Equipment

It's getting down to the last few days and our attention as started to move more towards readying the equipment. We've started laying things out and planning what we need to bring. Tomorrow night we plan on meeting at the Hoover Yacht Club to do a final "shake down". While we aren't backpacking, being on a sailboat still means we have to be conscious about weight. We'll eliminate repudiative equipment from what we are packing and try to be weight efficient while still being prepared for the wide range of weather and situations we'll face in the coming days.

Today we also went for a short sail on Hoover after taking yesterday off. While there was practically no wind, we managed to make the most of it by practicing our man overboard techniques. We each took turns rescuing each other (a small life vest) from the freezing waters. None of us plan on falling in, but in the off chance this happens, or we capsize, we want to be well prepared.

The sail boat seems to be up to snuff, the only addition pending is possibly adding to our currently minimal hiking straps. Flying Scots by nature are stable boats and not meant to be keeled over, but with the strong winds of Erie, sometimes hiking out is a necessity. Today, Tom and I picked up the trailer from the repair company. New wheels, repacked bearings, a new hitch receiver and a new left brake light were all worked on to make the trailer ready for the four hour trip up to Monroe, MI on Friday.

With only a couple days now to the start of our voyage, we are all getting pretty excited for what lies ahead. Tomorrow I will post several pictures of our boat and equipment for every one to see.