Cold, cold cold!! That's the story this morning, but it's not just the cold temperature (25F), but the wind chill that comes from a NW wind at 18-25mph. That makes it brutal. Strange thing, Pacha got up around 7:15, and when she got out into the cold weather she started jumping around just as she did when she was younger. Husky's are so used to cold weather it perks them up when they get into it. Of course, that perkiness didn't last very long, but it was nice to see the old girl stand up and take notice again. As for me, I was bundled up so tight you could hardly see my glasses. Thank goodness I have my heavy coat, touque and hood. Oh well, another couple of weeks and this stuff should start to moderate. Meanwhile, we're still comfortable using three different heaters in carefully selected locations. After all, old boats tend to let a lot of cold air in, and there's not much that can be done about it. On the other side of the coin, I've just checked temps in Toronto and Ottawa. Now that's cold! Almost makes me feel warm all over. Bye for now.

Boat Ted




1

It's a different weather situation this morning, no wind and a mild 30F (-1C). That is almost balmy compared to freezing blustery cold of yesterday. We'll have a nice day today up to 44F (+7C) though it will cool off again tomorrow. We're not done with the cold yet, but we should have nothing like the wintery blast of yesterday. How did we manage? Actually, not bad. I wrapped Anne in as much ambient heat as I could, so she could be comfortable while working, then I toodled off to the washroom and gave my feet a nice warm water soaking in the sink. That worked. I also went off to the laundromat and washed a batch. That took almost two hours and gave me some comfortable reading time. After that the boat was warm enough, so we were not cold for the rest of the day. Having survived the coldest day in two years we're feeling pretty good about how we'll get along for the rest of the winter. Warmer weather is not much more than four weeks away.

Reading has once again become an important activity for both of us. With an excellent library nearby we're finding a plethora of good reading material that we don't have to buy. I'm presently buried in Bob Woodward's "State of Denial," while Anne is wading through a wide variety of different authors. Makes us realize that the simple life with simple pleasures is a pretty good way of living.

It's so cold I have to have our ceramic heater on the table to keep my hands warm enough to type, 19F (-6C) with the wind howling at 15-20 mph, and of course our heat pump doesn't work in this kind of cold. I took Pacha out at 6:00, and we didn't stay long. It's the coldest morning here since Jan. 29th, 2005, not a comforting thought. The wind howled all night and by morning had blown most of the water out of the bay, so we are sitting very low in our slip and stepping up to the dock to get offf the boat. Needless to say, in these conditions one is extra careful about getting off the boat and walking on the dock. One slip could be fatal. One sort of sadistically-comforting thought: It's a helluva lot colder in Toronto and Ottawa than it is here, and our temperature will moderate a bit tomorrow. Anne just commented, "Next year we'll be in Florida," and that's quite likely true. Meanwhile, we'll hunker down, cook some nice food (soup?) and stay close to the heaters. Maybe we'll go to a mall today.

I've just returned from a visit with the local vet and a check-up for Pacha. She's now 13.5 years old with a breed lifespan predicted at 11-14 years. We also discovered that she is pretty much deaf, but other than that hanging in pretty good. Her heart arythmia seems to be under control with medication, and apart from some arthritis she's doing pretty well. Now we have a deaf dog and a blind cat aboard and one other cat who is pretty much in charge to do what she wants to do.

I talked with the fellow who fell overboard, and his comment to me was, "Thanks for the help. It was cold in there." That's it! He acted as if it was nothing but just a simple assist, when in reality he was in a life threatening situation. "Thanks for the help." Go figure. Oh well, life on the dock continues. We have a cold front arriving tonight, predicted to go down to 18F (-6C) and only get to about 33F (+1C) during the day. So, we'll look for a cold week ahead. The marina turned the bubblers on this morning, and that churned up warmer water from below giving a boost to our heat pump. If t he cold weather lasts the heat pump probably will not heat, so we'll turn to our other means. We'll be fine. Today our biggest concern is, what are we going to have for dinner?

