Provisioning / reefer lid

We got most of the non-perishables down to the boat over the weekend.

and tonight we prepped two of our early dinners.  We made beef stroganoff and chicken enchiladas to "heat and eat" on the trip.  We are also taking a Stouffer's Lasagna and a stew from a crew member's wife for "heat and eat" dinners, then the rest of the trip we will prepare and cook the dinners while underway.

Also tonight we did most of the work for replacing the lifting handles on the reefer lid with latching handles.  These are "just in case" of a knock down or inversion, so the lid does not go flying. 

Pac Cup Prep... Is it ever DONE?

I have new latches ordered for the refrigerator lid.  We have been looking, for months, at different ways to hold the lid down in the event of a knockdown.  The lid is set up to be opened one side at a time with a middle hinge or to be completely lifted out.  The only thing holding it down is its own weight, which is considerable.  Not something you want flying through the air if the boat gets knocked on its side.  So I found some locking handles that are slightly larger than the handles currently installed. 

I ordered them from http://www.sailboatstuff.com/.  The locking arm is adjustable so I can set it to hold under the lip inside the reefer or maybe cut into the lip and reinforce the hole with metal...  Because the top plate is slightly larger than what is installed now I think my new screw holes will be clear outside the current holes. Worst comes to worst I can have the latches off center so one of the bottom holes is reused and the other is a new hole.  The top holes are a totally different configuration so I am not concerned about them.

We have an ocean race this Saturday.  The forecast as of yesterday was quite hairy.  It is less hairy today, but not what you would call calm either, 15-25 knots with big seas.  By tomorrow hopefully they will have narrowed down the wind range so we'll have a better idea of what we will be dealing with.  I have to remember to find all my warm clothes to bring along!  I also have to remember to put together the chicken enchiladas tonight with the canned chicken.  Hopefully we are going to do a final coat of paint on our kitchen cabinets tonight as well.  Maybe we will get the doors and drawers back from the guys at the shop at some point!

Home projects weekend

85 more days until the Pac Cup! The to do list isn't getting any shorter but we spent the past weekend on home projects instead of boat projects anyway! After four and a half years in our condo we finally are painting the kitchen cabinets. Even just primed it really brightens up our small kitchen. Since my husband works for a painting contractor we were able to get some expert help and advice. I think they are going to turn out really nice.

This week is the boat show here in Northern California. I have my wish list of things for the Pac Cup. I am going to check out a PLB--not completely sold on that, Landfall Navigation does not seem to think they are worthwhile offshore. I need a lightweight waterproof jacket so I have something besides my heavy offshore Musto Jacket to wear in the squalls. I need new sunglasses to replace the Maui Jim's I lost in February (UGH!) and a couple of little things. I am also going to a 10 hour cruising seminar on Saturday as I am determined to find a cruising boat and head out with my husband for some serious cruising. That probably won't happen for a few years but it is not too early to start thinking about it!