Friday departure for Hampton? We’ll see.

Well, the weather sure has turned.  It seems like only yesterday, or a few weeks, that I was working on the boat in a short sleeve shirt.  Not now!  We had our first killing frost yesterday and it’s PLENTY COLD.  I can’t believe how quickly the season changed and the temperatures have dropped.   When Labor Day arrives, you hear the iron doors of summer slam shut and now we are getting close to the time when you had better be sure not to touch your tongue to those doors as it might stick.  I don’t know if you heard the same thing, but I was always told that if I touched my tongue to cold metal in the winter that it would stick till spring.  I have no idea if this is true or not as I have never tried it.  Have you?  Well, if you feel the urge, an opportunity is just around the corner  Never mind.

Anyway, it’s high time for me to “get out of Dodge” with Pandora and begin my run south.  First stop, Hampton VA and if the weather cooperates, I will shove off on Friday morning.  There is a front, one of many these days, coming through which should provide some good NW winds for at least a day.  We might have to stop in Cape May or Atlantic City to wait a day for another quick front to come through but it seems that we should be in Hampton by the weekend or Monday. Fingers crossed.

Pandora’s about ready, the pantry is loaded and the freezer is stocked with meat. The fridge is a lot bigger than on “old” Pandora and the freezer is so deep that I have to use one of those “geriatric grabber thingies”, you know the kind that old folks use to pick up things off of the floor?  Anyway, even if I lay on the counter top I can’t reach the bottom of the freezer.  Now, that’s an image… But if you want a sirloin steak, you do what you have to do.

It’s tricky to guess how much we will need of each item to last the winter as most things cost more in the Caribbean so it makes sense to buy them here. Well, it seems like a good idea to us and my Scottish heritage and thrift make it a necessity.  So, how many rolls of toilet paper do you need to last for five months? Brenda says “you can never have too many rolls of toilet paper”.  She said 50 so that’s the number.  Ok…

Under the category of “random segues” how about a sunrise photo?  Our frined Gail (of Gail and Al fame) sent us this great photo of the sunrise in Essex a few days ago.  It’s been a while since I posted a sunrise photos, something that I do a lot of when I am aboard Pandora so perhaps this will get everyone in the mood for what’s to come when we get to warmer climes.  Here you go.  Thanks Gail. Amazing shot.  Give that girl a gold star!essex sunrise gailAnd, speaking of the CT River.  We were treated to a ride on the river aboard Pastime, a beautiful 1960s vintage Lyman runabout this past Sunday.  It was a beautiful “crisp” day on the water.  “Crisp” is code for “It was frigging cold”, complete with snow flurries.  What  a glorious day.  We headed up the river to Middletown and back.  Pastime’s owners, Steve and Irene, were the perfect host and hostess.  What a fun time. 10-20-15a 012Even though they had just met, Brenda and Irene were like old friends as they kept warm with some of Irene’s chili.  Get it?  Chili on a chilly day?10-20-15a 011It’s going to be a while till we have another cruise on the CT River so the “last gasp” for the 2015 season will stick with us.

Oh yeah.  Almost forgot.  My crew had inquired about lee cloths for Pandora. Voila!  Made em.  Wasn’t that easy?   All installed.  Three bunks plus the aft cabin are now ready for occupancy.  Here’s the one to starboard. 10-20-15a 003I put one up in the forward cabin but I’ll only use it when it’s fairly calm. However, it’s also a great way to keep stray gear out of the way and in place, when things get rough.  10-20-15a 005I think that just about everything is ready to head south.  I just hope that the weather cooperates.  Based on the low temps these days, it’s high time that Pandora “flies the coop”.

Friday departure?  I sure hope so.   I’m freezing!

3 responses to “Friday departure for Hampton? We’ll see.

Leave a Reply to Bill Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *