New Year's Eve

One of the best reasons to be on a boat in winter is New Year's Eve. Think about it -- the location is classy and exotic yet also low-key. You can dress up, dress down, or wear something in between. There are no tickets to buy (unless you count year-round boat payments) and the view is fantastic.

Grand Passion is just a couple slips away, so between the two boats there was plenty of room for four couples and a child to celebrate and stay overnight.

Forget going to an expensive restaurant. We had smoked salmon, whitefish, and duck, along with crab soup, pasta with homemade sauce, cheese and crackers, and a delectable brownie and strawberry dessert.

I was able to visit a couple of other boats that evening and saw the best inside-of-a-boat Christmas tree.

Including a double, working train set:

Wondering if I need to up the ante on my decorations next year. The only real issue is finding a place to store everything from January until November.

Right before midnight, we followed the Spanish tradition of eating twelve grapes each before the countdown was complete. Let's hope the good luck the tradition imparts comes true for each of us.

At midnight, we simply stepped onto the back of the boat for the Baltimore fireworks display. Other than the cold, the conditions were perfect for the display. The fireworks soared into the crisp sky and exploded in grand fashion. I was enjoying the show too much to take any photos but the barge was in the same place used for Independence Day.

No one had to rush to check out of a hotel room the next morning so we were able to linger over a homemade breakfast of waffles, bacon, and egg casserole. By combining the evening's leftovers with shrimp cocktail and fresh oysters we continued celebrating into the afternoon. It was like a raft-up without the anchors. Who says you can't "boat" in winter?

Every party has to end but the new year gives us so much to look forward to.