Winter Live Aboard and Lake Ice
Last night was a rough one. The wind was up – gusting over 50 kph and it was COLD. When I got up this morning it was -16 C so I am sure during the night it was even colder. So, because of the wind there was a lot of jerking and banging which woke us up several times throughout the night. What was worse however, was the ice growing in around the boat. The bubbler keeps the boat clear of ice right up to about the middle of the v-berth. From there to the bow, the ice has begun to close in from the bay. So there is all kind of scraping, cracking and groaning from the ice rubbing against the hull. Of course, in the night, your imagination can play tricks on you, so several times I imagined that we were sinking. Man, nothing like the daylight to drive away the boogieman. 
This morning I can see that there really is only a tiny little patch of ice touching the boat right at the tip of the bow – nothing to worry about. So hopefully tonight when I am all tucked in, I can ignore the sound of good man winter clutching the boat.
5 Comments
Lonnie Bruner
Man, that sounds horrible. Why don’t you just rent a warm house for the winter?
Strathy
Better yet – how about sailing that boat down south before winter hits?
I’m working on it man.
Ellen, John & Sophia
Come south, Strathy! Ya’ll are totally the toughest A30ers we know. John did several winters in Boston on our boat, but never needing a bubbler (busy harbor), and never at -16!! The picture of your neighbor on the ice is priceless.
Atlantic Grace
As we freeze in solid in our steel hull, the sounds take on a different nature. When the pressure cracks spread across the ice, we can hear it coming. Then, as it hits the hull, there is a loud “BOOM”. When this happens in the middle of the night (as it ususally does), there’s always a wide-eyed moment when we lay still, listening for the sound of water gushing in. Somehow, the baby sleeps through this though.
Strathy
Funny how sounds on a boat blend into the background until there is a sound you are not used to hearing. Then comes the inevitable freeze (stop what you are doing) and listen intently for about 15 secs to listen for the sound of running water. No water running? Then all is well.