I heard it. I have also done all three steps. Carted the stuff to a boat, struggled to find places to store the stuff and suffered the loss of performance with too much weight on the boat, then the challenge of getting it cleaned, packed, and carted home. For a "big" trip where freight must be shipped with use St. Martin as the base. If you are going to travel from the BVI to St. Martin crossing Anegada Passage. You are going to want a boat set up to sail that is properly loaded. If the trades are up that is a very hardy uphill sail. My point consider the space you will be taking up on your living space for eight weeks and the total weight your are expecting on the boat during the passages where you may actually have to sail. Lastly we do not want to be concerned with the loss of anything of value to us when we leave the boat each day to enjoy the area. Have a great trip. I am sure we are all envious. You are just at the beginning. I look forward to hearing the middle and the end of the book.