Another Year Starting Afloat

A Note from Harv:  This blog post was completed a couple of days ago, but it was blocked by Facebook from posting at that time because I was being punished for saying mean things to a right winger.  Oh well, Happy New Year to you all again.

Today, Sunday January 1, 2017 is the beginning of another year and a first new year’s day as yachting family folks for the Bride and I.  As each week ends, we become more attuned to the aspects (both great and not so great) of living aboard.  Granted we are living on a rather large yacht (not yuuge, but sizeable) which has around 1000 square feet of living space.  Not exactly a “tiny house” right?  We have become more and more comfortable aboard and have adjusted to the differences inherent in comparison of a land based home and one that floats.

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas holiday and an enjoyable and safe New Year celebration.  Our wish is that you all have a better year in 2017, than you had in 2016.  Albeit that could be very problematic considering the change in political administration.  As for the four of us, Captain, 1st Mate and the two sea cats, we spent a quiet evening, watching the New Year’s programs on the television.  We passed on the yacht club’s “Toast the Boats” celebration last evening, primarily because it required evening dress and we just were not in a mood to put on formal clothing and walk the docks for a quarter mile to the Club house.  Besides, since I can’t drink any alcohol, (diabetics don’t do well with booze, we can die.) we really don’t “party” all that much anymore.  But we will enjoy the first day of 2017 in our own way, just me, the Bride and our two fur babies.

We have been in the slip on C dock for three weeks now and the difference in the wind effect is striking.  Also though we enjoyed the time on the A dock T head, the temporary residence in this slip is more comfortable with respect to the winds blowing down the river.  We miss the great views on the T, and will probably be back out there come spring, unless we are awarded a permanent slip before that time.  At this point, the Misty Lady is completely shrink wrapped, and we do see a difference in the lower need for the space heaters higher run rates to keep us from growing icicles on our noses.  Obviously the lower the operating temps, the lower our electric bill each month.  We have no idea as yet what kind of savings we will see, but we are looking forward to a smaller bill for energy use this month.

We truly hope that you all is to have a more pleasant, prosperous and healthy year in 2017 than you had in 2016.  Hope that you all get the opportunity to enjoy life, do a bit of travel and improve your lot in life.  I know, I know, that is going to be rather difficult most likely with the changes we see coming, but we can persevere and hold our own if we all keep the faith.

As for us, we will spend the winter in our floating home working on tasks that will enable us to begin enjoying the ability to cruise the waters of the eastern seaboard, the local rivers and the historical venues that abound in our neck of the woods.  We do plan on taking the Misty Lady on her first voyage within a couple of weeks of the removal of our shrink wrap and cleaning her decks and hull from winter’s deluges.  Over the coming weeks, we will be preparing the internal areas to bring her more in tune with what we had originally planned when we first took possession of her last May.

The first voyage will most likely occur in May (perhaps a birthday cruise for the Captain?), and it will mainly consist of a trip down the Potomac, possibly to Smith Island or Tangier Island in the Bay.

Keep the faith folks, the Misty Lady will be cruising the coastal waterways and this blog will provide a ride along journal of these voyages and scenes along the way.