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The winter of 2009/2010 was the snowiest winter we have seen in
our little corner of the Chesapeake Bay in many a year and certainly
more than the blizzards of 2003 (28") and 1996 (26"). With one storm
in December (21") and two storms almost back to back in February
that left nearly 50" on the ground and on our Catalina 310, # 323
Cheri Lynn, that sits serenely in her slip in Frog Mortar Creek,
Middle River, Maryland.
This is our 6th full year of sailing. It is one I am looking
forward to with great anticipation; more so than in recent years.
Captain Hubby and I have experienced nearly unrelenting stress over
the past 2-1/2 years due to a series of life events: a family loss;
a significant house fire (and reconstruction); job loss (and the
process of re-employment/career change); and my broken ankle with
two subsequent surgeries all added to the trauma and the drama.
These events, with their requirements, hemmed us in and cut in to
our precious sailing time. While our marriage survived these
stresses relatively unscathed, the stress we experienced made it
harder for us to truly relax and simply enjoy one another, the
companionship with others (when so accompanied) and just the pure
joy of being on our boat whether under motor or under sail (though,
under sail is generally the preferred method of locomotion!).
How do I know this? Well, Captain Hubby has recently been
observed to be planning for our retirement (still a few years in the
future) with the enthusiasm I first saw when he was deciding what
boat we were going to buy shortly after he got bitten by the sailing
bug in 2003! As with his previous planning efforts, he throws
himself whole-hearted into his efforts, asking questions, searching
the internet, talking to various folks, both on line and in our
fleets and marina. He is excited about spending long periods of time
on the boat (rather than the Cap'n Growly-Bear he became when we
spent two weeks on the boat in 6/2008). Now our plan is to retire in
about ten years, then, within one or two years, play "snowbird" down
to Florida via the ICW and likely to the Islands (at least once) .
Of course, Captain Hubby's renewed enthusiasm means I will have to
improve my own ship handling skills to the point where I feel
confident backing Cheri Lynn down the aisle and into our slip myself
(I usually leave that part of the driving to Captain Hubby). The
last time I backed the boat (in open water); the trail looked like
an undulating snake. Ah well, I have time to practice, practice,
practice! I just hope I don't have much of an audience when I do…
As much as Captain Hubby appreciated having his snow thrower, he
would just as soon leave the cold behind as soon as he's capable! Me
too!
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