Blowing up my life and preparing for the move

I gave my job a two-month notice, so my last day at the Country Club will be September 30th. I tried to see if I could just work summers in my same position since winters are painfully slow at the club. Unfortunately they felt that this would not work for them and will find someone to replace me. It's a bit scary, but it won't stop me from moving forward with my plans.

I'll keep in touch with the food and beverage manager, my boss, and if there's anything available next summer, I can come back to work for the season.

Right now, the boat's out of the water and getting some work done. We're fixing the rudder, swapping out 3 ball valves, and repairing 4 others. (These ball valves are connected to through hulls, letting you open or close them as needed.) Tony from Marina Shipyard thinks the surveyor missed a few things. We've got 16 through hulls in total, and a few hoses are cracked. Once the ball valves are good to go and we can close them, Eric will replace those hoses.

The hardest part was waiting for the verdict from Tony, he had me sitting at the edge of my seat before letting me know what all this would cost me. But it was in the ballpark of what I was expecting. Actually better than I was expecting. To replace the ball valves would be around $900 each, the repairing of them would be $1080 for all four of them. The rudder was going to be dried out some more over the weekend and then filled with epoxy for another $900. All in all I might get away with less that $5k.

Once the repairs are done, Captain Maureen will bring her back to the slip where I originally found her. The owner is holding the slip for me at the moment, so I'm paying him directly.

Right now, I'm on a mission to gather all the stuff I think I'll need while living on the boat. I've got tea, snorkeling gear like goggles and flippers, a first aid kit, sunscreen, spare parts, and tools. I'm also squeezing in some of my art supplies and jewelry-making goodies. Oh, and guess what—I scored a Honda generator because, you know, gotta be prepared for anything.

The Honda was suggested to me by the broker I had met in Sint Maarten when I looked at the Cheoy Lee 44

The plan is to rent a small SUV October 1st, pack it up, and drive across the country all the way to Long Beach. I'm guessing it'll take us 3 days. Not a fun drive. We know. Dreading.

While getting ready, I'm checking out tons of YouTube videos from sailors who've traveled down the Pacific coast to Mexico and beyond. I'm figuring out where to visit, where to hang out, and what to avoid. There's seriously a ton of info available.

I also picked up some cruising books like Charlies Charts and Pacific Mexico. I'm checking on the TIP, the Temporary Import Permit, and all the stuff I need to get into Mexico. And for anyone suggesting bringing a gun, that's a no-go. Most countries are just not that into it. But I did get myself a pink baseball bat, some pepper spray and a hand-held stun gun.

For those of you worried about piracy: there are resources available on the internet that keep track of piracy incidents that I check on frequently. I already know what areas to avoid. From what I have learned so far, dinghy theft is the number one issue that plagues sailors. I did get a lock with a cable for that purpose. The dinghy has a soft bottom and the motor that we got for the boat is old, it probably won't draw a lot of attention from thieves.