Ice forming in the briny water of the ChesapeakeWork has been very slow on the boat these last few weeks, mainly because of the weather.
Although sheltered from rain and snow, we do need slightly warmer temperatures than we have
been having in order to get any work done. Paint won't paint, caulk won't caulk, epoxy won't..well, poxy. It's just too darned cold!
Returning from Christmas in Canada we found ourselves enjoying more wintry weather in Virginia. We had snow and it stayed. There seemed to be a winter storm every second week. The creek froze over,with ice at 3 inches thick in places! (don't forget that there is salt in this water). Boats that were here couldn't get out. By late February the ice and snow were still here, albeit very patchily.And now, in the beginning of March, we have just had another snow storm with resulting school closures and dangerous roads.
It did all melt within a day or two and finally the spring bulbs are close to flowering and birds are singing. Yesterday two flocks of trumpeter swans flew overhead, going north for the summer.
A couple of big jobs did get ticked off the list. The cold was a big help to Chris when he removed the toilet and all the associated hoses. Some of the hoses were so blocked up it was surprising anything got through them. Our head now actually smells....not at all! We have ordered a new loo and it arrived this week, so we can get to work replacing that.
The other completed job was the re-anodizing of our stanchion bases, hinges and cleats. The boat looks so pretty we hated putting the old pitted fixtures back on her, but the price of new ones was high. Chris got around that by re-anodizing them himself, and did a pretty good job. It was a learning experience but we are pleased with the result.
Right now we have the pleasure of house- and dog-sitting for two friends. It is giving us good internet and also allowing Chris to rip out parts of the boat's interior that would be way too difficult to do with us still living on it. He is removing lots and lots of redundant wiring and tracing and checking the wiring we do use. Also he is able to get at and varnish the area in the salon where the bed is - pretty impossible while we are using it.
We have acknowledged that there is no way we are going to be in a position to head south and be out of the hurricane belt before hurricane season starts. So we will be spending another summer in Deltaville with the earnest hope that we will be ready to move south the first of November.
One last casualty these last couple of months has been the loss of our camera. It has simply stopped working. We are planning on getting a replacement in a few weeks, but until then we are picture free.
been having in order to get any work done. Paint won't paint, caulk won't caulk, epoxy won't..well, poxy. It's just too darned cold!
Returning from Christmas in Canada we found ourselves enjoying more wintry weather in Virginia. We had snow and it stayed. There seemed to be a winter storm every second week. The creek froze over,with ice at 3 inches thick in places! (don't forget that there is salt in this water). Boats that were here couldn't get out. By late February the ice and snow were still here, albeit very patchily.And now, in the beginning of March, we have just had another snow storm with resulting school closures and dangerous roads.
It did all melt within a day or two and finally the spring bulbs are close to flowering and birds are singing. Yesterday two flocks of trumpeter swans flew overhead, going north for the summer.
Boat trying to break ice by dropping anchor- didn't succeed
(photo courtesy svTwoLoose)
(photo courtesy svTwoLoose)
Frozen solid - those aren't patches of water
In addition to playing havoc with our work schedule, the storms affected our internet and we have had a very patchy and interrupted service. Luckily we only lost power a couple of times so were able to stay cosy with the help of 3 fan heaters.
A couple of big jobs did get ticked off the list. The cold was a big help to Chris when he removed the toilet and all the associated hoses. Some of the hoses were so blocked up it was surprising anything got through them. Our head now actually smells....not at all! We have ordered a new loo and it arrived this week, so we can get to work replacing that.
The other completed job was the re-anodizing of our stanchion bases, hinges and cleats. The boat looks so pretty we hated putting the old pitted fixtures back on her, but the price of new ones was high. Chris got around that by re-anodizing them himself, and did a pretty good job. It was a learning experience but we are pleased with the result.
Hinges before and after re-anodizing
Cleats before and after re-anodizing
Right now we have the pleasure of house- and dog-sitting for two friends. It is giving us good internet and also allowing Chris to rip out parts of the boat's interior that would be way too difficult to do with us still living on it. He is removing lots and lots of redundant wiring and tracing and checking the wiring we do use. Also he is able to get at and varnish the area in the salon where the bed is - pretty impossible while we are using it.
We have acknowledged that there is no way we are going to be in a position to head south and be out of the hurricane belt before hurricane season starts. So we will be spending another summer in Deltaville with the earnest hope that we will be ready to move south the first of November.
One last casualty these last couple of months has been the loss of our camera. It has simply stopped working. We are planning on getting a replacement in a few weeks, but until then we are picture free.
No comments:
Post a Comment