7 days and counting.

Where does the time go? All of a sudden we have one week left of being 'landlubbers'. The to do list is finally getting shorter and more manageable.

Yesterday Margie and I finally got our Skippers Tickets, something we have been meaning to do for ages. (Margie got 100% on the theory exam and I guess I'll never hear the end of that!).

We fitted the new black box fish finder and transducer as we had a problem with the existing depth sounder. All went well until we switched it off and on again, only to find out that the software in the chart plotter was corrupted. Finally we're installed the software and all is working perfectly now, although it took a day to establish the cause and the fix. 

Emptying Moonshadow of the domestic clutter from being liveaboards to cruising mode is still happening.  Space is at a premium and finding homes for the essentials is a challenge. Do we really need this is a constant question. Tools have been culled and packed away, provisioning is half done and safety requirements for offshore cruising have been completed. All our computer gear has to be culled and packed. Our landline for internet access has been cancelled to be replaced by a wifi modem which is so much slower than broadband but at least we will be able to communicate while at sea, when in range, that is!

The new livery is now on the stern reflecting the name change to Moonshadow 1, as required because of the Australian Ships Register. It looks very smart!

4 hours in the dentists chair to take care of root canal work was a bit of a marathon, but now all is fixed. Best dentist I've ever had! (Can't show you his face but it's Alisdair Wallace in Fremantle. Brilliant and highly recommended.)

Today is our last gig at the Buffalo Club in Fremantle. Starts at 1pm and Gregg Boalch will be joining us for the gig. Should be fun. We then have to move the musical gear on board and get it all safely stowed away for the trip.

On Sunday we plan to do a quick lap around Rottnest Island to test the systems, get the sails up and generally have some fun with our traveling companions, Mike and Karen in Aqua Vitae, and Nick and Robin in Divided Sky. I have invited my son, Daniel, to come and crew for this little shake down cruise so I'm looking forward to that. 

Oh well! Back to the 'to do' list for now.