We had to make provisioning lists for many things besides food for our trip to Chagos. No running to the nearest hardware store for a tube of sealant when you ran out. This meant thinking through the systems on the boat, inventorying the spares we had for those systems, and deciding what could possibly go wrong that we didn't already have covered.

The engine. Al has just done a replacement of all the head gaskets. Hopefully that won't be a problem--but it is an old engine. He's got seals, impellers, gaskets, spare injectors; that sort of thing he keeps up with all the time. He bought extra oil filters and enough engine oil for 4 changes. A bottle of fuel additive goes on the list. And 3 new jerry jugs for diesel and gasoline for the outboard. Plus spark plugs and outboard oil.

The fridge/freezer. Hopefully nothing. My God, it better be OK--it is chock-a-block full of frozen meats and chicken! But there are spare dryers aboard, and an extra length of copper tubing we had to find a place to stow. In case a pipe cracks and leaks, which did happen last trip. We carry a tank of freon and a charging manifold with gauges for refills if necessary.

Sails. The mainsail is new. We have spare battens. We checked over the furling headsail and the staysail and they seem OK. We have a good supply of threads, tapes, webbing, patch cloth, velcro, needles, and such in the ditty bag already. But added dry silicone spray to the list as it really helps with zippers, piston hanks, and sail slides.

Lights, Camera, Action. Are there spare bulbs for all the lights we have? Yes. But there's a big list of batteries to buy--for our flashlights primarily, and 3 different sizes. Plus a 6V one for the Man Overboard Strobe. Remember to get a spare battery for my camera and quite a bit of film. Chagos is very photogenic! Extra video film for Al's camera too.

Projects. We did quite a bit of varnishing last trip to Chagos. With that in mind, we ticked off varnish, thinners, sand paper, foam brushes--for the hated louvered doors, and a few throwaway brushes for those yucky projects from the list. My good brushes are still good. Some white paint too, as we hope to get around to repainting some of the major interior surfaces. Don't forget masking tape. Add non-skid tape for the companionway steps to the list, and how about brush cleaning thinners and acetone.

General Life. Al bought a new machete. It's a vital part of daily life in the wilds and he didn't really like the one we had before. I bought a bag of potting soil--to mix with dirt and sand for my garden pots aboard. I hope to grow spring onions, radish sprouts, parsley, basil and coriander. Wish me luck. Fishing gear is of prime importance in Chagos. Al renewed and replaced lures, lines, swivels, spoons, hooks, etc.

Fun and Games. This all seems to happen pretty much on an impromptu basis, but we bought a number of items to share with our friends at fun get togethers, like balloons and paper hats, a big bag of plastic balls--well who knows, we'll dream something up!

It will be a relief to get to sea and know that all this provisioning is behind us. No way to pack more stuff onto this boat anyway. If we've forgotten it, forget it. On the other hand, we will be in radio contact with some of our friends who are leaving a few weeks later than we are. Hmmmmm...