Time to get down to business!

Just like the squirrels gathering acorns in our yard and running them up to their nests, we, too, are gathering and storing..........items we're going to keep and save while we sail.  The packing started in earnest this weekend.  It was the perfect weather.....rainy and cool with football providing entertainment on television.

Until now, we've been gathering things in the garage and mentally remembering in which pile they belong: 1) save for post-sailing adventure, 2) take to the boat, 3) yard sale items, and 4) donate to the Father Fred Foundation.  There used to be a fifth pile: donate to our kids, but they've all been through the house and claimed this and that.  And little by little, we're purging and organizing.

I bought all the 27-gallon HDX totes that Home Depot had on display (14).  I'm sure we'll fill each one and need another 14!  I opted not to get the 37-gallon Rubbermaid containers because I feared they'd be insanely heavy when full.  As it is, these are pretty hefty when loaded and I'm glad they aren't 10 gallons larger!

And so the packing begins!

Everything we're saving is going in the black totes in this trailer: 8.5' wide x 16' long x 6.5' tall. Not many square feet, but enough to store our "treasures."

Purge all the non-essentials and store the rest in here!

So, we've been chipping away at packing over the last several days, but we're also packing for a trip to the Chesapeake to see how Virginia Dare is doing at the marina.  She should have a new coat of bottom paint -- and we hope that the few repairs suggested in the survey are finished, too (fingers crossed)!

For now, it's back to packing and organizing.....