For my landlubber friends, a weather window is what cruisers wait for before making a passage. We look for weather that is good for our vessels. For Drift Away, it is our 15-3 rule. Winds no more than 15 MPH and waves 3 feet or less. Certainly, our boat can take more than that, but we can't. We live aboard our boat, which means it is more like a floating family room than a boat. We have stuff everywhere. Preparing the boat for more than 3 foot waves would take days to prepare for, and days to undo. Furniture needs to be lashed down, small appliances stowed, and so on. So we look for our weather window, a forecast of sunshine, fair winds, and pleasant seas. If we don't get it, we stays put.
The holidays are over, and it's time to head south. We've been in Annapolis since mid-November and it's been delightful. Good friends and good weather, just about every day being a "trawler day", perfect for cruising. Now that we're ready to go, here is the NOAA weather forecast.
TUE
SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS TO 25 KT. WAVES 2 FT...
BUILDING TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.
TUE NIGHT
W WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. WAVES 4 FT...
SUBSIDING TO 2 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
WED
NW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT WITH GUSTS TO 30 KT. WAVES 3 FT.
WED NIGHT
NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT IN THE EVENING.
WAVES 1 TO 2 FT.
THU
SW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. WAVES 1 FT.
So it looks like Thursday might be the day we head further south. Then again, Pam said something about taking Chevy to the vet to get his shots updated. And our friends Kate and Chuck said something about a New Year's Eve party. And I still have to get the waste deck fitting replaced. And... and... and...
And nuthin'. I need to paint the deck, and to do that we need to be someplace warmer. We also need to get off the docks here at Mears Marina since the water is turned off. And it's going to get cold here and probably snow soon. And we need to have a diver clean Drift Away's bottom and the one guy I talked to here wanted $160 for the first hour and $125 an hour after that and said it would take him several hours to do. I paid $90 to get the bottom cleaned in Stamford, and that's the most expensive place in the USA to live. We need to get south where the labor rate is lower.
But Annapolis is such a nice place. I could live here. I've even been looking at real estate guides here. House prices are almost as lofty here as Stamford though. If we traveled south, I'm sure we could find someplace as nice as Annapolis but with lower cost housing. And then there's the issue of health insurance. I don't have any. Connecticut allows insurance companies to base health insurance premiums on age and previous conditions and my premiums were ridiculous, so I let it lapse. I need to find a state where that's prohibited and establish residence there.
So Thursday is looking good for casting off the dock lines. But that's December 29th. New Year's Eve is only three days away, and the weather window looks really good next week...
The holidays are over, and it's time to head south. We've been in Annapolis since mid-November and it's been delightful. Good friends and good weather, just about every day being a "trawler day", perfect for cruising. Now that we're ready to go, here is the NOAA weather forecast.
TUE
SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS TO 25 KT. WAVES 2 FT...
BUILDING TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.
TUE NIGHT
W WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. WAVES 4 FT...
SUBSIDING TO 2 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
WED
NW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT WITH GUSTS TO 30 KT. WAVES 3 FT.
WED NIGHT
NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT IN THE EVENING.
WAVES 1 TO 2 FT.
THU
SW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. WAVES 1 FT.
So it looks like Thursday might be the day we head further south. Then again, Pam said something about taking Chevy to the vet to get his shots updated. And our friends Kate and Chuck said something about a New Year's Eve party. And I still have to get the waste deck fitting replaced. And... and... and...
And nuthin'. I need to paint the deck, and to do that we need to be someplace warmer. We also need to get off the docks here at Mears Marina since the water is turned off. And it's going to get cold here and probably snow soon. And we need to have a diver clean Drift Away's bottom and the one guy I talked to here wanted $160 for the first hour and $125 an hour after that and said it would take him several hours to do. I paid $90 to get the bottom cleaned in Stamford, and that's the most expensive place in the USA to live. We need to get south where the labor rate is lower.
But Annapolis is such a nice place. I could live here. I've even been looking at real estate guides here. House prices are almost as lofty here as Stamford though. If we traveled south, I'm sure we could find someplace as nice as Annapolis but with lower cost housing. And then there's the issue of health insurance. I don't have any. Connecticut allows insurance companies to base health insurance premiums on age and previous conditions and my premiums were ridiculous, so I let it lapse. I need to find a state where that's prohibited and establish residence there.
So Thursday is looking good for casting off the dock lines. But that's December 29th. New Year's Eve is only three days away, and the weather window looks really good next week...
I think your 15-3 rule is a good one Dave. I'm a little worried about the manmade seas you may encounter on the ICW. Maybe your trawler is more stable than a sailboat but you can take some pretty good wakes on the beam on the ICW that can really jerk the hull around.
ReplyDeleteI'd hate to see you take a toaster oven in the head or have the 48" flat screen break a leg.
Maybe a 5 pound rule? If it's over 5 pounds, it should be secured? :)
I hate to tempt you to stay but... It's supposed to be 57* here, new year's. :D
ReplyDelete'Course, this time of year, it might be 20* on the second. It is time to beat feet south, before you get iced in. When you get down to NC, check out Oriental. That was my favorite spot on the ditch. If I wasn't forced to still earn a living, I'd be down there, now.