Rick has started the Waupoos Marina ice rink which is possibly the best solution for the rink yet. I urge you to come by and enjoy skating on a natural rink. There is a open washroom but no place to warm up. However given some interest we will resurrect the fire pit for a social circle. Rick deserves a pat on the backdoor progress with Maria projects and the summer 2007 will see all the improvements kicking in. Docks will be raised and the super sophisticated water/sewage system will link all the buildings.

Old man winter has a firm grip on Waupoos and Prince Edward County now. Today is bright and sunny with the deck temperature still showing -16°C at 08:00. The ice song of the ice has begun to become background music as there will be no quiet for at least several more weeks until it grows to 24” when things will become quiet again. Quiet is a bit of a relative term as once a couple of feet thick you get a big crack from pressure ridges in the bay. These are the real growlers and can last for over a second, a second that you can hear the ice tear then pop. This growling crack is sound which will get you out of your chair.

It is cold with daytimes high in the mid teens during the day and dropping to -22°C last night. These are temperatures that you begin to see what you failed to prepare properly. I shut the big Espar down at night and fall back to a couple of electric heaters, one in the aft cabin and one in the salon which still way under my allocated Hydro estimates@. This will which the aft cabin at 15° or 16°C and the salon at around 10°C in -22°C. Not bad at all as it is brisk in the AM but 5 minutes of ESPAR and it is 20°+ C.

The Espar continues to work flawlessly creating a smoke signal at first burn that drifts up through the cold morning air. The regulator for the stoves propane is frozen again leaving me to use a camping propane ring to make morning Java on. Next reminder is the transfer to 2 - 1500 watt electric heaters which even at these -20°C temperatures keep the cabin habitable at 13C in the salon and 18°C in the aft cabin. Since energy now equals direct costs I like to keep use down and am quite comfy once I dive into my berth with its arctic covers and insulated shell. For the bath scavenge has frozen reminding me I must insulate all wet lines from the hull steel. Oh well, the Espar will get it all thawed out.

I am not complaining as this is what I planned Defiance for. The galley propane stove is already on shaky grounds as it marks a few too many notches against your insurance ratings. Not to mention the idea of a 42’ fuel air bomb is not my concept of fun. Any propane that runs internally in hard lines no matter how well protected they are concern me as copper will become brittle if cold enough and the lines route lies through a ungeated area below the berth. If having a break down would be critical up north, a fire is 100 times worse. Conceptually I have decided to try to convert all the different fuels to diesel as caring both diesel, propane and wood is a pain in the logistic butt.

I have made my supply run and now have the rest of the rubber flooring to finish the aft cabin and will use part of these cold days to get it fitted. This having to go into town and use the library for Internet access is a great disruption, but I want less land ties not more. All this cold is giving me a serious wanderlust. I have an offer for a months work in the Caribbean but a huge list of “TO DO” things to get Defiance ready for 2007. There is nothing like -20°C nights to give the dreamer genes in me a carte blanche as you probably notice from the finalized configuration plans as posted a couple of days ago.

Having my shoulder give out in November for a second time has started a series of nights of the wolf where I rehash what is needed to go chase a polar bear or two before giving up all together. My welding class is going well and I will be able to do all but the most critical modifications next year. 2007 is my next scheduled haul out, I could put it off but I want to get at the bottom and see how the last 4 years have faired. Given a bit more cash flow I will try to come out here either before or after the marinas scheduled haul out so I only have one single use crane rental.

Rufus on the other hand loves the cold weather and prowling the ice. He does however spend a lot more time on board and has become even closer this winter. Me thinks that we are settling back into the winter retreat.