Help! Help! Help! Those cries woke us up at 2:30 this morning. Anne and I got dressed as quickly as possible and went out on the dock to see what was happening. She got out of the boat before I did and yelled back to me, "Call 911, Call 911!!" I responded instantly and got 911 on the phone. A man had fallen into the water, and with rubber boots and winter clothing on was unable to pull himself out and was fearful of drowning. I wasn't strong enough to pull him out, but I was able to hold onto his arm and keep him from going under while help was on the way. Hypothermia was also a real danger. Two large and strong officers arrived in about ten minutes, and they quickly pulled him up and out of the water. An ambulance arrived at about that time and looked after him. He had dry clothes on his boat (a houseboat type), and the paramedics were responding to likely hypothermia. He had probably been in the cold water (but not freezing) for about 15 or 20 minutes and was in pretty rough shape.

What had happened? We don't know, but it's likely he was drunk and had no reason to be going on his boat at 2:30 in the morning. He had his dog with him, and fortunately the dog didn't go in. He doesn't live on the boat, so what was he doing there? Hard to say. Strangely, he had turned one of the dock carts (used for unloading packages from cars) over and had put a small rug on top of it. We have no idea what that was all about, for he certainly didn't need the cart to get on the boat. Perhaps we'll get the story from him at a later date.

For us it was an unnerving experience, a reminder that falling into the water can be deadly, and we must keep our wits about us at all times. I'm shaken, for if we hadn't been there to hold him up and call 911 he would not have survived. Think about that! We are so shaken we have not been able to go back to sleep. There is a slightly humorous side to this story. Our dog Pacha, who has been getting me up in the middle of the night for the last three nights, slept right through the whole incident and three and a half hours later still has not stirred. Go figure.

So it's a new day with new experiences on the way as is colder weather on Friday. The meteorologists warn us to "Get ready," but compared to Chelsea it won't be that bad, and we'll survive. This will also warm you heart. Last night Anne prepared leg of lamb and sweet potatoes for dinner. Absolutely delicious. It's not always easy, but it's not always hard. Life is short; live it to its fullest.

Snow!! Bloody Snow!! That's what we saw when we looked out the window at 4:00pm yesterday. A most disheartening sight, and it is still there this morning. The better news is that it will be above freezing this afternoon, so the dreaded white stuff should be gone by noon or so.

Why am I up so early? It's not early now, it was early when I got up with our dog Pacha. She's not doing well and has started getting up in the middle of the night again, and when she gets up I get up. This morning it was 2:30, and after I took her out that was the end of sleep. I do have the one advantage: I can take a nap anytime I get tired. That's the one big advantage of being retired. Of course, the disadvantage is that if one has that much time to spare boredom could set in, something to be avoided at all costs.

Though we had snow in the afternoon yesterday we still luxuriated in the beauty of being on board and the relaxation that can come on a Sunday afternoon. We wisely decided to stay home and just enjoy the boat and each other. What could be better than that? We lounged, we read, we ate very well, and we surfed the web. Nobody knocking on the door, no outside interruptions, nothing but pure satisfaction. If one has the opportunity to be exactly where one wants to be that is as close to bliss as he/she can get. We had that opportunity. It was a beautiful day. Nuff said.

There is a slightly new layout on the Boat Spot today. I have now become sufficiently capable at changing things on my blog, so I can alter, add and move around as I wish. Not an eay task for a crotchety old curmudgeon like me.

It's a cold day today, only 30F, but the boat has warmed up nicely with the heat pump and the addition of a small ceramic heater. So far so good on the heat pump, though it may not last too much longer in the forecast cold weather. We're in the cold soup for at least another week, but we don't have it as bad as they do in my old stomping grounds (-18C!). We took it easy yesterday and will likely do the same today, though the local library will probably get a visit. Anne is going through books like a dose of salts through a hired girl and grins like a chessy-cat each time she turns the final page. It's nice to see her so happy even though she has to contend with the stress of work at least five days per week. As for me, I'm doing pretty well and am developing my own special areas of interest including also finding new books to read at the library. But guess what? In six short weeks the weather will lighten up and spring will be on the way, so we can handle that. Happy January 21st.

BoatTed

It's taken a good part of the day, but we finally have warmed the boat up. Mind you, the wind has been whipping around at 15-25mph and at 370F that's a lot of wind chill. Boats are not really insulated all that well, and older Motor Yachts tend to have big windows that let lots of air in though they still may be able to keep water sprays out. The big window by our dinette was letting so much cold air in it might as well have been open a couple inches. Remembering our solution for cold air leaks in Chelsea, I went to the hardware store and purchased a small window insulation kit..the kind you put up with double-sided tape then tighten it with a hair dryer. It was tough to get installed, but the result was instant. No more freezing cyclone inside the boat. I'll only have to do the one window, for the prevailing winds are always WNW and there seems to be no draft on the port side. We're expecting more cold and more wind, so it was a timely job well completed.

