After our first night on the boat eating nothing for dinner the night before and nothing for breakfast, we had planned to meet with the sellers Doug and Ann so they could run through some key items on the boat with us, like no one can except the previous owners. They were prompt on time of arrival which was at 8:30 a.m. This was great, except for the fact we hadn’t really planned for eating at all. We went through all the systems and all the little quirks with the boat very thoroughly. Come 1 p.m., we were both about ready to fall over. Good thing I wrote down what Ann said because I could barely retain any of it.
When they left we unloaded all of the items from our car we had brought down for it and finally got some water. We had two dinghy loads of stuff that had to go from car to dinghy to cockpit to cabin. Then back for more. As Gary has said, “No task is simple when on a boat.”
That could not be more true than when it comes to provisioning. I really have my work cut out for me here. I have never cooked for more that 4 people (2 on the regular) and not stocked up in the store for longer than one week usually. We attempted to provision the boat for the first time today. We went into town, about 15 mins away, and hit up a small store for the cheaper prices on items we wanted. We got cans of everything we could and avocados galore. A few odds and ends including muratic acid for the toilet (more on that later). Then we went down the road to the larger supermercado for the items we couldn’t find elsewhere. Pretty much shopping as normal… only the challenge begins when you get back to the marina and have to put all of these items and three people into the dinghy. Not fun! We stacked it all in and all piled on. It wouldn’t be a huge deal, but today the winds are in excess of 15 miles per hour. That is a lot on a tiny boat full of crap. We crashed into a few waves along the way, soaking Gary, Tim and several bags onboard. Gary showed us how to unload everything, letting us in on the fact that salt water doesnt really every dry out here, so we can NEVER let salty, wet items into the cabin. Oh my. What a fun game. let’s go live in a house surrounded by this stuff you can never let inside the house. Anyway, so we wipe everything down before taking it into the cabin and then stock the fridge and pantry the best we can. Staying organized in a small space is key to making your space feel bigger.
The winds are way to strong today and predicted to be the same tomorrow, so we will wait for the weather to tell us when to go.
Plotting an Escape 
WOW! That’s a lot to take in.
I know it’s a lot to take in on a fast pass like you’ve been able to do. Hopefully you are at the home stretch. Gary has reiterated several things that we told you to be aware of and they do make a difference.
The envy of the rest of us is spellbinding because we have also been there. Your mentor Gary is the best of the best and will serve you well.
In your blog you mentioned Copola as a great view from Gary’s porch. We also enjoy visiting with Lois and Gary and now we have you guys in Mexico. Never can tell when we just might show up.