Tag: #gettingready

Making Decisions about Stuff

And I don’t know how you are…

but I need a place to put my stuff.

So, that’s what I’ve been doing back there…

just trying to find a place for my stuff.

You know how important that is, that’s the whole,

that’s the whole meaning of life, isn’t it?

Trying to find a place for your stuff.

George Carlin

The (long – for us) process of getting ready to live as full time cruisers has meant changing our thinking about what we own and how we live.

We have been steadily downsizing for years. As we moved from our house to a rental duplex in Johns Island, we unloaded much of the collected detritus of raising a family in the same place for 20 years.

Moving from the rental to Lailia meant that we gave away, donated, sold or discarded all of our furniture and most of our books. We stored what was left (photos, meaningful holiday decorations, John’s albums, some books, tools…) in a 10′ by 10′ storage unit. We still had the comforts of our own cars and I had an office in which I stored my professional books and my plants.

Now…we have to get serious. We’ll be selling our cars (no need to pay for insurance and storage, given that an undriven car is likely to need a lot of maintenance when we return). Because we can’t bring vegetation into the Bahamas, we have had to rehome (temporarily) some plants that we’ve had for decades. We are deciding what tools, clothes and toiletries we really need. We’ve managed to accumulate “stuff” in the time that we have been in the marina.

We’re also figuring out how to provision for an extended journey with limited access to resources. How much toilet paper will we need for a year? (It can be expensive in the islands). How do we make sure we have adequate amounts of toothpaste, razors, and soap? What food can we bring that does not require refrigeration, since we have a tiny fridge and no freezer? And – where do we put it?

“…Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

We’ve always said that we would sail back to the Caribbean someday. We’ve been saying it since we were on our honeymoon back in 1989 – someday.

Since then, we have had 2 amazing sons and lived in 3 different states and 6 cities. We’ve made great friends and had jobs we loved (and those we didn’t love so much).

Now it’s time.

We moved aboard Lailia in the late fall of 2019 and thought about heading out in 2020. Just as I was getting ready to take a leave of absence, Covid 19 happened and suddenly the world shut down. We spent another year as liveaboards in the marina while I kept working. That time was used to do some boat work and to save up some money.

Now it’s time.

In the past year, we’ve dealt with my torn ACL and John’s hip replacement. We’ve each had a basal cell carcinoma removed. Covid is still around (omicron is definitely taking over) but it’s time.

I’ve taken a leave of absence for a year – it started today. We plan to be out in a less than 2 weeks.

It’s time.