Hauling was November 7 and uneventful. The bottom was filthy with clumps of mussels hanging from the barnacles. I should have had her bottom cleaned in September. No wonder the motor from the Harlem to the Huguenot was so slow. But all that was power washed and scraped off. For the interclub trip the day before, Lene drove the car while I motored -- to met me to take the lines. She helped me remove and fold the sails which are now in the locker at the Club. I changed the oil but in changing the oil filter, twisting it off while my arm was bent in an awkward position and my fingers getting greasy, I dropped the darn thing which spilled its contents onto the sole of the engine compartment and rolled to an awkward hard to reach place, but I got it out the next day when I removed the raw cooling water intake hose after the first filter, to pour in the antifreeze, which removal also gave me access to the empty filter.
Winterization, except for installation of the canvas cover, was completed after four more days (only about five hours per day, really), on November 12, just ahead of the first freeze of the season. I poured in 14.7 gallons of diesel to top off the tanks and noted that end of season engine hours were 2343.6, 215.8 more than this exact point last year. One of the big repair jobs this winter is to the bow pulpit, the stainless steel fence at the bow, which was accidentally damaged and has to be removed before the cover is put on. The removal is proving challenging because while four of the six fasteners came off easily, the last two are giving me quite a fight -- corroded in.
We enjoyed 121 days afloat this summer! The first eight were aboard On Eagles Wings in the Carribean in the winter. Then fourteen before the start of the Maine cruise, 92 during that cruise and seven after the cruise. But in addition to the 121, I have had 47 work days and 28 "Other" days such as hanging with boating friends, lectures on boating, boat shows, etc., for a total of 196, with more W and O days coming in the last six weeks of the year.
But in a sense, every day is a boating day because not one day goes by in which I am not thinking of boating, reading blogs, books, magazines, planning for the boat and for future cruising. For example, today I contemplated purchasing the latest Cruising Guide to the Florida Keys, where we plan to go next winter. But some such books are better than others so I will check it out in hard copy at a store before purchasing, though plotting out next winter's passages could be fun now. Also it is the 12th edition, published in 2006, so I'm hoping that a newer 13th will be available before next fall.
My list of major winter chores is only three pages long and many days of work and mucho dollar$ involved.
Fun? Well we saw the new Robert Redford film, "All Is Lost." It takes place starting on a Cal 36 in the Indian Ocean with the corner of a cargo container that had fallen off a huge container ship piercing the sailboat's hull. While it contains many bits that, as ocean sailors we recognize are wildly unrealistic, I won't discuss them because to do so will spoil the story for you. It is a good story and an inspiring one and the acting is superb.
I am keeping warm this winter by reading the blogs of four cruisers who we have sailed with, following their adventures south this winter.
Furthest south now is Pandora, already arrived in Florida, at sailpandora.com. They will spend about two months up north around the holidays before returning to Pandora.
Next is Moonraker at sailblogs.com/member/moonraker, not yet to Florida as of this posting.
Autumn Borne is is sailblogs.com/members/auutnmborne and keeps us posted through daily emails.
And finally, Teepee, does not have their blog running yet but keeps us posted ttime to time via email.
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