Lists on Lists

We’re three weeks from casting off on Latitude, our Oyster, and the to-do list is somehow both shrinking and multiplying.

Provisioning round two (okay, three) is complete. The bilges are full of tins and treats, the lockers smell like new spices, and we’re negotiating a fragile truce between onions and apples. Today we checked running lights, re-spliced a lazy line, topped up water and diesel, and discovered that zip-ties are the real MVPs of ocean travel.

The view the rest of the fleet will have of Latitude

We’ve said our see-you-laters, set up the sat-com, and promised the kids we’ll send position pings and too many photos. The weather window is looking friendly—enough breeze to stretch our legs without turning the cockpit into a car wash.

Boat jobs done: rig inspection, reefing drill, MOB refresher, winch service, and updated paper charts (yes, we’re those people).
Provision highlights: an obscene amount of coffee, ginger chews, and the “emergency” chocolate we definitely won’t open on day two.
Pre-departure treats: one last bakery run and a sunset toast in the cockpit, just the four of us and a very smug autopilot.

Next update from the water. The plan: a gentle shakedown, final checks, then onward as the 15 month adventure begins. Deep breaths. Big smiles. Let’s go.