Planning for the Cruise
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2004 is the year the decision was made to start the
cruise on 1 April 2005 and actual planning started. This page provides
a sample of the effort made in 2004 to get ready and focused.
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2004 |
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| Feb - Mar | A lot of discussion ... dreaming and getting in the spirit. |
| April |
Bought and read Captain Bob's books on cruising the
great loop and cruising comfortably on a budget. Purchased small 43 cc moped to use to get around on the trip. |
| May |
Started studying where and how to get
proper charts for the cruise. Signed up and started reading Trawler World message board for great loop cruisers. |
| June |
Purchased extra VHF radio as a back up. We
are trying to spread out the cost of the necessary items.
Started living onboard to use and fully understand all of the systems on board and more importantly make the changes necessary to ensure a safe and comfortable trip. This fact alone dramatically increased the "to do" list as I discovered many things that if modified or completed now would help make the cruise more comfortable. |
| July | Busy this month trying to understand how all systems worked on board. I prepared a budget for the trip to ensure I could actually finance the trip. |
| August |
Replaced the sundeck furniture. I needed a
sofa and chairs for comfortable afternoons on the trip.
Completed an electrical tracing of the AC and DC systems to help design the inverter setup that I planned on installing in Apolonia. |
| September |
Set up to move the boat to warmer weather for the winter. The move will allow last minute work to be completed in warm weather. |
| October | Moved boat south. After plan to go to Beaufort, S.C. was thwarted by weather and mechanical issues, moored boat in George Town, S.C. |
| November | Continued study to install inverter. Many choices at a wide range in cost makes this a decision I'm taking slowly. Continued to work on the boat, completing major maintenance to help ensure a trouble free trip. |
| December | Moved boat to Beaufort, SC. |
| January 2005 | Installed Xantrex 2500W inverter |
| February-March 2005 | Completed simple last minute tasks and decided the planning was done ... it's time to just go! |