Countdown to departure...

With about a month left before we push off for the Caribbean, we've been busy this week making lists, working on boat projects and sorting through our stuff to figure out what leaves with us on the boat and what stays in the trailer until we return next May.

My big project this week has been working on the ships power.  Our batteries seem to be losing their power progressively as each charging cycle seems to take more time and fuel, and returns the batteries to a state slightly lower than the time before.  Overall this is NOT a good situation.

We just replaced our batteries last October before leaving, and previous batteries had lasted much longer.  West Marine has agreed to a warranty replacement which is great, but I need to make sure that all of our systems onboard are set up properly and have nothing to do with this problem. 

I'm also going to add some solar panels for some additional charging to save on fuel and engine wear and tear.

Once we finish with this there are a hundred other little projects on the list.  Nothing big enough to slow us down, but all worth doing prior to leaving this area where we have access to any parts/service that we might need.