Tuesday, February 13, 2007

To begin with I want to thank the readers and friends who drop me an email to let me know they are reading along.

Today is starting nice enough. Weather Canada is promising another storm that is holding a good whack of snow and high winds for the next 48 hours.

But I am ready, the new snow tires work great and I can claw through a lot of whit stuff without going into the dreaded understeer. As I update this I am waiting at Ford for the Focus's service with 20 to 30cm of snow posing little problem even if I have to do this passport run to Scarborough tomorrow in the peak of the forecast storm.

I keep hearing weather announcers talk about the comming warm and feel a resentment that I will soon loose the ice plain that I am becoming very fond of. The ice around us is very thick running in excess of 30" with the ice pressure according to CGR is light to moderate. The ice is way down on the hull now freezingDefiancee in solid almost to my keel. Trapped with a couple of degrees port heel and I am down to 15" of fuel in the starboard tank. So far this winter I have burnt 500 liters of fuel so far in the last 6 months. That's an average heating of $80.00 per month. Now bad but it will be better yet next year.

Each day that passes I am sliding ever closer to dropping the lines and encourage persons interested in joining such an adventure to contact me as a lot of the nuts and bolts are still sketchy.

Monday February 12, 2007

The sun has come out and it is a sparkling clear day, and I spent hours outside on the ice. I did get a automatic light rigged for the port side traffic area that attracts the animals and got the screens out of several ports in case I have to make a camera dive at 04:15 when the pack come by. It may not be the perfect camera light but this is all testing for the real thing. I am out on the ice Nikon cameras in hand every sunset waiting for that surge in the wildlife movement even though I have yet to get the elusive images of Sebastian and the pack.

Rufus helps me check out the motion lights. I had a big assessment by Ontario Health which I must say at least feels like they are doing something. The last six months and three crippling events with the shoulder have got my attention. Even if it gets workable better this time, the next blow out is only a blink of the eye away. I have gone from being able to keep up with 20 year olds to a gimp all in less than six months. Now the ball is rolling I know somewhere in the next 6 months or so I will have to decide if I dare risk the operation. I have seen Art's shoulders and know the difference between a good job and a bad one, along with the hospital to seek surgery in. But at best it is almost a 50/50 risk of it being worse and I have seen what that means with Art.

So who knows dear reader. I cannot really count on anything, meaning I better think about how to make Defiance work for a one armed gimp. My poor little bean is trying to focus in light of the health setback. What I do have to give others is my pictures. I am practicing with the cameras on the ice as much as I can as it will not be long before I shed this icy cloak and have to get moving on spring projects that are piling up.

I have started baking again and am begining to establish the ships routine one of which will be the afternoon tea break with biscuits and preserves. All Expeditions require touches of civilized tradition for the crew. Voyaging is always periods of boredom spiced with splashes of adrenalin. It is good for there to be social points in a day than transcend whatever else is, or is not happening. Therefore Tea & biscuits will be served at 16:00 hours henceforth.