Bristol Channel Cutter Elizabeth

I like to keep a running list of projects taped to my cabin side wall. I like to be able to add to it with ease as soon as something crosses my mind, or breaks, lest I forget. Better yet, I like to immediately cross something off the list as soon as it’s complete. But for those tasks I only get half way through in one session, I like to cross them out, only half way. The list is usually about two pages, sometimes less, often more. There is no hierarchy to the list, no priority or order. No sections or subsections.

I like to stand at the chart table, eat my morning orange and scan the list for a project I might be able to fit in between designing an email blast for a special on wee wee pads or right after I finish uploading a round of new pieces to an art gallery site. It’s a slow process crossing things off the list this way, but I love my list.  I carefully cut the electrical tape with a scissor, I take the time to cut off the spiral bound ruffles on the paper and I try to neatly attach the list to the wall, space the pages evenly and make sure they’re level. I know I’ll be looking at them for a long time, and well groomed lists are more appealing to study. Neat lists also provoke more intense contemplation and thoughtful inner debates about technique, execution and method.

My current list has been hanging for about four weeks now. It’s in good condition for it’s age. It’s been offshore from The Bahamas to North Carolina. It’s seen a few waterspouts and shared many an early morning orange with me. It’s a rewrite of an older list with a few additions, and some recent fresh cross-offs. But some of these items have been on the list for nearly a year. There always seems to be something more urgent that gets rushed onto the list, only to be crossed out a day or two later. Like patients at the sanitarium, some of these list items get forgotten about, even though they are seen every day.

The current list and a few of the recent cross-offs: SSB stand-offs and bowsprit netting.

Here’s how it breaks down this month…but I ask why. Why bother posting this? I think the reality of it is worth illustrating. It’s not really about how I can save more money on groceries. I certainly could avoid higher priced options, but I didn’t. I could learn to cook some more-cost-effective meals; I will. I could eat more beans. I do love beans. I could shop in bulk - oh no wait, I can’t… the basement floods often. But I’m more interested in this month’s data because I had a few unexpected expenses. And you have to expect the unexpected.

A fellow named Steve, who I shared a mooring with in Velcro Beach aboard a 28 O’day named Searcher said it best. After my starter finally gave up the ghost, on a Friday afternoon, I was complaining that there’s always something that needs fixing, and how I wish I had a spare starter aboard to avoid the delays of a rebuild. He replied with,”Ya know what the secret to successful cruising is? Carrying a spare boat.” That tickled me. I got stuck in Velcro Beach because of my starter, not because of the mandatory raft ups on the mandatory moorings, the 9:05  #1 bus, the Publix, or the food court. But it’s not a bad place to get stuck I suppose.

The unexpected:
1. Group 31 battery meltdown. ($194)
2. Bad alternator bearings. ($140)
3. Going for an accidental swim with my phone in my pocket. ($19.49)
4. Flipping the dink and sending my bike to the bottom of the Ashley River. ($12 for the diver; the bikes… well…we didn’t recover them)
5. Starter armature meltdown ($150 - not a Nov expense)

Here’s a quick breakdown of my expenses for the first month of being underway. Groceries dominate… I’m pretty sure it’s due to these particular cookies I buy, to use in a dessert I make, to bring to social boat gatherings. They cost $5 a box. I buy alot of boxes. Yup, I’m getting fat. In addition, the first month groceries figure includes alot of staples, that will last many months. Fuel is a necessary evil when you do the intracoastal waterway. The trip north next spring will be offshore and my wallet is looking forward to it already. Eating out includes the occasional coffee/treat and two nice dinners: one Thai dinner with my aunt and uncle, and one awesome All You Can Eat Crab Feast with Travis and Joanne. When in Maryland, one MUST go for crabs. Galley gear is non-skid plates and mugs, neither of which I had before leaving. Sailing gear is a logbook… yup, a waste of money. Yanmar is actually lube oil… should that go under fuel? Tools is a deck cap opener.

This cruising expense report  doesn’t include my other “grown-up” expenses like: cell phone, data plan, boat payment, boat insurance, car insurance, health insurance etc…

I suspect November’s expenses will be alot less…