So very cold, this winter

As everyone in this part of the world has noticed, this winter is so very cold.  And yet, we know that spring is right around the corner, a scant three weeks away.  It still doesn't make the entire week of -20C weather.  With the wind chill, we have had positively Martian temperatures.  What keeps me going?  A number.  A silly little optimistic number I have in my head.  That number is 77.

77 days until Friday, May 15th.

What is important about that day?  It is my target launch day for Fugu.  It is the day that marks the beginning of the sailing season.  It is at the beginning of a long weekend.  It is also the demarcation point for those that launch their boats early versus those that launch late.  I have traditionally been a late launcher, recently as late as September.  So now, I am latching onto this number and decrementing it by one each day upon waking.

May 15th.  77 days away.
Light winds, bright sun, high waters, calm lake.
Can't wait.