The Aftermath

While much of the wind still had not ceased on the morning after the storm, Red October hung in there like a trooper.  She kept us safe and warm overnight.  The boat swayed wildly from occasional wind gusts up to 60 mph!  We had to check the lines multiple times to ensure that none were loosening from the constant stress. 

Like everyone else as a homeowner, we had to help ourselves and the rest of liveaboards by shoveling the dock to the ramp.  It was quite an experience for our first and last snow for 2010. 

RO's First Blizzard!

Funny how we look forward to a snowstorm and hope it will be as exciting as we want it to be.  Today was our first blizzard and it was exactly what we expected.  Lots of snow and wind beating up the yacht, but she was able to stay true and strong through the storm.  I am still amazed how we remain comfortable and warm like we are living in a house on land.  I tell myself, "this isn't so bad..." but try to rein myself in not to be overconfident with the situation.  Anything can happen and we won't take RO for granted.  We trust that she will keep us safe,  yet we're listening to the halyards beating on the mast of the sailboats across from us and wondering..... 

RO's First Snow!

Red October's first snow (a light dusting)....and I'm sure that this is the one of many this coming winter.  Life is still good in our yacht world!  Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year's to all!!! 

First Ice

Early this morning, I noticed a thin layer of ice spreading out most of the shoreline...my first sign of winter.  I have mixed feelings about the winter here.  Not only I haven't been exposed to it in 5 years, it is new life on the boat as well.  The heat is running well inside the cabin, and I have all of the comfort of a house.  I feel like I haven't sacraficed anything by living on-board, but it is still an adventure! 

 

Southwestern storm

Howling wind and occasional gusts up to 55 mph came and went with a slap to us, newbies.  I love storms, but our first one on the boat was exciting and scary at the same time.  We braved it for several hours with some major rocking motions and attempted to stay dry for most of the time.  Of course, our home is on the water... the dock lines must be checked every so often.  My wellies came in handy! 

With the southwestern wind, we had to add an extra fender on the port side for better protection.  We looked for any potential leaks inside the cabin , we only had one in the salon.  We think we found the source and corrected it.  Coincidentally, the leak slowed down as the rain let up.  It could be the residual rain at the end, but we won't know for sure yet.  Hard to tell, so we'll need to wait for the next storm to see if it worked. 

By 3 p.m., the storm finally ceased and the sea water was churned up so badly that it produced a number of litter to the shoreline.  Nice. 

Last run of the season

Took Red October out for one last run to the fueling dock on the other side of the harbor before we settle in our slip for the next few months.  Tom also needed some practice to drive it as well.  If he can land a jet, surely he can do this!  Maneuvering between the throttle and transmission is challenging enough to steer the boat when docking.  I asked him how he’d compare the piloting, and his response was, “it’s much slower…”   

New Water Ports

Our first project was to relocate the water ports after discovering the old hoses from the original ports to the water tanks were leaking in several areas.  It turned out that the hoses were at least 20 yrs old.  Tom evaluated the situation and thought his new idea might work!  He consulted with a couple of friends who are experienced with boat repairs and they agreed!  Instead of installing a 10-14 ft hose on each side: port and starboard, he wanted to install two new ports on the transom.  The new way resulted with two 3-ft hose lines directly to the water tanks.  Not too much of a challenge, but it was enough to say with it was a big project.  After working on this for several hours and completing it, Tom cut the old hose and heard a heavy clank near his foot.  He reached down and saw that it was an old key used to open the original water port cap and it was written on the side, “Patriot Games”.   It was the first name of our yacht.  I’m happy to say that she will now come to a full circle when we re-name her “Red October”.