Agree with Caribbeangirl....We ALWAYS do a sleep aboard and we are usually off the dock between 9 -10am. If you arrive the same day your charter starts you will not get off the dock by 3pm usually. Your first day will be short and most likely have to go to Norman. It depends if your sailing or on a power cat on where your first stop can be, There is a good chart on the Mooring's website in their online guide that shows roughly how long it takes to get to each island from the base. I would dump your car early unless you are going to keep it to provision. You will need to do your captain stuff with the Moorings when you arrive. First thing is got to Pemport to check out your cell phone and give that number to the front desk so you can be notified when your boat is ready. Try to at least get the name of the boat so you can provision and give the grocery store the name and a time they can deliver. Do not provision until then or you will have your groceries sitting on the dock and no boat. We usually send others to provision when I start my Captain duties on the boat. You can provision with the Moorings online, however be prepared to get your order right about 85% of the time. There are free shuttles to the store from the base and it is easy to provision on your own. If you're there early relax have a drink and enjoy the pool at the base. Also bring a small cable with lock to run through your luggage so you can keep them all together in the luggage room for security. Best advice is remember "Island Time" and things move at their pace. So relax and enjoy the scenery and they will guide you through the steps you need to do. Before you know it you will be on the water. If you can add a sleep aboard (Early Start) and spend the night for about the same cost as a hotel room. You can do all your stuff on the Friday and you get the boat at 6 PM and just cant leave till morning. This way you can take your time and unpack, settle in and provision. The next morning you will schedule your checkout and walk through the systems and you are out of there. Enjoy your trip! PM if you have any more questions. I have chartered Power Cats from the Moorings 8 times.