Planning, panicking

I'm torn between days when I spend every spare moment thinking about the boat and days when I don't seem to be doing enough. I keep being surprised by Guy's level of knowledge though... which is very reassuring.

Our insurers GJW required that we had a full, out-of-water survey conducted in order to continue our cover. Of course I could have looked around for different insurance, but under the circumstances I felt it was no bad thing to get a survey done - at least it would alert us to any major issues. After various emails back and forth with a German surveyor we ended up getting the work done by David Dabney who is British and based in Svendborg. He charged us £550, which was reassuring after Anders Dahl at Augustenborg mentioned it might cost as much as €1,000! The survey was carried out yesterday and when I asked him if there was anything serious we should be aware of he said "nothing springs to mind" - which is reassuring. We await the full survey with slightly less nervousness.

However, of the four batteries on board three are completely dead. The survivor is a high-tech Optima engine start battery. The other supposedly whizzy battery, an Elecsol used to power the fridge, has not survived despite its claims to last 5 years. After worrying a lot about options I got in touch with the wonderful Phil Munslow, our electrician on Kalessin for many years, who suggested I get two reasonable quality batteries to replace the three dead ones. They weigh 27kg each (and cost £110 each) so it really isn't a good idea to take them out if we don't absolutely have to!

Other shopping so far:

• 4 snap shackles for releasing the guard rails quickly - £38
• extra spare impeller for the engine water pump. In the end I managed to order this through Sam's account at ASAP and was reassured to discover I could order exactly the same one he ordered in 2011 - £20
• Lavac Zenith toilet service kit - £52
• extra Garmin electronic chart covering Denmark & N Germany, in case either the Nordics chart isn't on board, or it proves impossible to update (highly likely as it needs a big fat internet connection to download the new chart!) - £109
• up-to-date pilot book for Denmark and Germany - £32
• up-to-date copy of the Nigel Calder Boatowner's manual - £29
• climbing harness for Sam - £45
• lightweight wheelchair with large, removable wheels - £200

Each item takes me hours of research... and I blithely thought it might be possible to order the whole lot (or at least the first four items plus the batteries) from one chandlery, how silly. In fact the only two items which might arrive together (and come to think of it almost the only two which haven't arrived yet) are the shackles and the toilet service kit.

On top of this we have all the kit which Sam had already bought to take out to Denmark last year, including:

• two cans of Cruiser Uno (one-coat) antifouling
• a new foldable Compass bicycle
• an extending boarding ladder
• a long line on a reel for Swedish rocks
• two new high-class mooring warps
• assorted engine spares, electrical spares and other bits and pieces
• polish, cleaners, cloths
• a Remoska cooker - still unused
• and much more.

Somehow we have to fit all or most of this into the Passat estate, together with four of us and enough clothes to last us a month. Hmm, could I survive for a month with just what I can fit in a handbag? There are a few bits and pieces of clothing on board...not to mention two-year-old toiletries. Yum.