Wrapping up November 2013

My last November trip to Deal Island did not exactly start as I had planned.  I had intended to burn a little vacation (crab and/or fish) and also work on Skipjack Kathryn.  Well, my oldest Deal Island friend Mellanie passed away earlier in the week (she was only 51, bit I had known her since I was 16), so things changed.  I'd like to talk more about Mellanie right now, but I think I will save that for a later post.  I came down mid-day Thursday Nov 7 and attended her memorial service.  I awoke Friday to a chilly and blustery (25-35 mph NW winds, or course) day.  Needing a mental health day, I didn’t make it over to Scott’s Cove and instead focused on some simple chores around the camper.  Crabbing was out of the question, as it was in the low 50’s and with the stiff wind my little electric motor would have been useless.  So, I rigged up the center console for one last 2013 trip and pushed out of Wenona harbor around 3 pm.  Since it was way too windy to navigate Tangier Sound, I used my newly learned cut-through and moved directly through Little Deal Island.  I’ll make this brief- I anchored, and braving the wind and cold in full coveralls, bottom fished with the last of my bait for nearly 2 hours.  Nada, nothing.  I had been told that trolling shallow water was the way to go, but I was not up to exploring this solo, in shallow water, and with the wind blowing as it was.  The next morning I pulled the boat back home to Millsboro, and of course Tangier Sound was slick and calm (slick cam) as I crossed the Deal Island bridge.  And it was even a nice warm day, but it was time to return to home and family.  I spent the remainder of the weekend preparing the boat for the winter, draining out some of the old fuel in the in-deck tank, winterizing the motor, and waxing the hull.  Lastly, after I secured the cover to her it was done, and so was my fishing for 2013- unless I venture out on someone else’s boat.

My next Deal Island adventure will be to deer hunt.  I plan to come down Sunday Dec 1, set up my blind and be out on the woods early on Mon Dec 2.  Plan A is to hunt all week and return Saturday.  I am hoping to have some success earlier, wrap things up and return before then.  Prior to this, we have had an unusually cold November, with frequent hard freezes.  I have guarded against my camper plumbing freezing by leaving the heater inside and a lamp in the well-pump box connected to electric with temperature-controlled switches.  However, on Nov 24 it was forecasted to bottom out at 22F, so I came down the Friday prior and winterized the lines.  My approach this year was different however, and I eschewed the typical application of anti-freeze for use of an air compressor to blow out the lines, with the intent of a quick re-hookup upon return.  I believe it will work, as I think I got all of the water out of the lines.  One area I forgot however was to our some anti-freeze into the drains.  Hopefully this will not be an issue when I return, but I guess I will have to deal with it if it is.  So, I’ll repot back sometime in December.