Note to Self

When we left the boat last summer, we were told to put moth balls in the cockpit and inside the cabin of the boat to keep the critters away. I do have to admit, I thought that anything would REALLY have to want to get on the boat because it would have to crawl on the lines, jump, or fly from the dock to get on board.

Not surprisingly, when we got to the boat, there wasn't much critter activity. Besides all the outside gear thrown into the cabin of the boat, it was in good shape and looked untouched. I swept, vacuumed, and washed the walls of the boat before unpacking and getting us settled. There were several places on the boat that had mold due to the moisture in the air, despite our dehumidifying efforts. I got most of them out with oxiclean in the laundry, but still have to attempt the leather settee cushions. (We got white vinegar for this project, but if you have any other suggestions before I start, feel free to comment on this post!)

Black star-shaped spots all over the material, before these items got special treatment.

Ben had a lot more work and projects to do, so the kids, Dixie, and I packed up a few things and went south to my aunt and uncle's house to get out of the way, swim, and pick up a few things at Target.

Once we got back to the boat, not only had so many projects been checked off the list (good work, Babe!), but it looked like I didn't clean up a few days ago at all. I used my new broom to sweep the galley floor before laying down the comfort floor mat. As I put the broom under the counter and pulled it toward me, I let out a shrill scream. There was about a 3" cockroach just hanging out! I called for Ben and he told me he'd already seen hundreds of them. 😳 He clarified that they've been all different sizes, but that number still seemed excessive. I managed to flip that guy on his back with the broom, grab the vacuum (one of my favorite exterminator supplies and one of my favorite features on the boat), and suck him up.

Three different sizes of cockroaches in this sweeping pile. They were all dead and just had to be disposed of with the vacuum!

My sweeping continued and I saw probably 20 more cockroaches -yes, of all different sizes, but they were all dead. Luckily. I guess Ben's estimate was more accurate than I hoped.

This note to self is to remind us to better prepare for cockroaches, mold, and rust at the end of this trip, possibly resulting in bringing more things home with us than I originally planned, or by modifying our dehumidifying contraptions.