Gearing Up

Jocelyn and I have put together a list of supplies we'd like to buy here in the U.S. to take over to Sweden and put on the boat. The idea is to try to save a few bucks by searching for deals here instead of paying a premium in Sweden. There is a limit to how much we can bring, simply because we are each only allowed to check two bags weighing 50 pounds each on the plane. Emily will be able to bring another 50 or so pounds when she comes in July, but that still limits us to 250 pounds of gear.

Our effort was given a big boost recently when word came down that we could benefit from the "Port Supply Open House" at West Marine. Victoria Sailing School has a Port Supply account with West Marine, which means the school gets West Marine's price breaks for commercial customers. Once (or maybe twice) a year, they have a day when "friends and family" of Port Supply customers are able to buy gear at the already discounted Port Supply prices. Plus, they take between 5 to 20 percent more off each item. So the savings can be significant. The Open House is April 8th.

I've already been in contact with Vickie Vance of HR Parts in Ellos, Sweden, to get started on an order of items too specialized or too big or heavy to bring on the plane. She is helping me find a suitable tender, outboard motor, and step-down transformer, for example. Her prices are good, especially since she files the paperwork to allow me not to pay the 25% Value Added Tax, but they are not as good as some I've found here. I located a sweet deal through starmarinedepot.com for a McMurdo GPS EPIRB and a Katadyn emergency manual watermaker for the ditch bag at a price even better than the Port Supply Open House price. Even with this search, I found the Port Supply Open House has the best prices for many items. I've put in a hold on the following items for pickup at the Open House prices:

Two (2) pair West Marine Cold Weather Gloves, size medium, Model #8710899S
One (1) Weems & Plath Starfinder, Model #120436
One (1) Safety Harness, size medium, Model #315731
Four (4) Safety Tether, Model # 8821464
One (1) LifeSling2, Model #357634
One (1) LifeSling Fiberglass Case, Model #7296957
One (1) Davis Hand Bearing Compass, Model #108241
One (1) Shore Power Cord Bag, Model # 387829
One (1) 12V Spotlight, Model # 501189
One (1) Fuel Filter, Model # 1933233
One (1) Cuisinart Nesting Cookware, Model # 9062415
One (1) West Marine Explorer Men's Jacket, size medium, Model # 9740549S
One (1) West Marine Explorer Men's Bibs, size medium, Model #9740556S
One (1) Sail Repair Kit, Left Hand, Model #4474201
One (1) Sail Repair Tape, size 3"x15', Model #254468
One (1) Standard Horizon VHF radio, Model #9457433

Of course, there is no end to the items you could purchase and bring onto the boat. But Jocelyn and I are trying to limit these purchases to only those that could reasonably be considered essential, figuring that we will have a much better idea what we can't do without once we get some cruising under our belt. No point bringing too much only to find that some of our assumptions about what was a "necessity" were flawed.