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2012 has arrived, the New England winter if not snow
is upon us, and Chip Ahoy and all its equipment is safely tucked away
until spring arrives. Fitting
everything indoors was a bit of a squeeze, as usual. One corner of the
living room is chock full of cushions, boxes of equipment and supplies,
cabin compartment coverboards, etc. The radar reflector, Windex, and
sail battens hang above the picture window (with the covered Chip Ahoy
just outside). On the front
porch hangs all the running rigging, my life jacket, fresh water
jugs, "all-purpose bucket," and assorted paraphernalia. Beneath on the
floor are more boxes of
equipment not effected by cold, and my toolbox.
Outside, alongside the house, Chip Ahoy hibernates under its mast, PVC
skeleton frame, and well-secured covering tarps. The boat is empty but
for the charcoal briquettes and Bounce dryer sheets to absorb and kill
potential musty odors. As usual, I parked the
trailer clear of possible falling branches. (The C22 mast alongside
belongs to Vaughn McGrath's "French Curves," stored in my yard for the
winter.) The working sails and
spares are folded and stored in
their respective bags; along with the sail cover they're packed into an
upstairs closet. The two 12v batteries are in the laundry room hooked
up to the battery charger. The Honda 8HP outboard has been tuned-up,
winterized, and stored out in the shed –
ready for spring.
I don't have much for winter indoor
projects this year; just refinishing the tiller once again. Come spring
there aren't a lot of time-consuming projects either, so it should be a
relatively early launch – hopefully again,
"by Memorial Day Weekend"! (Jan. 3, 2012) |
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