Snowy Rhode Island Marina!
Can you believe Christmas is next week? Every year the time flies by faster and faster! I mean, wasn't Christmas just last year? Christmas is a hectic holiday. Everyone rushing here and there trying to get the very last present to wrap and put under the tree. Yesterday, Friday December 19th, it was absolutely nuts out there on the streets. Not only is it the last shopping weekend before the holiday, but, we also are in the middle of a major Nor'easter! I expect this kind of weather in Vermont, and I was used to it after having lived there for almost 10 years. But here in Rhode Island? This was a surprise to say the least! I could understand it in January or February, but before Christmas?
It was midnight, Friday, and I was still sitting at the computer all snuggly and warm. The wind had picked up and our 40 foot sailboat, Ladyhawk, was pitching wildly and banging against the dock. We'd already gotten 9.5 inches of the heavy white stuff and the wind was blowing around 30 mph from the Northeast. We were supposed to get another few inches to total around a foot when all was said and done. It was low tide and the ramp was as steep as it was gonna get. This makes walking down to the boat almost impossible, unless of course I want to slide all the way down on my tush! I've done that before and hit every rung going down. That ride left quite the bruises on my hiney! What were we thinking? On a boat, in Rhode Island, in the water, in the winter! Are we some kind of nuts, or what?
Fast forward to Saturday morning, December 20. This is what we woke up to. Eleven (11) inches of snow! It was hard digging out because of the deep drifts created by the strong Northeast winds. And cold? We're talking bitterly cold weather for the likes of Rhode Island! The normal temperature for this time of year is 40 degrees. Yesterday, the high was only 20! Take that and add 25-30 mph wind gusts from the Northeast, and it gets down-right frigid!
The Blizzard of '78
Although this was nothing compared to the Blizzard of '78, where many people were stranded for days without electricity, heat, water and food, it's still considered a big storm for December. I was living in Rhode Island in 1978. We had 2 little kids at the time and we did lose our electricity for 5 days. We finally had to give up and take the kids and stay with friends until power was restored.
People panic in these situations. That's why the stores were so crowded yesterday. According to Wikipedia, "The Blizzard of '78 eventually gave birth to a tradition in Southern New England known as the "bread and milk runs". After the Blizzard of '78, it became a custom in regions of Massachusetts and Rhode Island that whenever a severe storm approached, such as a hurricane or a blizzard, most Bay Staters and Rhode Islanders jammed supermarkets to buy bread and milk, while the markets tried to keep up with demand."
Living Aboard a Sailboat in a Nor'easter
so, while everyone was busy shoveling their walks and driveways, and digging their cars out, we were shoveling our dock and the ramp to GET to the cars! John took the camera out early this morning and snapped some photos. He didn't get too many of Ladyhawk or Nirvana. He was able to get some of the dock though. At least it will give you an idea of what boats look like covered in almost a foot of snow. It can get really dangerous on icy docks. One slip and you're in the water! And don't even bother screaming for help. With the wind howling and everyone snug in their boats, you'd be lucky to be heard.
The inside of Ladyhawk is a little chilly now. At 3:00 am (yes, I'm still up writing) the temperature outside is down to 20. This morning we woke up to 15 degrees. All three electric heaters are cranked on high trying to keep up. The teak and holly sole is freezing and I have to wear slippers all the time. But don't feel sorry for me. It's not always like this. The summer more than makes up for it! For now, John and Brad are asleep, I have a hot cup of tea, Life is Good, and tomorrow is another day on the water!
A Snow Day is A Baking Day!
Oh, and you know what I do when I get snowed inside the boat all day? I bake and cook! I made a from-scratch real Butterscotch Pudding Cream Pie! I had a little extra that I put in a bowl for myself, and man, was that ever yummy! Stay tuned...I'll be sharing that recipe with you next week for a Tuesdays With Dorie day!
that snow is really beautiful.
Posted by: [email protected] | December 21, 2008 at 03:55 AM
Wow! A picture is worth a thousand words! I would feel at home in Rhode Island right now with all that snow and ice. Glad to know everything is fine.
Your reall Butterscoth Pie sounds delicious!
Posted by: Liliana | December 21, 2008 at 08:25 AM
oooh pie!! And I remember seeing pics of that storm of 78, and us out there playing in the snow, afterwards. Where did we end up going? I never realized that we lost power and you had to take us kids somewhere else.
Posted by: Kerri aka Fuglies | December 21, 2008 at 09:38 AM
Wow you live on a sailboat. How cool is that! Stay warm. Your pie sounds heavenly.
Posted by: Debby | December 21, 2008 at 10:51 AM
You read my mind. I clicked on your webpage to see if you had posted any pictures of the boat and snow. What a way to start the winter. They didn't ease us into the snow this year. They threw it at us full force.
Stay warm!
Posted by: Tracy | December 21, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Donna! This is amazing!!!!!! Living in Georgia, we only see a light snow every couple of years. This is gorgeous!!! Is the boat with the wreath yours? Love it :D
Posted by: Susanna Boyd | December 21, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Wow nice snow pictures. This is amazing!!what a way to start the winter.
Posted by: x-ray fluorescence | December 22, 2008 at 02:12 AM
I am snowed in on the other coast. Seattle is blanketed with 8-12 inches of snow, which has pretty much shut the city down because we are not supposed to get snow in Seattle. I too have spent my snowed in days happily baking. I hope your thaw arrives soon.
Posted by: Carol Peterman | December 23, 2008 at 02:25 PM
It seems that snow covered all your 40 sailboats. Pictures above were absolutely cute. It will be hard for your sailboats to move and work well if it's surrounded by snow.
Posted by: Used Sailboats | February 10, 2009 at 03:07 AM