Engine fixed – check

Dingy motor fixed – check

Deck organizers fixed – semi-check: Lawson found them (hard to find!) and ordered them and they have been delivered. Lawson will need to install them because we can’t find a pro to do it until mid Jan. Unacceptable! Lawson is going to give it a go. Cross your fingers.

Supplies – semi-check. We have bought most everything but the food. A double cart load at the super Walmart.

Heating element thing-a-ma-jiggy – semi-check. Sorry. Lawson isn’t handy to get the proper info on this. All I know is that it’s what will give us hot showers. A VIP (Very Important Piece). Lawson has ordered it and we’ve received it. Being installed either Monday or Tuesday.

Fire extinguishers – check. The ones on the boat were out of date. Had to buy new ones.

Forestay replaced – check.

Van rental – check. This was the last van available in Tampa Bay. We snagged it and will pick it up tomorrow and plan on packing all of our crap into it on Sunday and heading back to the boat in Ft. Lauderdale.

Health insurance – semi-check. Went through the convoluted online sign-up process at healthcare.gov and are about 80% there. Just have to call Humana in a few days and pay. We have the bottom of the barrel insurance but it’s only for a few months.

Still need to do:

Boat US registration. This is the Bahamian equivalent to Sea Tow. Basically, you must have this so if anything goes wrong with your boat they come and tow your butt to the nearest marina for repairs. Saves huge on towing charges. Has saved our ass countless times on past “shakedown” cruises.

Propane

Pump out

Keys – basically, the keys to lock the boat from the inside were missing. Lawson has several calls into both yacht brokers about this. Guess because of the holidays we still haven’t gotten an answer. Would really suck if this kept us from leaving. Or if we had to have a locksmith come out and do a new lock. Hopefully this will be resolved soon.

We’ve been busy but have taken some time to enjoy some of our old St. Pete haunts: Cantina, Bodega, El Cap, Diary Inn, Crescent Lake Park, Airplane Park, The Palmers, and of course the wonderful company and hospitality of Charley and Ruthanne Mitchell. We are so fortunate that they’ve put up with us for the past week and a sometimes very whiny seven-year-old.

We head out Sunday with date to untie the lines set for probably Wednesday. So close and yet so far…