The guys at the boatyard think I’m just bullshitting them. “What are you doing here?” they say when I show up. “You’re supposed to be half way to Panama.” Well, I’m still stuck in Ventura. Each day is supposed to be the day before departure, but the list of stuff to do just takes a lot longer than I ever thought it could.

I spent the day loading the boat with food. Try buying food for 40 days. Or think back on everything you’ve eaten in the last month. Every nook and cranny is jammed with food: cans of soup, beef stew, raisins, candy, crackers, nuts, cans of vegetables, Gatorade, orange juice, evaporated milk, and on and on.

And then there’s all the gear. It’s mind-boggling. Oil, shackles, hoses, glue, blocks, tools (huge numbers of tools, from wrenches to tap-and-die sets) and rope and rope and rope. Remember, out where I’m going, there’s no place to stop and pick up the stuff I forgot.

The biggest problem right now is weight. “Ventura” is getting way too heavy. I may end up removing some stuff tomorrow. “Do I really need that extra 90 feet of chain? Do I really need 16 cans of Dinty Moore beef stew?”

Anyway, the boat is pretty much ready. I just decided tonight that I needed a few more hours to go through everything one more time. So I’ll be out of here Tuesday morning. The weather looks good for the entire week. Time for one more bon voyage dinner..