Digging Out

Beaufort     

The icicles we removed yesterday from the pilothouse roof had regrown overnight. The longest one approached two feet, well exceeding the length of our 18-inch ruler. Trying to make light of this frozen mess, we recalled the "icicle through the eyeball" scene in Die Hard 2. Movie references are one of our favorite sources of banter. I knew my one task for the day was to dig out the Portuguese bridge and bow. I did my stretching, laid out a large pile of clothes to layer up in, and then waited for noon. It was still overcast, freezing, and breezy, but it was game time. The ice remained thick on the vertical surface, and our 17-inch fender balls were still mostly buried. I climbed over the railing and slid down to the starting position. It was a gentle and controlled descent -- like a penguin moving across an ice shelf. The four inches of accumulated frozen mix did not crinkle or crack. It was solid! My own Fiberglass Iceberg.

I began chipping away with my trusty OXO silicone turner. (Silicone used so it wouldn't damage our fiberglass.) At first, I could only get small pieces to release and progress was slow. I got really excited when I freed an occasional large chunk, but then was shocked at its weight. A lot of effort was required to first position and then pitch the iceberg over the side into the Beaufort River. Barry walked up to the marina office, only to find it was again closed because of the snow. I was still tossing chunks when he returned to Crossroads. He noted how I had a long line of small icebergs floating down the length of the dock. Eventually I peeled off my hoodie (leaving three layers) and completed the mission by 2:30.

After my hands thawed, we made the decision to walk to Piggly Wiggly. We have a ton of food onboard, but have been out of fresh fruits, veggies, and milk for a while now. It felt good just to put my feet on land even if it was covered in snow. Spanish moss densely draped the trees. The brilliant red Nandina berries were a welcome splash of color. The roads, however, were in no shape to make the mile walk so we returned to Crossroads for the rest of the afternoon. Tonight's sunset was small, but interesting. We will depart tomorrow afternoon for an offshore overnight hop to Fernandina Beach, FL. We're looking forward to being in the Sunshine State. It will still be cold, but the temperatures will stay above freezing. That's an improvement. 

Note: Since we will be offshore tomorrow night, there will be no post. I'll pick back up Saturday night when we reach Fernandina Beach.