Getting organised - 49° 38' 27" N 01° 37' 00" E

You may or may not have noticed that the latitude and longitude haven't changed for the last few posts.  There is a reason for that.

Chinook is staying put for a few days.

It has been a busy exercise moving aboard, sorting out where to put what, measuring this, buying that, mounting the vacuum, making up the beds - the endless small jobs to set up a home.  As our new home is a boat, we have to ensure the glasses and mugs are stowed so they don't smash and items in lockers are secured.  Sticky-backed velcro, shock cord, non-slip matting and double-sided tape have been consumed by the rolls.

Shock cord holding down tools under the Tech Room sole
(for those non-sailors, the sole is the floor...)

The standard Garcia has more than a few surprises for new owners ... and one of them is AMPLE STORAGE.  Not only are there plenty of storage lockers, but the storage lockers often have storage lockers behind them!  We now know why the waterline stripe is 8 - 9 centimetres above the water.  They expect you to load it up.

Just a comfortable seat by the Nav Desk?

Filled with neatly stacking boxes!  But wait, there's more.

When we remove the contents ...

... and the non-skid liner at the bottom ...

... even MORE storage inside!

Consider that each of the seat backs has this much storage behind it. AND all of the seats underneath them. AND all of the beds, too!

See those silver latches on the floor?

More storage!

The label maker has been getting a workout as we label bins and boxes.  The rental car we had for a week was used to get from homeware supplier to homeware supplier, looking for moisture-resistant bins of the right dimensions.

Not too big, not too small ...

... but most importantly, they fit just right.

A surprisingly large amount of our Canmore pantry
has reappeared in France.  This is just the top layer.

We have had to set up an office on the boat.  We have boat records, immigration and customs to deal with for each country/region we enter or exit. We have manuals for all the equipment on board. We need charts, cruising guides and pilot books as reference, along with all the other life administration that everyone has to do.  Luckily, our source of recreation is also our transportation and home but we do also enjoy a table game of Rummy-o, Cribbage or Uno.  These all need places to sit, too.

Sailing books, manuals, charts stowed but easily removable to access systems behind them.

We do have several 'junk lockers' where we have poked things to get them out of the way.  We are very aware that there is nothing more enduring than a temporary solution that works, so anything we shove in a random locker is likely to have a new home for a very long time! When we do a major provision, we are telling ourselves we will sort them out then - stay tuned on that one!

Sean's netting solution in the Tech Room, and note the vacuum mounted next to the door!

Not only is Chinook a mode of transport AND a home, it also needs to be a self-contained and self-reliant workshop and parts store for all the electrical, plumbing, electronic and propulsion systems she contains.  We are making many trips to the supermarket, the hardware store and the chandlers for this thing-a-ma-jiggy and that.  We have lists galore but always seem to be missing that little something to finish the job.  Just to get one space set up seems to take a ridiculous amount of time.

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The big wins of today were installing the toilet roll holder, toilet brush and loo paper storage in the front head.  It may sound minor to you but there has been a LOT of back-and-forth on this. As we have a hand shower from the sink faucet, we wanted the loo paper to be in a cupboard so it doesn't get wet when you use the shower.  But the under-sink cupboard opens towards the loo so you would have to reach over the door to get to the roll. Imagine that in a rough sea!! So after a few days of trials, the loo paper is in the access hatch to the seacocks, the paper storage is swinging in a string bag off the black water tank and the toilet brush is, sensibly, beside the toilet!  Phew.  Now we just need a few hooks for towels!

The forward head - the toilet roll holder is behind the brown hatch next to the toilet, the toilet paper storage is above the loo and our fancy silicon toilet brush is handily located beside the toilet!
(and yes, the soap dish and little jar are stuck down with double-sided tape)

We found a place for all our clothes so we could make up the
bed in the forward cabin and have somewhere to sleep.

Just as we start to get things in some order, the warranty guys came through to fix some of the minor bits and pieces, and we pull the boat apart again!

Alexi sorting an issue with the bow thruster
 - that happens to be under our bed!

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Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to putting things where they belong.