December 1999 - Winter's Arrival
First off, we have to admit that Seattle's winters have been pretty mild compared with other parts of the country. For the most part, the temperature has been between 40 and 50 degrees F. during December. And amazingly, it did not rain from the middle of December until well past Christmas.
However, living on a boat makes one much more aware of the change of seasons. I think we knew it was definitely not fall anymore when our cats would greet us shivering at the companionway when we arrived home from work. Not to mention that both of their coats were twice as thick. Plus the boat wouldn't warm up past 60 degrees F. until we'd had our heater on for several hours. And then there was the afternoon we were digging around the back cabin only to find the walls and mattress literally dripping with condensation. We knew it was time to act.
We decided to leave our main source of heat, our oil-filled radiator-type heater on during the day. Not only were we concerned with our kitties well-being, but we knew that the first line of defense against condensation (along with proper ventilation) is heat. At West Marine, we purchased a small, round dehumidifier to set in the back cabin. Both of these have been keeping Jenny P toasty and dry...but we'll see how they work out when the temperature really drops.
So far, our first Winter on board Jenny P has been marvelous. We've had a couple of nice, big wind and rain storms so far. There's just nothing quite like the safe and cozy feeling inside Jenny P while the wind howls through her rigging and the rain pounds on her decks. And was she ever sweet adorned with Christmas lights and our little 2-foot tall tree!
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