Emotions are crazy and have a life of their own. I’m sad to be decommissioning my sailboat for the summer, but extremely happy to be going home to my family for a few months. Happy – Sad – Happy – Sad . . .

I just can’t have everything I want at the same time 🙂

We prepare the boat as if we are expecting a hurricane and have a two step process for Mattina. Part of the work is done in the water and part on land. Luckily we do most of it in the water and only a few hours on land. Too hot up on the hard.

In the water . . .

• take down, clean and store main sail and genoa
• wash all salon and cockpit cushions
• remove all safety gear and store
• maintain dingy engine
• empty and clean all storage areas (what’s left of our food sits on the counter until we leave)
• defrost and clean fridge and freezer
• remove all batteries for anything that has batteries.
• and on and on it goes.

THEN, Mattina gets hauled.

On the hard. I’ve listed a few items so you get the idea of what needs to be done. Our actual is list is 3 pages long.

• maintain diesel engines
• install dehumidifier
• seal all hatches and put on hatch covers
• close and plug thru-hulls
• check deck drains clear
• turn off fuel supply
• disconnect batteries
• disconnect solar panels
• disconnect all radios and wifi
• lock up . . .

Matt has a detailed decommissioning list that we seem to add to every season. I keep asking Matt why the list doesn’t get shorter and he just smiles and assigns another item to me.

Our dog gets the best deal. He plays on the dock and greets anyone who walks by. He also lets us know if dolphins or manatee swim by and we get to take a break and watch.

Thanks for reading . . .