hulls when we went to Charleston; at haul out, we were not surprised to find lots of barnacles on our keel and hull.

While we still have a few small needs, the biggest project now is to finish the installation of our Spectra water maker.

Taking care of a boat and its many systems is an everyday job and stuff needing fixed or replaced is ongoing. But major provisioning is only needed for those extended cruising times away from the easy shopping that we are all used to. We have just provisioned for our second season of cruising.

The pantries, cupboards, bilges, and all other storage areas are full. Our trip to Jacksonville to pick up parts for the head also included stops at Whole Foods, Total Wine & Liquor, Costco, and Sam's. We had a full pickup by the time we left Jacksonville.

We installed a shelf under the top drawer in the v-berth - seven more bottles of wine. Also, under the bottom drawer, seven more bottles fit snugly on the sole plus a small bilge under the sole holds three more. This bilge in front of the drawers holds eighteen.

We have one small bilge in front of the table that holds six bottles and two large bilges like the one on the left under the table. They are three-bottles deep plus open up the sides for several more bottles.

I have a much better handle on both wine and food inventory than I did last year and I like the way I have my pantry and cupboards arranged and labeled.

Our large pantry and cabinet in the galley help me keep foods organized and handy. We also use two cabinets in the salon for food storage. Our 'holding' storage is a huge area under our v-berth. Our mattress is hinged in the middle, so we can get to this storage fairly easily. We also store boxes of wine in the storage under the mattress in front of the chain locker.


We're loving the beautiful fall weather. It's so different from the hot, humid days and many thunderstorms that we had all summer. Boat projects, chores, and dock visiting are a lot more enjoyable in mild weather. Just on our dock of sixteen boats, four Canadian boat owners have recently arrived and are readying their boats to go the Bahamas, or the Dominican Republic, or Cuba. They drive down from their homes, work on their boat as needed, and then take off. Next spring, they sail back to a slip in Brunswick, ready their boat for sitting in a slip for six months, and drive back to their Canadian home. The couple from British Columbia said their drive here was 5,000 miles. The marina allows boaters to leave their vehicles in the marina's large parking areas. We're glad to be able to leave our pickup here when we sail to Florida and then on to the Bahamas.

When will that be? We thought that we would be in Florida by now, specifically in the Keys. We're looking forward to a new place, but until we leave, we're very OK here in Southern Georgia. We're staying busy, the weather is pleasant, and lovely historic Brunswick is across the street, where several good restaurants are always welcoming to boaters.