Enso sail

You would not believe all the stuff you need for a boat. We have brought over to vietnam so many duffels last count was 14! We are intimately familiar with the 50lb weight limit at the airlines and the battery regulations (bring those lithiums with you in carry-on, unless they are installed in a device) We have made a couple trips now to the factory here in Ho Chi Minh City, each time bringing more things. 

We have brought over everything from pfd’s to an epirb to gluten free baking mix. We brought our huge and heavy sailrite sewing machine, a Paddle board and 150 feet of anchor rode. A huge roll of vinyl boat name stickers, a boat stamp,and 500 grams of herbs de provance. We brought tools and lights and cameras and GPS devices. We brought sunscreen, seizing wire, prescription pills and a water pump. The list continues. 

We have it all inventoried on a huge spread sheet and then also recorded by duffel on notebook paper(the by duffel system is messier as everytime you add or reorganize, the list falls farther out of reliability.) 

The sourcing of stuff has consumed months (years). What can we find in Vietnam? What about in Thailand? Can we order it thru west marine? Are we over preparing? (The answer is yes) but also I’m very partial to my shampoo and would be very sad and have bad hair if I left it home… in Oregon you can get every organic/non-gmo/local/fairtrade product you can imagine. 

Amazingly we didn’t even bring that much stuff to actually live with; pots and pans, sheets and towels all the household items we will source locally. Fingers crossed for some nice silverware and dishes. 

This means it’s a compromise and an adventure right? Part of the fun is all the odd challenges you discover in a new country. All the weird places you visit that a normal tourist never sees. It makes for a frustrating but also unique experience. We are currently in Ho Chi Minh City to get the boat launched and oversee the last of the build. But also to do shopping! So far we have gone to a mall 5 times, to every computer store we have passed and multiple coffee shops looking at all the things.

We have successfully found a v60 coffee drip coffee maker and ordered an aeropress. Bought 4 pillows, a knife, a non-stick pan set and a scale. We also found a grocery store with lots of imports so have loaded up with gluten free items and fancy tea.

It comes down to a fine balancing act of what we want, what we actually need and what we are willing to do without! 

Wish us luck, I think we have to go to another mall this afternoon!

Cheers from Bree