I survived my first winter on Ohana in Maryland!

Feb 11

Now, I'm de-winterizing and gearing up to head south in two weeks. Since I won’t be back until April, I can officially say I made it through a Maryland winter—piece of cake. The only hassle? Filling the water tanks weekly. I could've stretched it to three weeks, but my neighbors filled theirs, and peer pressure is real. Aside from that, I was so warm on board I basically lived in shorts and T-shirts, even during that Arctic blast we called a "cold snap." My Amish heating devices kept things toasty and dry with just one heater per hull—never needed the marina’s facilities. Showered, did laundry, and stayed cozy all winter long. Basically, was like living in a condo on the water! What most pay millions to have.

Next up: a trip to North Carolina for the ultimate lithium battery upgrade! And the best plot twist? Joe (my second oldest) is tagging along! He’s between jobs and thought, "Why not watch Dad play pirate?" I also like the safety aspect having him on board.

For the trip, I mapped out the route using Navionics on my iPad, which syncs to my B&G chart plotters. We’ll putter along at 6 knots for 10-hour days, stopping at the mouth of the Potomac, Virginia Beach, near Kitty Hawk, and the Pungo River. Four nights on the water. Could we sail through the night? Sure. But why not embrace the slow life and get some decent sleep?

Virginia Beach will be a longer stop because I’m reconnecting with an old friend—one whose identity will send shockwaves through the group chat… having a lot of “mom’s” calling me saying WTF?

Provisioning is tricky since I’ll lose all power on the boat at the marina, and there aren’t any stores nearby. Joe and I have similar diets of "no-processed-food" , which means we need to stockpile fresh food like we're prepping for an apocalypse. Our survival plan:

Convert the cockpit fridge/freezer we typically use as a drink cooler to be a freezer run of the 120v on the dock.
Use a Yeti cooler as a fridge, making ice as needed with also powering the ice maker straight from the dock.
Marina lounge as a Microwave to reheat/cook food.
We can bring the air fryer into the lounge to help w/ cooking.
Unfortunately, the grill is out—thanks to its *brilliant* electric safety circuits on Ohana.

With two weeks to go, I’m prepping Ohana:

Removing the rugs covering hatches (goodbye, makeshift insulation and condensation catcher!).
Uncovering and resuscitating the dinghy.
Packing hoses and power cords like I’m moving cross-country.
Leaving my mountain bike at the marina (don’t worry, I have two foldable ones on board for my *naval expeditions*).
Reinstalling safety equipment and seat cushions, so I don’t look like a complete disaster.
Swapping in fresh batteries for every gadget because dead electronics at sea are *not* the vibe.

The day before departure, I’ll top off fuel and water and dump the septic—because nothing says "bon voyage" like dealing with your own waste. We will then do our shopping run, filling up the fridge and freezer on the boat.

En route, we’ve got work to do. Since the upgrade involves rewiring large sections of the boat, I wisely abandoned my plan to run the chain counter wiring myself. Why bother when they are about to rip everything apart anyway? We need to clear out the mast locker, storage under my berth, space around the TV, and the infamous "Graveyard" locker. (So named because my former friend used it as a dumping ground for items she planned to eventually remove from the boat … fitting, since it also held Donna’s ashes. Yes, an *actual* graveyard.)

Once there Joe and I will be kept busy stripping all the wiring from the solar arch: the back porch light, Iridium antenna, cell booster, Starlink, stern nav light, and solar panel wires. Why? Because on the return trip, we’re stopping at Bert Jabin’s Boatyard to reinforce the solar mount and beef up the Starlink mount. Welding heats up the tubing so much it would *melt all the wires inside*—and while I enjoy a good fire, I prefer it in a campfire setting, not onboard. Once done that he and I will be learning about everything they are doing as well as programing all the devises.

Excited doesn’t even begin to cover it—for the upgrade *and* meeting my old friend. Two weeks to go, and I’m already buzzing like a drone!!