August 2013 Recap

When I started this whole blog, the premise was that I would be passing on my knowledge and experience, (or lack of), to others behind me. I did this because so many people have done the same for me over the years. I know that what they have taught me through their books, their notes, their magazine articles, and their blogs, has been invaluable, and without their stories, I may have never embarked on this adventure at all. So, I am going to try to do a recap of each month covering concerns, budget, and things I learned that I wish I had known before I started, so that someone contemplating making the jump can perhaps learn something useful from it.

Dates: Aug 8 - 31, 2013

Trenton, On. Canada - Thousand Islands - Lake Ontario - Oswego Canal - Erie Canal - Polleppel Island, NY(on the Hudson River)

Sailing: 6 1/2 hrs

Motoring: 140 hrs (includes motor-sailing)

Budget (Prorated from 14 Aug - 31 Aug, we were a little sloppy at the beginning)

Budget Amount: $835.00

Charts/Books:           $86.00      

Boat Parts:               $139.00     

Marinas:                   $198.00

Diesel:                      $115.00

Beer:                        $129.00

Grocery:                   $266.00

Restaurant:               $146.00

Fees/Services:           $61.00     (pump-outs, laundry, lock fees, etc...)

Clothing/Shopping     $10.00

Misc:                       $277.00     (Mast stepping and unstepping, Tow Boat US Insurance)

Total:                    $1427.00

Debit/Credit:          -$592.00

Okay, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that we are way over budget, and if you think this is bad, wait until next month. Two reasons; one, because the lifestyle is new we tend to pay for things that we could do for free, there is a learning curve. Secondly, we are traveling, and when your traveling some costs go up. The months that we sit still should provide us with better numbers and maybe even out the overages a little. More importantly though, keeping track allows us to see where we overspend, and where we should cut back a little. And, you can tell by the above numbers that we obviously eat too much.

Things We Learned

1. Don't get too excited about the gelcoat. Because we are traveling in strange places, and travelling a lot, we never know what we're going to be faced with when docking. So, you are going to get some dents and dings. Vita is still in fine form, but she has a couple small of dock bites.

2. The more worried about a certain aspect of things, the easier it will seem. For us, crossing Lake Ontario, NY Harbor, and the Delaware Bay were concerns, and they ended up being great trips, mostly. Some people worry about locks, they're really easy, but your going to make a boo boo once in awhile, nobodies perfect. Relax...

3. If you need/want something, wait for it to come to you. We busted our humps trying to get this or that item for the boat, or for us. What we have learned is that services in all areas are not the same. Reduce the need, and wait for it to come to you. Eventually it will just show up. Measure the effort required to go look, and try to figure out if its worth it, because, the disappointment of not finding it increases with an increase in effort.

4. I was concerned on the trip down that I had made a mistake by choosing a small boat. Some of the things we were attempting to do seemed too big for our little Vita. Now that we have done them, I am very happy with the size, and Serena and I still like each other. Lesson, don't second guess yourself until you've had time to prove it one way or another.

5. Spraying your fruits and vegetables with a 50/50 mix vinegar and water will keep the fruit flies away. 

6. Slow down, its not a marathon. We had a deadline, and we shouldn't have. We missed so many things, and we felt so robbed, that it was not worth it. Well, maybe not, I'll have to see if the trip to the UK makes up for it. 

7. Hunting for Wifi will ruin your trip. See #3. We wasted so much time and effort looking for an internet connection. Paying stupid amounts for coffee and ice cream, just so we could get out a blog entry, or send an email. If its not readily available, just wait, maybe the next stop will be better. If you can't live without it, get data on your phone so you can email and update facebook, it will be far cheaper in the long run. Saying this, if you don't get a blog update for a while, we couldn't find free internet. We're learning.

8. And lastly, plan for laundry, groceries, showers, and any other services you might need. Because not everything is available everywhere. Services are like tides and currents, they can really screw up you trip if you don't give them the respect they deserve.

That's it for this month. Next month I will try and do this again. The format may change a little as I go, because this is new. If anyone reading the blog would like to see anything in particular, let me know, I may be able to squeeze it in, especially if it seems like good info to pass on.

Now back to your regular blogging........