And getting colder yet, just in time for our scheduled haul-out next week. The good news is the sunshine; it’s going to be dry enough for painting. The bad news is the cold; the paint we are planning on applying has a minimum ambient application temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The forecast, admittedly long-range at this point, calls for highs around 38 degrees.
There were always risks with scheduling a haul-out at this time of year, and temperature was one of them. Partly for that reason, I scheduled an extra lay-day this time around, figuring that if it were raining, I would have better odds of a dry window, or if it were cold, I could still get in two coats even with a 12-hour dry time. But that was always counting on our typical cloud blanket keeping things over the freezing mark for relatively long stretches of time. Now, I’m scrambling to come up with alternatives if the forecast happens to be correct. A few tarps, a generator, some bright work lights, maybe a space heater… it could work!
As with all things weather-related in the Pacific Northwest, in the end we’ll just have to wait and see. It could still pour rain; or, we could plunge well below freezing for days at a time. One catastrophe I actually find myself getting excited about, though, is the tantalizing and frightening prospect of snow. We’re supposed to have a relatively warm and mild El Nino year here I am told, with little chance for the massive snowstorms we experienced last year. But as I look at the two week forecast, I see the telltale flakes prominently displayed around the middle of next week. Maybe it’s a little perverse considering that this is a trip where I am actually trying to get things done, and spending money in that pursuit which may be wasted if the weather turns south, but there are few enough sailors around here who get the experience of sailing in the snow. I’m sort of hoping to be one of them!
Don’t tell my crew!
It is just possible that your “crew” reads this from time to time. It is further possible that they may find you to be just a tad off your rocker. Snow?! Psshhh! But whatever. They probably have known you for a number of years so the notion that you might be missing a few marbles isn’t exactly virgin territory.