Getting Shipshape

La Cruz, Nayarit, marina

As soon as I boarded the boat Monday, I began to see the need for organizational skills. The first day I put a couple of hours into the head (that's bathroom for my lubber friends) and got most of that space sorted out. At least now you don't have to leave the room to grab a towel.

I freely admit, I'm a basket case. I think most domestic chaos of the material kind can be contained if you have enough baskets. Yesterday we went in search of plastic organizing baskets with holes for air circulation. Caramba! Walmart had a couple of dinky ones and Home Depot had none! I ended up getting a storage box I prayed would fit on my wardrobe shelf, to stow my clothes. It did!

The next coup was finding a store a few blocks from the marina that sells block ice, which we had to schlep to Bucerias for last year. Imagine taking a block of ice on a half-hour bus ride, followed by a half-hour's walk...impossible! Without a fridge, we're getting along with two cooler boxes, and would like to reduce it down to one. All the more reason to eat veggies, TVP and grains; they need no refrigeration. Can't give up dairy, though: a big chunk of cheese, some yogurt, cottage cheese, milk...all need reliable cooling. Block ice lasts three or four days, while bagged ice has to be replaced daily. In the van, it's a quick trip, and spoilage should be minimal.

The van also made it a lot easier for the Capt to go pick up jerry jugs of diesel, without having to pay a surcharge at the fuel dock. We're trying to be frugal this year. There's lots more to do: the switch for the water pump is squirrely, battery cables need work, the Capt wants to install a backstay insulator so we can finally transmit on our ham radio. The cockpit remains a mess. But it's beginning to look like we could actually take this boat somewhere.