Nice day for the first day of winter with temperatures in the mid-40s. A snotty storm is supposed to blow in tonight with gusts up to 40 knots out of the south, so, with no other boats in the cove, I thought it was time to pull the boat to save it from ice season which is coming, as it always comes.
I bought a new pair of waders yesterday at the chandlery in Sandwich — a set of 3.5 mm neoprene Stearns — sausage casing waders for cold water clamming, a new Grunden hat, a pair of wool mittens like grandma used to knit, and some rubber work gloves with cotton liners. I’ll give it all to the kids to wrap as my Christmas presents, one can make me a happy person just by shopping at Sandwich Ship Supply.
Tide was low at 5 — past dark at this latitude — so we went out early, my two sons and I — they in their waders, me in mine, and with the engine turning over on the first try, we ran across the harbor to Dead Neck in about three minutes, the Grunden Nerf Herder hat keeping me very warm and happy but looking exceptionally geeky.
45 minutes of raking and we filled the basket with cherrystones and little necks for tomorrow’s Christmas Eve party. I pulled the boat out on the trailer and will launch it only as needed until March, no use in tempting fate by letting her ride out the winter storms on the mooring — a frozen bilge pump is a useless bilge pump.