| Preparing for this voyage has really been more like preparing for a complete lifestyle change. We've been talking, dreaming, scheming, planning, and replanning for this since we bought "Amazing Grace" in 1996. In 1997 we started cruising the Hawaiian islands anchoring in some of the more remote areas of Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and the Big Island as well as Hanalei Bay, Kauai and Oahu. Sailing the channels of Hawaii allowed us or should I say forced us into getting to know "Grace" more intimately, which helped us to understand what we needed to replace or add to her already existing systems. Having designed and built several stand alone solar powered homes in New Mexico, Richard has an extensive knowledge of alternative, solar powered energy systems. He immediately went to work on rewiring and rebuilding the entire electrical system which included a new battery bank and more photovoltaic panels. He then rebuilt the refrigeration system to allow for minimum energy consumption. As finances would allow, every year we would would try to fund one upgrading project. The next one in store for us was the installation of the ProFurl roller furling system for both the outer and inner(staysail) forestays and the replacement of the mainsail, the staysail, and the jib. Pulling the mast from the boat was next and the work began on sanding off old paint and corrosion, repainting her and refitting her with freshly cleaned winches. After the mast was dropped back into the boat the seemingly simple job of replacing the genoa tracks was next - well, several days later... it was time to call on our friend, Paul Lockwood, known for his masterful upholstery work on classic cars to sew up some new cockpit cushions. On our 2001 cruise to Oahu we had another master of the sewing machine, sail maker Tom Andrewes, custom make a set of 2 canopies to run the length of the boat for maximum shade while at anchor or in port. While both important and necessary, each one of these projects I must add, took more time, more money, more energy, and more patience than the one before. By 2002 all four of our children were living on the mainland, 2 in college and the other 2 graduating highschool in May of 2003, so we decided the time had come for us to start living our dreams. As they say, neither one of us are getting any younger and we need to get underway while the time is right and the bodies are still young, healthy and strong. So we set a departure date of April, 2003 and Richard went to work on updating the electronic equipment on Grace. First he replaced the VHF radio with a new, updated version,then installed a GPS chart plotter, Inmarsat-c email communication device, and a designated weather fax. We hauled "Grace" out in the winter of 2002 and installed a brand new Maxprop, which allows us better handling and smoother, faster sailing. With the help of our new found friend and fellow cruiser, Bruce Durrant of El Gitano, we gave her a new bottom paint job, returned her to the water and started stripping off old varnish, giving her a new Bristol Finish varnish job on all the bright work. We now felt it was time to turn our attention on what to do with our land dwelling, material possessions such as; house, cars, furniture and other various, miscellanious stuff one collects to put into the house, garage and storage units. After many discussions on whether to sell the house or rent it out we decided to sell it as well as the cars and invest the money wisely to fund our new adventure. Between the two of us we've been working with our accountant and stockbrokers to set up our finances so our children can still go to college and we can live our adventure before, God forbid, we grow too tired. The garage sales began and we had a total of three of them before we felt satisfied with what we got rid of. All the rest went to various charity thrift shops. Another lesson was learned on the "stuff" that we deem important and collect through the years. Richard's biggest challenge was his garage and the tools in it, my biggest challenge... my closet and kitchen and the contents in them. Of course I forgot to mention that both of us have continued to work our respective jobs during all of this, I, running my Pilates Studio and Richard running his trips on "Kamanu Sailing Charters". In the end, when all is said and done, there is a lot to be said about the simple life of a cruiser (and it will get simpler). Our focus is soon to be on nothing more than each other, our boat, the weather, and what is just ahead of our bow. |
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| Preparing For Our First Long Voyage First Stop: French Polynesia |
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