Wrap Up Warm

It has certainly been a cold one with temperatures plunging to well below freezing over night. The diesel heating has been on for quite a lot of the weekend and the extra blanket we brought to the boat last weekend has certainly come into its own this weekend.

On Friday night we battled through wind, sleet and snow to make it to the marina, taking a pit stop at MacDonald’s to grab some fodder before heading to the boat and hunkering down, wrapped up warm against the cold northerly wind. With a few beers down and the weather turning ever colder we hit the sack early ready for a full day on Saturday.

Saturday morning was cold, very cold in fact. There was a harsh frost covering everything in white and the boats and water in a layer of ice. With the heating ticking away we left Cal to defrost whilst we both had hot showers and hot coffee. Finally defrosted we set off in the direction of Lincoln to do a spot of Christmas shopping, stock up on fresh meat and vegetables and grab a spot of lunch, ice breaking the whole way. With this little lot done we settled in for a couple of drinks, allowing some extra time for the ice to thaw, before heading back to the marina in a lovely toasty warm boat. Saturday evening was relatively quiet with just a few beers enjoyed in good company and some good food to round off the evening before heading to a warm bed, courtesy of the electric blanket.

Sunday was another cold start but not as cold as the morning previous. With nowhere to go and no plans a foot we settled in listening to the radio and reading the Sunday papers. A trip to Subway filled our bellies with good food. Then in our warm cocoon of a cockpit we were safe from the winter weather outside and we whiled away the afternoon with the crossword puzzle, Sudoku, and of course the mandatory few cold beers. As evening fell our thoughts turned to dinner and with a fully stocked fridge we were spoilt for choice, eventually settling on good honest homemade spaghetti bolognaise. With the dinner pots washed, both of us showered and the car packed ready for work in the morning, there was nothing much left to do bar turn into a warm bed listening to the ropes creaking as they go about their endless work.

The first proper wintery weekend of this season has been thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing but we must not get used to all of this rest and relaxation, we have a long list of jobs to start and finish this winter in readiness for the warmer months and some serious cruising. They are not getting done at this rate.....