Food is always a nice topic, kinda makes me hungry when I think about it. We went shopping yesterday at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, so we have lots of frozen mexican tidbits, fresh salsa and some gorgeous tuna purchased from our nearby seafood market. Last night Ann prepared an orange salmon dish with fresh Nova Scotia salmon. We'll have the tuna tonight most likely blackened a bit and served with rice. Things are tough these days.

The cold weather is predicted to be here for at least a week, so we'll batten down the hatches and appreciate our nicely insulated starboard window. See ya next time.

BoatTed

Winter is back, and this morning at 1:20 it was "with a vengeance." I thought Pacha would sleep all the night through since I had taken her out at 8:30 usually a satisfactory time for her last run. Not this time. I have gotten used to the idea that she may want to go out in the wee hours, so I'm prepared with all necessities for a warm trip right near my bunk. This morning I needed all the warmth I could find, for it was not only 27F but the wind was blowing at about 20kts. We stayed no longer than necessary, but it was a very cold trip nonetheless. Now, the sun is shining without a cloud in the sky, and it has warmed up somewhat, but it will be cold again tonight. One very optimistic point: The marina has turned on the bubblers, and our heat pump is still warming up the saloon, so we're living in comfort. I was told yesterday that when the bubblers are on they bring warmer water up from below and that is enough to allow the heat pump to throw warm air. Hope that continues, for the heat pump really works well.

A new decision. We have decided to go back to "Plan A" which was for Anne to make the first trip to Canada by herself, stay with a friend while getting all her work done and come back as soon as practicable. I'll stay on the boat with the animals, and sometime after her return I'll go to Toronto to look after my business. There are several reasons for the new decision. 1. Pacha is not doing well, and with last night as a good example she most likely could not get the care she needs and have the opportunity to go outside to relieve herself. If her health further detiorates that could cause additional problems; 2. With this cold weather onslaught we are afraid to leave the boat alone without someone on board to look after it. Pipes could freeze and other weather related problems or even marina problems could arise. Scary stuff. 3. Cost! It is expensive to board animals in kennels in this area, so that alone would be about $500; If the two of us go at the same time we'll have to stay in hotels for the entire trip, and that would likely total more than $1,000 an expense we would rather not incur. So I'll stay here and see that the animals are properly looked after and make my trip at a slightly later date. Besides, I like it here and would rather wait until it warms up just a bit before I head for the cooler climes 600 miles to the north.

Tomorrow morning the animals go to the vet for their shots, so we'll get the prognosis on all three at that time. Hopefully this trip will not be as expensive as the last one was ($500 for evaluation). Onward and forward as "The Process" continues.

Guess what? We're back into winter, and the next two weeks are predicted to be colder than usual. Yikes! That's not good, but even worse is that Ottawa is also going to be very cold when we get there, and that is much much colder than here. The good news is that by the time we get back to MD the worst part of winter should be over, so if we have to wrap up tight one more time for this season we can deal with it. It has been almost a magical winter so far with even the locals voicing amazement at the unusual mildness, and we consider that a real bonus for us.

Before we leave I must find a suitable kennel for our little ones a blind kitty, a cat with an attitude and our ageing husky. She's now homing in on 14 years considered to be about at the end of the lifespan for huskies. She has good and bad days and has adapted quite well to the boat even though it's not the place she would choose for hanging out if she had the option. Still, she goes for a good half dozen or more walks each day, more than she use to get in Chelsea, with some of them starting as early as 4:00am. And just think of all the exercise I'm getting as well. I'll go on the kennel tour again today and try to get the problem sorted out.

It's really quiet here at the marina with only a few people occasionally around. Our next door neighbor has been gone since the end of December, and the family next to her are calling it quits at the end of the month and moving into a townhouse they have just purchased. There is one other person left an older fellow who is not very well. Does that mean we're lonely? Of course not! Anne is busy with her work and very pleased that the company is doing really well. She's also doing a lot of reading (nothing heavy) something she's wanted to be able to do for a long time. I can sense the stress she has been living with is now diminishing. As for me, I'm busy discovering places and things. I've found another golf course quite near by, though it is a bit pricey, and I'm becoming acquainted with some of the small towns in the area. Shortly after we return we'll have a cabinet maker come to the boat and start to repair some of the wood problems plus do some galley renovation. As always there's plenty of daily maintenance that must be performed, and I'm constantly searching for new and better methods to make that routine easier and more efficient.

