I would really like to wish Rick and Bill a special thanks for showing a drive in to the boat as it made the dig out a lot easier.
As soon as I arrived the wild cats swarmed off Defiance to wish me in a warm welcome.

The Espar ran ran for a full two hour cycle without a burp bringing Defiance back to warm and cozy status. Perched aloft on the hard, looking out over the channel the environment of Defiance looses none of its charm.This is like a cottage in the country. However warm and cozy is at a a cost. Today was -17C outside and it took a 80% burn (furnace running) to bring the cabin up to +24C, when normally in the water that amount of heating would have been something more like a 25 to 30% burn to rest ratio. Once again proving how valuable snow is as a insulation.

No question to heat the boat on the hard would have been prohibitive and I am probably better off ashore as my shoulder is far better. I really do hate this getting old as once again I follow the all too familiar pattern in a boats life where the person responsible for preparing the vessel has their body quit before they get to “do the big voyage”.

When I arrived Sweetie (black & white - daughter) and Serendipity were sitting on the top porch taking in the morning. AS soon as they saw me they scurried down the stairs and bounded through the snow to provide a warm kitty greeting. Not unexpectedly first came the cat hello's, and then the food. Poor kitty s they must have been very hungry as they demolished a loaf of bread that I had left behind in the galley, and I never though of bread as a cat delicacy but it was food. Pickings must have been thin in the hunting department or I have already domesticated them too much. Overall they are excellent tenants and take good care of Defiance in my absence.

Today was exactly what my head needed. Sweetie was in full love mode and we spent well over an hour cuddling and purring. This is what she was like when she lived with me a couple of years ago, just the most loving little cat you ever want to meet. I take it as a compliment as she is the truest incarnation of "Scardy Cat" and will not let anyone get even close before bolting so to wallow in kitty love is something special.

It is a lofty perch up here, with a good view. Simply spending time in the environment is the most calming thing imaginable. After spending much of the day aboard I finally relaxed and began to enjoy the day. It is absolutely beautiful here and spending time aboard again made me realize how much I missed my home.

It took three attempts to finally leave as now that kitty's have moved fully aboard and are comfortable it was time to buy a better feeder so with luck I can leave them a weeks worth of food. No sign of other animals particular no raccoons which pose the only security threat to leaving food there without a human present.

Sweetie took her afternoon patrol and looks so natural as she patrols her frozen domain.

Sunday January 6, 2008

Cruising Canada will get a major update this winter with more focus on non Canadian cruising as we begin to host the "Charter Blogs" which will feature stories from those winter getaways. There will also be 2008 updates and revisions to the Ontario Cruising Guides to bring us back up to date and integrate all the hyper link URL's that have been opening integration.

Blog content will be a bit scarce over the next few months as this will be a busy period for tech support and that takes up most of my energy. The new digs are fine and Rufus has now begun to make outside forays on his own, so all stable here.

Enjoy your winter breaks and send us a story of your charter.

Marine Forecast issued for Lake Ontario. Issued: 6.30 PM EST Monday 7 January 2008 for the period ending at 6.30 PM Tuesday with an outlook for the following 24 hours. Forecast: Wind south 20 knots. Mist and fog patches. Periods of rain developing overnight. Waves 1 to 2 metres. Outlook..Strong southerlies veering to strong to gale force westerlies.