Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Nothing Like A Little Snow! ! ! ! ! !

SHIP'S LOG:

     I have been basically house-bound since the height of the storm. True, we only got a little over 2 feet here in New London, but the blowing and drifting snow piled up in many place to a considerable height, making travel difficult. Add to that the fact that while the plows were able to cut paths for two very thin lanes on major streets, the side streets got one lane, if that, and a very thin one a best. The plows also did not get down to the road surface in most places, or did and it was later covered by more falling snow, and as a result, most roads, major or minor, were alleys of ice. It made for interesting and hazardous motor travel, even for plows. The TV showed a surprising number of plows, state. municipal and private, stuck in snow banks that they tried to clear. The big question, once they get them out, is what to do with snow that gets plowed. After all, it can no longer simply be dumped into the river or the Sound, and you can only pile it so high before you can't get it up any higher, plus there are on so many open spaces where you can put and wait for it to melt away. All the monies towns and cities saved the last two years on snow removal is likely to be spent, and then some, before we see the last flake this year.

     i have a disturbing feeling that the Bimini  on ABISHAG has torn. It is rather old, made of vinyl  and had several wear-points where it contacted the frame supports. The heavy, wet snow would surly stress it. The only thing that might save it is the face that the frame is "a kilter!" On of the screws hold one of the supports had backed out once I got her on the hard and the screw was hidden under the "first snow." As a result, I did not put everything back in place and perhaps, just perhaps, the canted angle of the Bimini has caused the snow to slide off rather than gather and , like "mayhem" in the ALLSTATE commercials, fall through. I am not sure how to find out as I am certain that the yard hasn't cleaned out the boat storage areas yet and just might be waiting for the melt. Normally, they would do plowing and snow removal but there is just no place to put the stuff.  I'll try to cruise by in a day or so and check things out.