Downsizing takes painful numbers of iteration. Don’t put it off to the last minute!

We’re deep in the throws throes of going through ALL.THE.THINGS. Again. For the umpteenth time.

Here’s the scenario. We take everything out of a single somewhere. The forepeak. The car. Our friends’ garage where we dumped the detritus the last time we did this. The lazarette. We start methodically, assigning spots for the piles. Calypso. Mischief. Vermont. Garbage.

The first few boxes go pretty smoothly. Decisions are simple. Then a fifth pile gets started, the “to be sorted” pile (this is mostly fasteners, by the way.) We start to take more time making decisions, hesitating a bit longer before putting anything in the garbage pile. The “Averill” pile grows. Someone makes the mistake of revisiting an already-placed item, maybe moving it to another one.

Night approaches. We bundle all the piles, each in their own spot for easy identification tomorrow, into a safe place to protect contents from dew or animals.

In the morning, the process begins again. Ostensibly we’re not starting from scratch; the piles have contents already. But was this the pile for Vermont or the one for Mischief? And did we REALLY mean to throw that precious rusty fastener out? What began as a leisurely exercise becomes a bit more frantic and squirrel-like as decisions get harder. Do we actually have a set of taps on Calypso? Or do we need to take everything out of the tool locker at the boat to double check? The garbage pile waxes and wanes. Should we shuttle the collection of stuff bound for Calypso down to the boat? Should we start more piles on the dock? Before we know it, day two is coming to a close. Throw everything back under cover and resolve to get it all done tomorrow.

Day three dawns. Piles are blurred together. Oh, THAT’S where the sanding drum kit went! How did it get tossed into the box with wetsuits? Now that we’ve found it, it’s time to finish reinstalling the chain downpipe in the forepeak, making it waterproof. Which means fully emptying the forepeak. Onto the dock. Into piles. Because even though every single thing in the forepeak has already been designated as “must go on Calypso” in a previous version of this exercise, we’re starting to rethink some pieces. Like all the rolls of scraps of vinyl Jeremy used to make the dodger and the enclosure. Off it all comes.

Meanwhile, we’ve discovered a couple of plastic organizing bins that I’m SURE will fit perfectly in the galley pantry, so while Jeremy is wrestling in the forepeak I’m busily taking every single thing out of the pantry locker and tetris-placing bins. I’ve just gotten everything back in to my satisfaction when I realize there’s only one spare pound of coffee in the “daily use” locker and I don’t want to dive deep when we’re on passage so it all comes out again so I can access the deep storage . . . 

Jeremy finishes up the chain pipe. It’s time to drag the Calypso pile down to the dock, to stash it all away. Deep storage in the forepeak, documented piecemeal as we debate how soon we’ll need whatever. Plus the perennially favorite question of “can it get wet?” Though we won’t need bottom paint until January, for example, it can’t go deep in a locker that may get some salt water splashes. What feels like it should be a fast process drags out as we try to be very intentional about what gets stowed where.

There’s more to go through. It’s getting dark. Time to once again throw everything under cover.

At some point in this exercise each and every time so far we’ve hit a wall and just toss everything into the “to be decided” pile. This time, however, we’re not planning to come back. Stakes are higher. Making sure we have what we need on Calypso (a moving target, since who knows exactly what spares we’ll ACTUALLY need until we need them) feels important. Balancing space with essentials involves a daunting series of questions that can be paralyzing. No time for paralysis. Must. Plow. Through.

Here’s our hot tip. If you’re planning on moving onto a boat to go cruising, start the sorting process early. And plan on doing it often!!!!