John, It's all relative. When a normal winter includes 28 degrees below zero, and then ya get a 50 degree day ya start thinking bikinis. The canal locks are open for 6 1/2 months of the year ( May 1 thru November 15 ), and while I have gotten snowed on several times on opening day, I still wouldn't miss it for anything. In Florida, boats tend to sit at the dock for a week at a time, but not here. We're out there all the time. My boat, an American Tug, is an indoor boat, there is no helm upstairs, you have access to heat at all times. And in August it almost never hits 90 degrees, a typical day is about 80ish. After a month of it, I found working on the dock outdoors in 20 degrees seemed about normal. I liked it. My ancestry is basically Viking, and I find the cold invigorating. I have so much more energy here than I ever did have back in hot stinky New Jersey. Our summers are short and sweet and I absolutely love it here. Wouldn't trade it for anywhere else. All I need now is water. If Lock 7 and Lock 8 were not under construction right now blocking my source of water, I'd be out on the boat this very moment. Fred Tug 44 ---------------------------------------- From: "John Schieffelin" <jsschieff@cox.net> Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:50 AM To: great-loop@lists.trawlering.com Subject: GL: Fred's dock Fred - your new dock looks great! But it seems like an awful lot of work and expense for a boating season measured in weeks, not months. I thought the boating season up your way starts July 4th and ends about late August. John S. Stuart FL/Middletown RI

Northern boaters have to be a lot tougher than their southern brethren! It's sort of like the answer to folks who ask why anybody would WANT to live in the Dakotas and other northern states. The answer is simply, "No wimps!" New Jersey, Fred? Isn't that the place where mosquito is the state bird? * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** D C "Mac" Macdonald ** * Grand Lake & OKC - OK * ** AGLCA (#217) & USPS ** * * (no current boat) * * ** USAF & FAA, Retired ** ** Amateur Radio K2GKK ** * * Since 30 Nov 1953 * * * * k2gkk@hotmail.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (Part Scandahoovian and former NY upstater) > From: fred@tug44.org > To: jsschieff@cox.net; great-loop@lists.trawlering.com > Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2013 08:08:42 -0700 > Subject: Re: GL: Fred's dock > > John, > > It's all relative. When a normal winter includes 28 degrees below zero, > and then ya get a 50 degree day ya start thinking bikinis. > > The canal locks are open for 6 1/2 months of the year ( May 1 thru > November 15 ), and while I have gotten snowed on several times on opening > day, I still wouldn't miss it for anything. In Florida, boats tend to sit > at the dock for a week at a time, but not here. We're out there all the > time. > > My boat, an American Tug, is an indoor boat, there is no helm upstairs, you > have access to heat at all times. And in August it almost never hits 90 > degrees, a typical day is about 80ish. After a month of it, I found > working on the dock outdoors in 20 degrees seemed about normal. I liked > it. > > My ancestry is basically Viking, and I find the cold invigorating. I have > so much more energy here than I ever did have back in hot stinky New > Jersey. > > Our summers are short and sweet and I absolutely love it here. Wouldn't > trade it for anywhere else. All I need now is water. If Lock 7 and Lock 8 > were not under construction right now blocking my source of water, I'd be > out on the boat this very moment. > > Fred > Tug 44 > > ---------------------------------------- > From: "John Schieffelin" <jsschieff@cox.net> > Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:50 AM > To: great-loop@lists.trawlering.com > Subject: GL: Fred's dock > > Fred - your new dock looks great! But it seems like an awful lot of work > and > expense for a boating season measured in weeks, not months. I thought the > boating season up your way starts July 4th and ends about late August. > > John S. > Stuart FL/Middletown RI