KILLER SHRIMP ATTACK FROZEN YACHT

OK. There really is a story here. My last report had us shutting down under a beautiful sunset in Cedar Creek, NC, after a gorgeous day of travel. This would be the sequel to that peaceful ending. Let me first step back a bit. I have been doing a bit of reading/research into some of the things we might encounter on the trip. One thing that was mentioned was the fact that certain types of small shrimp are known to gather for a meal around, on, and in the bottom growth on boats. This activity leads to the occupants of said boat hearing a persistent scratching noise during the night. I have also experienced a similar noise from crabs feeding, as well as the thumping noise a carp will sometimes make as it rolls against the boat's bottom. Anyway, we crawled into the forward berth sometime in the pm, under lots of layers. Clothes, sleeping bags, etc. Reasons being that the heaters draw a bit too much juice to run comfortably on our old inverter, and we are reluctant to run either the small generator or the propane heater we use as backup due to carbon monoxide risks. So, we went with the cold option. An hour later I was awakened by a fairly loud crackling & scratching noise. " Ah," thought I, " its got to be those shrimp". This thought was jarred from being by an incredible groaning and thunping from the front of the boat( hereinafter called the bow). Naturally, I sprang from the bunk, and zipped up on the deck. Nothing! Just dark, dark and cold; like 26 degrees cold. The water looked like water, altho' it had some grass like substance floating on it. No giant fish, no little hungary shrimp. So, the puzzled captain went back to the bunk. Well, this went on all night. waves of crackling & scratching, accompanied by booming crashes. Daylight showed the once astute(he thought) captain what had happened. The killer shrimp had not, as he imagined, brought in their whale allies to wreak havoc on poor old Scooter. Mother Nature had, instead, frozen the poor old boat in place. Each time the boat moved, the anchor chain & snubber pulled down on the anchor roller; hence the booming noises. The waves of crackling & scratching came from the ice breaking along the sides of the hull. The grass like substance I spotted was the ice forming. The scary things that cold meds will do for your mind!

Winter in the South. What a blast. Tonight we are docked in Swansboro,NC. Both heaters are running on city electricity. However it seems that the water pipes froze on the dock, so they have no water. What a great year to make a trip south. Tomorrow & Saturday we'll be pushing further South to beat some weather issues. The captain will be relaxing, relieved to have escaped the clutches of the killer critters. Have a great day, stay warm, and eat lots of shrimp.