Before we actually take the boat out on our own for the first time, several things need to happen. One of them is to be able to get off of the boat while the boat is at anchor. There are several ways to do this. One is to jump in the water and swim to shore. This was vetoed by my wife. Another is to be airlifted off of the boat by the Coast Guard. Except in extreme duress, this has been vetoed by me. Probably the best way to get off of a boat at anchor is to have a smaller boat to get into to drive to shore (or to go sightseeing in skinny water where the "big" boat won't go.) This is called a dinghy.






Turn the page...
I have a friend I have known since high school that is married to an Engineer. I am not an engineer, but I have hung around enough engineers to know that this guy's title is capitalized. He spends his days doing some serious freezing and thawing on a large scale.
On Sea Bird, we have a limited capacity for freezing water. Not nitrogen or anything even remotely exotic.

At any rate, this is kind of a big deal on a sailing vessel. The energy requirement is proportionately huge. I'm sure my friend could explain all about the properties of water, phase change, and even the triple point , but all I know is that the compressor on our boat is driven by the engine and requires attention a couple of times a day. I do enjoy the cubes in my libation, however.