Working To Get There

We have so much to share about preparing to cruise but with working 100% at our jobs and 100% on or sailing Kaleo on the weekends, we’ve had little time to blog about it.

We’re excited to say that Kaleo is closer than ever to being cruise ready!

In the past couple of weeks we’ve:

• Solidified our initial cruising route. Details to come.
• Learned a ton about provisioning (SSU Provisioning course) and have started building our master provisioning list.
• Taken a cruising first aid course, and with the help of Matt’s paramedic/firefighter brother decided on our ship’s medical kit, the [asin=B000GAMBVK]Marine 1000.[/asin]
• Completed the design of Kaleo’s electrical system (which needs to be redone) with help from Scott at SLTF Marine.
• Chosen the best anchor chain (5/16” G40) and length (200 ft) to replace Kaleo’s current rusted chain and rope rode.
• Decided on our integrated communications setup after watching Communications Alternatives for Cruisers on Seven Seas U. We are forgoing a satellite phone, and starting out with a WiFi extender, international cell phone that accepts local SIM cards, Skype, the SPOT tracker, SSB receiver and of course VHF.
• Learned more about the optimal fridge/freezer setup through another SSU class. We’ve decided to test our current system out for a few months before re-insulating the fridge.

There is still much to learn and a few final decisions to make, like settling on our chart plotter and solar panels.

We’re also still debating (and exhaustively researching) a hot water heater and watermaker. Any guidance or experience you’ve had with or without them is always welcome.