That's it for this time. Enjoy some recent images taken on Jan. 14.

It's a warm day on the 14th of January, but we only have one more of those left before the cold weather sets in again. The good news is that this month is half over, and by the end of February the cold cycle should be finished with spring and warmer weather on the way.

It takes me a little longer, but I finally have found the method for putting pictures on my blog. When we were in Chelsea, I had many pictures on my pc, but now I have almost none on this laptop, so I had to scrounge a bit. Of course, I could just take a few more pictures, put them into the computer and post one or two to my blog. I'll get around to that.

Each day we find new areas of consideration on our home/boat. This morning I found a new "soft spot" at the galley sink, a small area where water can easily get into and stay. It's only a small supporting piece of wood, but it will have to be removed and replaced. No big deal. I'm also studying diligently several electrical books to see if I can get a better grasp on our electrical systems on board. I'm making progress, but it is slow.

Many boaters complain about cooking on board. We have no real substantive complaints though there are certain restrictions because we only have 110/120 aboard. We are able to cook all of our favorite meals be they stove top or oven or both. Ex: This morning Anne prepared a gorgeous lobster fritatta (using leftover lobster from two days ago) plus tomato and hash browns (from scratch). Last night we split a small chicken and roasted it for our dinner, then Anne made an apple crumble with pecans. That's not bad eating folks! We're fortunate that we both can cook, so when Anne is busy with her work (a lot of the time) I jump in and do the cooking many times either chinese or spanish. Of course, we have very limited space, so mainly we have to shop day by day so our spaces don't get too jammed full of food.

In a couple weeks we'll head back up to Canada to take care of some business. Hopefully, we will not freeze our tails off while there, but we'll accept what happens as we always have. Meanwhile, I'm scoouting out golf courses in this area, and I'll go out for a round as soon as the new cold front decides to leave.

Friday, January 12,2007

Our journey continues, and we have no idea where it is taking us. We now have been aboard "Rare Bird" for a little more than two months, and the new liveaboard settling problems are diminishing. While it is true that familiarity breeds contempt, it also is true that it can breed a little more relaxation and comfort with one's surroundings. Strange thing: We noticed that we were both very sore and stiff in new places and couldn't understand why. Then the realization hit us. Our boat has four tight levels that must be constantly navigated: 1) Getting on and off the boat; 2) Coming down the four steps in the companionway; 3) Going down two steps to the galley, and 4) Going down three steps to the aft cabin. All these steps must be travelled many times each day, and they are in close quarters, so the body must constantly be shifted about. One additional item has been noted; our dog (35lb Siberian Husky "Pacha") must be lifted on and off the boat several times each day, and with tides running as high as three feet this also requires considerable lifting, bending and turning. When those considerations hit us we recognized the reasons for our being stiff and sore. Now, two months into all the turning and bending most of the aches and pains have diminished or gone away.

One more quick bit before this blog is posted. When one buys an older boat be prepared to spend money to have systems upgraded and/or renovated or replaced. We wanted to become familiar with our electrical systems some of which did not seem to be working, so we hired a recommended systems company. $3,000 later we know about our electrical systems, but we also have purchased and had installed: a new generator battery, battery charger and monitoring system, a new bilge pump, a new holding tank (had to remove the old one) and a new hot water tank. I was able to help with the installation and removal or else the cost would have been at least another $500 higher. While all that was a financial shock, the end result is that we now are familiar with most of the systems and how they work. We've also discovered that some of our systems that we thought didn't work do work, so that has added to our comfort in a considerable way. Our two most important discoveries? The Cruisair reverse/cycle heat pump works, so we have nice heat, and our stove burners and oven will work at the same time.

Another very important item: Anne has been able to sort out her business requirements and is conducting her business amazingly well. Of course, her space limitations make working more difficult than in an office, but somehow she is making do and seems to be pretty well caught up with all her requirements. She's an amazing adaptive person.

So, as we move into the next weeks of the new year, we're both happy and we love our boat. The really exciting thing is that we still haven't left the dock. Think what an exciting event that will be when we start the engines and go for our first short trip. I'll keep you apprised.

BoatTed (new signature)