This will actually be our last four days onboard R.E.D.

for this 2015 sailing season.

For the past several days we have been enjoying

our cozy warm cabin

…a little candle light…
…a little wine…

…amidst near freezing night time temperatures.

We sit here, looking at each other,

wrapped in layers of fleece and blankets

in our tiny cabin on the water

when we could be at our land home

surrounded by all the conveniences

that land-based living offers

and we ask ourselves ‘why are we here?’

…and the answer is always the same…

‘because this is where we would rather to be’.

During our Canadian Thanksgiving dinner prep at our land home base

I managed to add a slice of my own finger to my

vegetable scallop.

Trip to hospital…

dinner cancelled…

Mandolin in the garbage where it belongs.

In spite of what we have heard about long wait times at hospital emergency rooms,

(18-24 hours in some cases)

we found that when you arrive with an amputated part of your body,

packed in ice in a plastic food baggy,

the triage nurse tends to fast track you.

In and out within two hours

but sadly my finger bit wasn’t worthy of re-attaching.

Second visit two days later for dressing change,

and sent home with a goody bag…

…and what do we do as soon as we can?

…return to R.E.D.

This latest accident pretty much guarantees

that any further winterizing boat chores

will be limited to a supervisory level for me…

…including washing of dishes (yay!)

…and Captain is also in charge of dressing changes (I’m a lefty)

…as if he didn’t have enough things to take care of.

My Captain has been a Prince though.

…his biggest challenge keeping me from doing things for myself,

independent Kat that I am.

Snow forecast for the weekend

and wouldn’t I just love to snap a picture of us on the boat

with white stuff falling all around?

…this is the best I could do…a little snow dandruff on the helm cover.
On our second to last day onboard,
the winds went from a frisky west direction…
…to black skies and squall conditions, winds from the north…
…to easterly and back to westerly, within minutes…

Only a handful of boats left to be tucked away for the season

and we chose to be amongst the last of the last.

Temperatures dipping below freezing at night made us realize that it’s time.

…and yet we will stay onboard until the bitter cold end.

I’d say from our CPS Fundamentals of Weather Course,
that this sky is a definite indication of a cold front approaching.
Today we woke to sub zero temperatures
raw winds and yes, snow…

At 07:30 Francois stood in line at the club office

(sort of like the Seinfeld Soup Nazi).

You stand there expectedly holding out your hand,

receive your ticket for haul out order,

nod thankfully and walk away.

We scored #3…

..because my injury makes docking difficult
and because the surface was super slick with morning frost,
I met Francois at the service dock.
…the guys prepared the straps…
…R.E.D. was hoisted high into the air…
…Francois remained ever-present throughout…
…and she was carried away to her special place.

Finishing the winterizing and enveloping R.E.D. in her winter coat

will have to wait a few more days

but for now she is secure on dry land.

This will be her sweet place for the next six months…

last out…

first in.

 

Francois went back to the dock to remove our lines

and returned saying: ‘it’s ballistic cold down there!’

So what exactly does ‘ballistic cold’ mean?

I went down to the empty docks

and found out just what ‘ballistic cold’ means.

…a cold that blows straight to the heart of your bones

and sends you shivering uncontrollably back to shelter.

We left the essentials on board,

some heat,

a little ambiance,

a sip of scotch for the next chilly evening onboard

and of course first aid for the clumsy one…

Back at our land home base,

we unpacked another huge load of boat gear…

an oh so cold, long and very tiring day complete.

I looked in the cupboard and saw not a lot of anything interesting for supper.

Then I remembered ‘Touski’

(explanation here)

Not too bad for having ‘nothing’ for supper…
I poured the wine
because for the foreseeable future
I’m not allowed to use anything sharp
in the galley.

Almost time to begin our dreaming and planning,

maybe a few modifications thrown into the mix.