As we batten down and pack up in preparation for flying to the East Coast on June 14th,
lists and to-dos rattle around in our brains
like beans in a rainstick. Forward mail. Unplug electronics. Turn off water. Take in hummingbird feeders. And urgent questions pop up quite randomly -- in the shower, or lying awake at two a.m. Will Sue remember to pack the camera
charger and the navigation tools? Should we bring our passports in
case we get a wild hair to sail to the Maritimes? Will Curtis tie up
loose ends at work or will he bring multiple laptops on the
plane? How will our new medical insurance work? Should we suspend our
satellite TV and Internet services for the summer? Does Southwest
Airlines truly let you check two 50-pound bags each, for free, plus
the usual carry-ons?
The lists of what we need are long and messy and seem to be growing at both ends and in the middle: Sue suddenly remembers insect repellent, Curtis retrieves his lens cleaning supplies, Sue adds a pocket thermometer to the pile, Curtis suggests we take our pillows. We seem to need one (or two) of everything, minus the kitchen sink. (Cilantro has a very nice double sink.) Sue is uncomfortable traveling with all this stuff. After all, she thinks, this is supposed to be a
few months of coastal cruising, not a circumnavigation.
But “setting up house” on
Cilantro requires many
items we wouldn't normally include on a weekend
kayak trip or visits to friends or family. Heavy, hardcover tomes
such as The Annapolis Book of Seamanship and
Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual.
Yoga
mats. Foul weather gear and fleeces (summer in Maine!). Equipment
manuals and boat documentation. Rigging knives (Sue doesn't yet know what to do with hers -- fend off stingrays?). A copy of The Secret Life of Lobsters. LED headlamps. Lightweight tripod
for video camera. Extra pairs of glasses and sunglasses. Galley tools
and spices. A seafood cookbook.
As packing proceeds, a small mountain of Cordura-on-wheels is growing in our hallway:
- large rolling suitcase
- medium rolling suitcase
- long rolling duffel
- 2nd long rolling duffel
- rolling carry-on
- 2nd rolling carry-on
- computer bags (two)
Add to that a big box to ship via US Mail. This all adds up to significantly more than we ever take when we travel. In fact, although we like to think of ourselves as minimalists – simple clothes, home-cooked food, mostly bare walls, an orderly garage, no self-storage – that might turn out to be a myth we have cultivated for too long. If we were driving cross-country instead of
flying, Curtis admits we would probably stuff the car to the headliner and call ourselves “Family of Twenty-Six on Vacation.” Viva maximalism!
