No doubt about it, fall is here. Although we enjoyed a beautiful first day if the new season, the days since have not been as nice.
Fall signifies the "end" of the summer boating season, which for many ends after labor day. Really, there's no "season"- just a time when activity slows, and I don't venture as far.
I had a great boating summer. Actually, it began in spring with voyages as far south as Seattle and ended as far north as Telegraph Harbor.
So far this year, Jolly Mon has travelled 711.5 Nautical Miles and added 95 hours to the hour meter. On the most recent trip, the hour meter rolled past 2,900 hours. Those are original hours on original engines. Fuel consumption averaged somewhere around 7 gallons per hour.
Although I don't get out as much as I do in the spring and summer, I use my boat year-round. In the middle of winter, I spend plenty of time on board, even if just spending the night at the dock. That is the great feature of having a boat in the water- it's your second home, and just a great place to escape for a while. I keep the cabinets and drawers well-stocked, so she's ready to go with minimal fuss. There is really little in the way of winterizing the boat, except for turning on some heat to keep things warm and dry. Oh, and doing some fall cleaning- emptying every drawer and locker to remove things that don't need to be there. It's amazing how much "stuff" makes its way on board throughout the summer. It's also a good time to get rid of old, expired food items. Last year I found an unopened bottle of ketchup from 2006. It was a different shade of red than one would be accustomed.
It's also the time of the year to begin adding to the list of projects to get the boat ready for next year's cruising. I've got a few in mind, and hope I'll be able to scratch them off the list this winter.
My, the lawn sure has gotten tall…