Pandora going in this weekend, and it’s cold.

It’s Friday morning and the temperature outside is an unseasonable low 30s.  When we got here on Wednesday afternoon it was a LOT warmer and then the cold front that has been blasting the US with cold air and snow pushed down, bringing strong COLD winds to coastal Georgia.  It was amazing to us to see how quickly the winds picked up and changed a sorta balmy boatyard into a grey cold and windy miserable place.  You know, the sort of weather that northern sailors deal with each fall and spring when they are working on their boats.

The view late in the afternoon Wednesday was very beautiful from our vantage perched up on Pandora’s bow overlooking the nearby marsh.   Views of palm trees aren’t something that I am used to seeing from a boatyard.  How about a panorama of the spot?  What perfect late afternoon lighting.  Yes, a beautiful view, but don’t look behind me as it’s just your typical yard jammed with yachts in various stages of seaworthiness.  Then, it got REALLY COLD. Believe me when I tell you that the next morning there was no way I would want to be out in the wind.  Happily, our brand new Espar diesel heater did it’s job and made Pandora all toasty inside.   Good thing, as there was no way that a little space heater could have kept up with the strong winds and cold.   

We made great progress down below getting things back in shape with Brenda’s help as a bit of mildew seems to pop up when a boat is stored for a few months. As my solar panels keep everything running, even when she’s on the hard, the freezer and fridge needed a bit of cleaning as well.  I found some things in the fridge that I had missed when I left her back in October that were, well, they were a bit scary.  All better now.

Speaking of cold, when we were in Portugal this fall, Brenda did a bit of knitting and had made good progress on a sweater but it still wasn’t finished.  On the way driving south she finished it just in time to enjoy the unseasonable cold weather here in GA.  It’s great that she has gotten to a point where she can knit while we are driving.  Back before she was such seasoned sailor, that would NEVER have been possible.  Can you say car sick?  Not now…   She was determined to finish the sweater, so she’d have something warm to wear, before we made it to sunny Florida, and she did.  Doesn’t she look like a happy knitter?  I guess it was finishing the piece up that brought on the cold weather.  

I’ll bet the other locals would not like to know that she really did “bring the cold weather with her”.    Good thing it wasn’t a raincoat that she was making.

Yes, it’s plenty cold but today things are supposed to warm up to a balmy mid 50s so I can work on the “outside” of Pandora to finish scrubbing off some of the dust that coated her decks while we were away.   Anyway, sitting here doing this post isn’t getting her any closer to launch.

Oh yeah, we are staying in hotel for a few days.  Not quite ready to move aboard till things are more settled.  Hopefully, we’ll shove off in a few days.

Wish us warm fair winds, and soon.  Yes, soon would be perfect.