Moving in

Well, we've spent 3 nights aboard the Zombie Princess. Despite the utter stillness of Bayou Bonfouca (where we're moored), I have "boat rock" when I go ashore, so I guess I'm officially a liveaboard sailor now.

There's still more disorder than order belowdecks, but I am slowly getting things stowed. I've taken some cruising-guide advice and am keeping a record of where I put what. It should come in handy two months from now when I'm going "Now where did I put that eyeglass repair kit?" It does slow things down, though, since I have to stop and write after putting something away.

The exhaust wrap came in, so Frank finished up the generator installation today. We tested the system and -- after an airhead moment where yours truly forgot to flip a switch on the AC panel -- everything works great. The generator even runs the air conditioner! I doubt we'll be able to take advantage of that much on the water, since our primary concern will be charging the batteries, but it's nice to know!

With several other miscellaneous tasks under out belts, and a whole lot of shopping -- if I never go inside Home Depot and Target again, it'll be too soon -- we bit the bullet today and ordered our dinghy and motor. Since we aren't spending the money for a lifeboat, we went ahead and got a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) dinghy. It's a bit like towing a 2005 Mercedes behind an '85 Winnebago, but this was an area where we didn't want to skimp.

Delivery time on the dinghy has determined our departure date and given us a more relaxed prep schedule. The dinghy comes in Thursday the 25th, so -- weather and boat readiness assumed -- Friday we'll make the long trek out the bayou, across Lake Pontchartrain, and through the Rigolets to the Gulf. Once there, we plan to tuck behind an island and rock for a few days.

While Mom and Dad slave, Marjie and Chloe and the rats have already settled into cruising mode. The human girls are co-writing a sword-and-sorcery novel or two. The rat girls are much intrigued by new smells and noises aboard the boat but seem to be taking it all in stride.

KreweQueen Ronnie