
We woke up this morning to 24 degrees and clear skies with a high overhead waning gibous moon shining off an inch of new ice that was frozen hard and clung to everything. Yesterday afternoon, the temp dropped from the mid fifties to 30 degrees in just over an hour and the rain and sleet started at 5:00 o'clock. I think it was all over by 1:00 or 2:00 am. Of course, last evening was the first since we've been back on the boat that the Admiral wanted me to grill steaks and asparagus. I've grilled in blizzards in Maine many times--might as well add Florida to my repertoire.
When I say that the ice covered everything, I mean everything. And the wind out of the north even drove it well into our horn and PA speaker. Here are a few pics to give you a sense:




I've spent most of the day beating ice off the boat--a process helped by a radiant sun and an air temp that finally went above the freezing mark around noon time. Happy to say there's no ice left on any critical surface. I've also hiked the dock to the laundry a number of times doing the sheets and towels. It was tricky to stay upright and I did go down once--fortunately in the middle of the dock with no serious harm to life or limb.
We'll be underway to Carrabelle tomorrow and hopefully crossing the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday if the expected weather window holds. The bosun sends his best. Stay tuned!