Help. Somebody has turned the thermostat down! Here in Annapolis, one day we were struggling to sleep in the sweltering heat, the next we were furiously digging out and airing ‘slightly mouldy’ duvets from the bilges. Where did I put that bag of winter clothes? It is like somebody has flicked a switch.
There was no slow transition into autumn here. Breakfasts these days consist of hot porridge (or ‘gruel’ as my children meanly call it) and despite the reduction in temperature, Arthur refuses to wear trousers on the basis that he wore shorts right the way through winter in the UK winter, including a snowstorm. From the galley comes a menu of soups and casseroles and early dinners as the evenings draw in. It must be time to sail south to Antigua to carry on from where we left off last season!
School has resumed, which was a shock to everybody’s system. I was utterly convinced that I had already got next year’s maths and English books on board. I would have bet money on it.
However after a frustrating morning of much searching and swearing, it looks like I was imagining things.
On the maintenance front it has been pretty quiet. We have not sailed very far in the last few weeks as we wanted to take things very easy following my back surgery in August. This has given me time to focus on rehab which is going really well so far. We have visited various places and towns along the mid to northern part of the bay. The pandemic has meant that many places of interest have been shut, but we have tried to make the most of it.
This story is from the January 2021 edition of Practical Boat Owner.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2021 edition of Practical Boat Owner.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Shearwater sloop sailing in the 1960s
Genevieve Leaper shares her late father John Leaper's recollections-compiled from handwritten notes-of cruising the Channel
Timing an Atlantic crossing
Professional meteorologist and sailor Chris Tibbs shares his knowledge of how to choose the best time to sail 'across the pond'
Transatlantic first
It's 70 years since Ann Davison became the first woman to sail solo across the Atlantic. Katy Stickland looks back at her achievement
Going dizzy on an island sailing odyssey
Ken Fowler becomes the first sailor to circumnavigate every island in England and Wales-and all done in a 4m dinghy!
Boats for coastal cruising
Duncan Kent chooses a selection of the best sail and motor boats under 40ft most suitable for adventurous cruising along the coast
Industry view on HVO
The RYA, IWA and CA are working to help recreational boating transition to a Net Zero future, as the CA's
HVO RENEWABLE DIESEL Myth or miracle?
A new generation of biofuel that's cleaner, greener, better for your engine and less prone to microbial growth sounds too good to be true... but the facts beg to differ
Little ships and the wrong sort of waves
Why the correct manoeuvres for the sea conditions will reduce hogging and sagging stress on both ship and crew
Watching boats, saving jerseys
It's amazing what you can see from a hospital window if it's the right hospital
Sweating the mooring asset
Sam Llewellyn looks at ways of getting top value out of his boat's swinging mooring
