New Year's Resolutions 2017

I just looked back at my 2016 New Year's Resolutions and 2015, and 2014, and 2013. They're all suspiciously similar which means I rarely keep my resolutions. So … why make them? Well, for one thing it forces me to decide what self-improving aspects of my life are important and even if I don't actually accomplish them, I'm at least cognizant of them.

I'm pleased to report that I did manage one important resolution this year. I ate healthier and lost weight and now weigh much closer to my “ideal” body weight (whatever that really is), have lost two full sizes in jeans (very important) and I do not qualify as obese using the AHA website scale (what a relief!).

No secret diet … I've been eating less carbs which means I've pretty much eliminated junk food and sweets (but not wine!). I also bought a Fitbit last June and have used it fairly religiously (until this holiday season). I've found it to be an excellent incentive for walking and exercise.

On the other hand … I did NOT finish writing a book. I've made absolutely NO progress on the new website. We've actually reduced the daily blog to 3x per week instead of daily, mostly because we didn't do as much sailing/traveling this past year. And as for being kinder, gentler and better-natured … man, this is the hardest one of all. David is the patient, kind, gentle one and I need to counter-balance him, I think.

Nevertheless, looking ahead at 2017, I resolve to ...

1. Finish writing a freakin' book, for heaven sakes!
2. Maintain a healthy diet and exercise
3. Spend less and enjoy more
4. Stay in better touch with friends
5. Be kinder, more patient, less judgmental (maybe impossible, but worth another try)
6. Learn something new … perhaps #5 above??

I encouraged David to make his resolutions and share them, but no dice. The Captain doesn't resolve!

So … did you make any New Year's Resolutions? Will you keep them?

Remember, January 17th is Ditch Your New Year's Resolutions Day, so there's still plenty of time.

The Blue View - All Iced In

Now that our big blizzard has passed, there is a prediction of sub-freezing temperatures for the next several days here in Chesapeake, VA, and we were starting to worry about the river freezing. There is no current, it's not very brackish, and we've already seen some skim ice. Will it freeze solid? If so, will the ice damage Nine of Cups? What happens when a barge goes by – will it push the ice into Cups? I remember well, the story of Shackleton's expedition, and how his ship was crushed after becoming trapped in the ice.

We have always managed to sail the high latitudes only during the warmer months and to find more temperate climates during the winter months. Thus, we are truly neophytes when it comes to living aboard in prolonged freezing temperatures. We thought we would be far enough south to avoid a hard freeze, but I'd say we were wrong. Time to do some research.

After searching through a dozen or so forums and checking the recommendations of Boat U.S., the general consensus is that boats usually come to no harm from being frozen in. Several yachties recommend using bubblers or water agitators to keep ice from forming against the hull. On the other hand, several seemingly sane, knowledgeable captains claim they have wintered over in northern Europe and Scandinavia frozen hard in the ice, and their boats did just fine.

There were a few caveats and exceptions, however. Although there was some disagreement, most yachties didn't think motoring through the ice was a good idea, especially with a fiberglass boat. One skipper, who seemed to have a lot of experience, said that he's motored through 2-3 inches (50-75mm) of ice on more than one occasion with no damage other than rubbing off most of the anti-fouling paint along the waterline. Not to worry... unless the wharf is on fire or there is some other major emergency, I can't see us going anywhere until well after the ice is all gone.

Another seemingly knowledgeable captain brought up the possibility of water freezing inside an underwater thru-hull fitting. As the water freezes and expands, it could crack or break the thru-hull, causing a significant leak. On Cups, most of thru-hulls are well below the waterline. Unless the water freezes to a depth of 1 foot (30cm) or more, there is no chance of any of them freezing. We do have three thru-hulls located right at or slightly above the waterline, however. While I think it unlikely that these will become a problem, I will be checking them.

A third potential problem is ice being blown or pushed into us. Although the barge traffic has stopped since the blizzard began, I wonder whether it might be problem when they start running again. I can't imagine there will be enough ice pushed into us to be a threat to Cups, but it may be enough to scratch or gouge our new paint job.

I've read that, in some parts of the world, floats made of hardy reeds are placed around the boat to protect them from floating ice. Another solution I came across is to nail a band of copper sheathing around the boat's waterline. Neither seems very practical for us – guess we'll just take our chances.

P.S. It's now a couple of days since I wrote this blog, and sure enough, we have 1-2 inches of ice surrounding Cups. I've been using a length of 2x4 to break through the ice along the hull (see the video below). I don't know whether it helps or not, but I can't imagine it hurts... plus I didn't have to do my Tabata exercises today.

Fortunately, the weather is warming up tomorrow. Just in time too ... it was almost time to start checking the price of ice skates and snowshoes on Amazon.

Weekend in the Freezer

Oh, my, it's been cold in Virginia! Even with the heaters going, it's mighty chilly aboard Nine of Cups. Climbing out of our bunk in the morning has been painful. Worse is the early morning, bone-chilling trip up the wharf. Ice crystals glisten on the wooden planks and provide an unduly amount of slip and slide as we tenuously walk the 800 steps to the toilet block and back. I'm always afraid I'll slip right off the wharf and into the river. I've located the ladders for climbing back onto the wharf, just in case. The Elizabeth River, the part of the ICW on which we're located, has a layer of skim ice on it. No skating yet, but if the cold persists, it might be an option. Actually, we're told there's rarely a solid freeze on the river. The water is slightly brackish and the constant traffic of barges, tugs and boats keeps the water churning a bit.

Because it's colder outside than inside, there is condensation on the hull which I refer to as “drool”. If we push our bunk pillows too close to the hull, they get wet and subsequently freeze to the hull. The portlights drip and dribble. The socks in which we keep our wine bottles are a bit soggy. The wine is safe and definitely cool, however.

Winter Storm Helena (they name them now!) blew in with a vengeance over this past weekend. Blizzard warnings were in effect and Virginia's Governor declared a State of Emergency in anticipation of heavy snowfall, gusty winds and white-out conditions. The “chilly” moments I described previously and the “skim ice” on the river has now intensified.

Cups has had some morning frost on her hatches and ports lately, however on Saturday, we woke to the much-anticipated snowstorm. We've stuck an outside thermometer on one of the portlights and though it's warmed a bit by the interior heat, it showed temps in the 20s and later in the low teens. Brrr and more brrr! There was so much snow, we could no longer see out the ports!

The usually temperate mid-Atlantic Virginia climate has become an ice box with the raging blizzard depositing nearly a foot of snow on Cups' deck. Throughout the night, we could hear the ice groan and Cups respond in protest with creaks and groans of her own. And here we are ... without a shovel!!! David has worked with a broom to clear off the bimini and solar panels.

After a gray, snowy day on Saturday, Sunday morning dawned brightly with a temp of 17F outside and 50F in the cabin. Are we complaining? Not really.

In truth, it's just one more adventure. No worries. Temps are supposed to climb in the next day or two.

By the way, if you've never watched the BBC series “Life in the Freezer” narrated by David Attenborough, it's a fascinating, highly entertaining documentary on life in Antarctica … somewhat akin to life aboard Nine of Cups at the moment ... less the penguins.