Terminal Overload

Phew, the excitement of the house selling has finally subsided. Now comes the daunting task of sorting and organizing all of our stuff. We are pretty simple people, our house doesn't have any clutter, in fact others have asked if anyone actually lives here, because there is not much in the way of tchotchkes or other paraphernalia. Even so, it is amazing how much crud a couple can accumulate over 20 some odd years.

Every single item has to be debated over, boat/camper/sell. To go on the boat it has to fit into a certain criteria, must be small, must be usable for two purposes, and must not make the pile of stuff too big to go in the boat. And, I know we will have to go through that pile 5 or 6 more times before it is down to a reasonable amount. The camper stuff is a little less critical, but there isn't much space in it either.

Our house has started to morph into a warehouse work area. Below you can see where the dining room table sat, before it was given away to Serena's parents, their gift for watching our mail. Now turned organizing centre/office/etc... Every piece of paperwork that can be scanned and kept electronically, will be, because there just isn't room to keep it all. Music and videos need to be sorted, and all electronic files have to be backed up. We currently have all of our documents, logs, and other personal paperwork online in the Google cloud, which is great, because we can access it anywhere in the world, except on a boat with limited internet access. So now all those documents have to be recreated locally on the computer and backed up.

Then there is all the boat stuff. I have seen what a boat looks like when everything in it does not have a storage space of its own, and most of you who have a boat will know what that looks like. Because, lets face it, how much organizing effort goes into it when you only spend a couple weeks a year on it for vacation and a few weekend sails. But living on it is much different. Not too mention that there will be more stuff. The picture below shows just my sewing supplies, and I have another order coming from Sailrite.

Mind you, some of this stuff has already been cut from the lineup, but not as much as should be. By the way, that table is a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood. Its a lot.
Can you imagine what the boat would look like if this stuff was laying around, or thrown in a few plastic bags and stuffed into whatever shelf had the space?
I sorted the stuff into specific uses. There is a daily use kit, which includes hand needles, regular thread, some heavier threads, a few small tools, and my palms. Then there is the small kit that has just items, tools, and manuals for the machine, (although I should scan them too), but that kit will stay in the box with the machine. Then there is the heavy duty repair kit which includes all the thread, velcro, webbing, spares, etc..., and the final kit which is just hole punches, grommet sets, grommets, snaps, etc... That makes 4 smallish canvas bags that need to be made in order to carry these things. The theory being that on a boat, there are lots of storage places, but few that will take large items. Break them down into small batches.

Which brings us to the reacher. I do not want to give up this sail. It is a beauty, colourful, and extremely useful in light winds. We get to sail when all the white sail sailors are motoring. The problem is that it is big. The bag that it comes in, is 20" high x 16" in dia. There is no where on the boat that is comfortable for this bag to sit. The cockpit locker is plenty big enough, but the hole to get to it is only about 9" wide, "square peg into the round hole".

 So I made a bag that had a narrower diameter, but 40" long. The sail fit, but it was so tightly packed that it was more like a missile than a sail bag.

Not all my ideas work. So this bag has been relegated to rope storage. There is 300' of 1/2" 3 stranded nylon line in it as I write this, and its not half full yet. I can see where that might be useful. As for the reacher, I think I will put it in one or our regular large sail bags, and stuff it through the cockpit locker opening. I am not sure if that will work, but I'll try it before figuring something else out.

I have also started making lots of other bags. The reusable bags you buy in the grocery stores are not tough enough for everyday boat use, so I made 4 out of marine grade canvas. They are waterproof, and have 3/8" polyester handles spliced into #2 grommets. They are tough.

 A couple of rope bags. The nicest one being the light blue one here. It holds 200' of 1/2" 3 strand nylon line, and has a nice vinyl mesh bottom to allow the rope to dry, should it be put away wet. I like this one, I am going to make two more. Probably want 10 by the time we get settled into the boat.

 Then there is my shower bag, with a toggle snap in the middle to stop my underwear from falling into the water on the way to the shower.

And of course, Serena's shower bag, which is much bigger, and has longer handles so that it can be slung over the shoulder. Honestly, the thing is big enough that it should probably have wheels. But don't say anything.

Onwards and upwards. I'll keep sewing and organizing for the next couple of weeks. Then I have to get some more woodworking done before we have our first garage sale. Indoor garage sale of course. Too much snow, and way too cold to do it in the driveway. I won't miss this next winter while we are anchored in the Bahamas.

On a more squishy note, yesterday we were having a coffee at the local hangout, talking to a couple of old friends of the family. We chatted about all kinds of stuff, including us sailing off into the wild blue yonder, when Warren said, "you guys are living the life that everyone dreams about." And it struck me, I don't know why this time was so different, but there was something so serious about the way he said it that made me believe it, for the first time. I know that it is not quite that simple, as everyone's dream is different, but we have inadvertently become ambassadors for a free lifestyle that keeps all of us moving forward. However intangible "the dream" may be for most of us, knowing that someone is doing it, is usually enough. The peanut butter that keeps the sandwich together, so to speak. I remember when I was younger, telling all of my single buddies that I was living vicariously through them. Now its my turn to return the favor. And, although I won't let it dictate my path, I hope that I at least live up to the expectations.

Live long and live free.......