December 28 rolled around and we still hadn’t decided what to do for New Year’s Eve. Our apartment is tiny and we wouldn’t be able to invite more than a couple of people. Besides, we hadn’t done anything special at all during the holiday.
“What about celebrating on Bluesiana?” I tentatively ask my husband, referring to our sailboat.“Yeah, let’s do it!”
I began the phone calls. Let me just say that the temperature was rigidly cold, below zero, so most of our friends were a bit noncommittal at the suggestion. Until we called Mario and Silva. They also have a sailboat in the same marina and they immediately said yes.
So, on the morning of the 31st, we packed up everything we needed for a New Year’s Eve feast and piled in the car with our teenaged (and not so thrilled) daughter.
There we met with our friends and their teenaged nephew (no hope of romance—ever! says my daughter!) For the next half day we ate drank and cooked our way into a frenzy. With the help of a reliable oil heater, we also stayed toasty warm.
 At the stroke of midnight, it was time to go outside and pop the champagne, so we bundled up and quickly had our frosty toast to 2008. There were even fireworks we could view from the chilly comfort of our deck. Back into the cabin for a rousing game of bingo and lots of laughs. We decided to make it one big pyjama party and everyone stayed on our boat for the night.
Next morning after a nice breakfast, it was cool to think I had never set foot on land yet this year. As I shook the tablecloth into the water, I found the crumbs bouncing off the surface—the water was iced over! None of us has ever spent New Year ’s Eve on our boat… or any boat, so it was a great way to start 2008. I think it would be a great tradition to start every year this way.. but hopefully sometime soon, from a much warmer place!
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