One of the final departure tasks is to clean and lubricate the anemometer at the top of the mast. Sue is the designated ascender, decked out here with her bosun seat for lifting, safety harness for a second safety line, and showing her new phone tether she received for Xmas.
Up at the top giving the instruments and genoa swivel a good lubricating and the light housing checked. All is working properly now. Great to have a First Mate that can take care of these chores.
The weather didn't look good for a departure before the 1st, with a major storm forecasted for 3 Jan, so we decided to stay the weekend over the 1st in New Bern. They had a nice New Year's celebration downtown with a "dropping of the Bear" display. This small bear was dropped at 9pm for the children and a larger bear from the clock tower at true midnight. We celebrated the 9pm dropping which is also known as "Cruiser's Midnight" for us sailors that have to conserve our batteries and turn the lights off at 9pm. (Actually, this classic cruiser convention is becoming obsolete as we all switch to LED lights which use almost no amperage. LED lights are one of the greatest inventions going for cruisers along with the new powerful and efficient solar panels.)
On Jan 4th, it was time to get underway on a sunny and brisk 30 degree morning, heading as quick as we can southward towards warmer weather and the clear, blue waters of the Bahamas.
