Four amazingly frisky windy bone chilling days

heralded in the end of our 2015 sailing season.

With layer upon layer of warm clothing, gloves and hats,

(still in my flip flops though)

for sure our life vests,

and reefed sails

we headed out to grasp those last few hours before

lady R.E.D. is stripped for the winter months.

We weren’t disappointed.

Probably one of the most windy gusty outings of the year

but it was exhilarating.

…even the geese in the nearby field were leaving for a warmer climate…

…mackerel skies suggested a cold front was on its way…

…our bay was full of kite boarders,
catching the last of the frisky windy days of autumn…

Back safely at the dock we removed the sails,

unstepped the mast

to begin the inevitable winter preparations.

We still have another 2 weeks before R.E.D. is hauled out

but there are so many obligations and committments to address

before month-end.

There will be plenty of days and nights aboard

on the water then on land before the snow flies

but storing the sails well-aired and dry

and checking all the bits and pieces takes time and care.

(each season we remove all the lines and most of the hardware)

Another almost-sheared bolt on the boom will need replacing

but the rest looked good.

Then we treated ourselves to a belly-warming batch of Bulls Shots

(this recipe is definitely our fall fave)

…a pot of my boat chili…
…dug out my ‘monkey socks’…
…while Francois worked on his next electrical project…
(more to come on our ‘House 2’ installation)
…for those who had chosen to haul out early,
the service dock became the place to be,
boats lining up for the ‘crane ballet’.
At day’s end there were 50 fewer boats in the water…
…winds calmed by late afternoon…
We spent a very enjoyable evening in the club’s “Capitainerie’
with boat friends
sharing tales of summer’s adventures
and a glass or three of wine.

 

…then back to our nest for another beautiful sunset…

 

…all warmed and well fed.