ON BOARD AT LAST!!!!!!!!

SHIP'S LOG:

At last!Yesterday (Sunday) I brought another load of "stuff" down to the boat and load it on board. Unfortunately, I still hadn't stored all the stuff from the previous load and every available flat surface is covered with "stuff." To make matters worse, another load of stuff . . . the last . . . was hauled down today. Finding places for all of these items will be quite the challenge but I am sure that it will get down. It has to get done. Well it will give me something to occupy my time.

I took ABISHAG to get fueled and got my first lesson docking at a pier with pilings. The guy at the gas dock was very helpful and gave me a lot of good info for future reference. Way back in the Fall, I installed a valve in the fuel vent line to keep it from spurting out diesel when the tank was full. It doesn't work. Such is life. I'll just have to be very careful fueling the boat.

Skip came down to help with the installation of the holding tank. Actually he did most of the work, though we discussed each step of the project. There just isn't a lot of room in the aft cabin for two people to work together. Far better then that the one who knew what he was doing did the work. As skip cut holes in my boat, I tried to sort though all the stuff that now is everywhere. I got a handle on most of it those it still looks a disaster. It may take more than a few days to find a place for everything.

Roland, Mark and Mike stopped by with a bottle of "champagne" to toast my departure. I think they also stopped by to see if I was as crazy as they suspected I was. They seem suitably impressed by ABISHAG and Mark and Mike seemed already to be making plans to join me for a while this winter in Florida. Roland on the other hand is not a fan of the ocean.

The amount of stuff that still needs to be stored and the fact that I means haven't even bought food yet has lead me to delay departure for a day. Wednesday with be Departure day now. Slowly but surely it comes!

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

I am exhausted. I didn't do all that much but I am still exhausted. It must be some sort of reaction to the departure. I was never quite sure that this day would come. True, it isn't here yet, but it is coming fast. I think the excitement of anticipation is exhausting me. I'm off to bed.