The 3 P's - Plan, Prepare, and Perform

One of the challenges we face in today's fast paced and relatively instantaneous gratification world, is that most good things don't just happen at the snap of a finger.  However, it is so easy to succumb to the desire to have something you want as quick as it takes to click a mouse!

We goal oriented folks very often give scant attention to the journey in our rush to get to our destination just to sprint off to a newly created goal.  As true as this is for us, we need to realize that the journey is many times more impactful and, hence, more important than the destination.  This is certainly true with respect to the restoration of Harmony.

Since we have the opportunity to design our "systems" from the hull up, we get to learn every aspect of them.  Furthermore, we get to think and re-think whatever we thought we have finalized!  With the Winter weather interfering with working on the boat, I get to spend time and effort with the 3 P's of a project:  Plan, Prepare, and Perform.

For example, I redesigned the nav station to cleanly house radios, instruments, and the like.  My vision has all of these goodies neatly flush mounted in a cabinet.  Well, is my mind's eye calibrated to reality?  There are 2 ways to find out:  attack with a sabre saw and find out, or prepare a template to see how it really looks.

Since I recall the invested time and effort it took to fabricate the cabinet, I chose the latter.  So, armed with some foam board and the dimensions of each item being installed I began to layout the face plate of the cabinet.  I would rather screw up my pencil marks on the foam board than deface my nicely finished sapele mahogany face panel.

Instrument Cabinet with blank face panel - varnished sapele mahogany

Obviously my cabinet plan incorporated the basic dimensions of the instruments, but I had not been able to actually see how it all fit.  I prepared cut-out templates for each instrument and played around with where to put them.  After some focused measuring and drawing, I finally came up with the layout.

Face Panel template with layout of instruments - left to right
Fusion IP600 Stereo, SiriusXM Radio (T) & 12v Outlets (B), Wema Running LIght Monitor, Standard Horizon GX2150 VHF Radio, Raymarine i70 instrument

With Harmony's restoration there are so many elements that take a lot of ground work to get to the finished stage.  We have been hard at work on the project for over a year, and it still looks like we've barely scratched the surface.  However, the 3 P's (plan, prepare, perform) apply to everything on Harmony. 

As much as I want Harmony in the water and ready to sail right NOW, I am truly thankful that I have the opportunity to experience the 3 P's.  It not only gives me the control over what we're doing, but it provides a healthy amount of therapy for the stresses of everyday demands.  It is amazing how calming it is to get "lost" in working through all the P's. 

However, as much as I respect the benefits of this journey. I still can't wait to raise the sails and head toward the horizon!

Fair Winds and Following Seas!