Staying on my swinging mooring all year round?

[FairweatherDave]

Apologies for thinking ahead to "winter" but insurance and club membership deadlines are on the horizon so I am doing a bit of forward thinking, and wondered what "the panel" think......
I have a sheltered deep water swinging mooring that I can stay on in Chichester. I can prepare the boat, remove sails to below, keep batteries charged at home/solar trickle, drain fresh water supplies, remove valuables eg auto pilot, ensure ventilation, remove cushions etc., ensure antifreeze is good in freshwater side of the engine...still need to oil change filters etc etc.
But the fundamental difference with others staying afloat in marinas/ on pontoons is ease of access and electricity. And I don't have a source of heating that works.
The benefits as I see them are I can do day sails when the weather allows (always deeply jealous of those snatched sunny days in winter) and save money (maybe 700 quid ) not paying yard storage or marina fees. Normally I have the boat out of the water November to the end of March and much of that time is not ideal for boat maintenance so could be compressed into a quick lift out in the summer for scrub, anti-fouling and anodes.

Where I am struggling is with the psychology of having a boat available all year round, am I deluding myself that we will use it more than once due to effort of bending on sails etc? Will I resent having to do the summer maintenance when that is when I should be sailing. I do enjoy my return to Chichester in the spring after a long break with everything feeling fresh and novel and would I lose that?
I am tempted to try one winter and get out of my comfort zone (literally) but should the swinging mooring be a deciding factor against the plan. Interested what people think.

 

[James_Calvert]

Check your insurance, some don't cover the boat on a swinging mooring beyond end October.

 

[johnalison]

I think that it is an excellent idea to try it and see how you get on. We did it for a year or two, from a marina, but found that the beautiful winter days were rarer than we had imagined and didn't justify the extra effort, this in spite of having a dehumidifier and heater in use. Much depends on how near you live and the facilities for getting warm and dry again. Winter wildlife can greatly exceed that of the summer but it does get dark very early. A compromise might be to extend your season to late October before deciding.

 

[Kukri]

Well, I have done it. Like you, I had a sheltered deep water mooring. Viz, the one in the picture. I kept the sails bent on and I did have a good solid fuel stove.

Conclusions:

1. The sail covers chafed holes in themselves in a couple of spots; this never happens in summer.

2. Boat didn't come to harm, otherwise. My insurers were happy to cover her.

3. Yes, sailed more than once, but I did notice that most of our summer sailing depends on sea breezes, which don't happen in winter, so you tend to get a gale or a calm, and nothing much in between.

4. The long hours of darkness are a bit of an issue.

5. You can pick up the buoy nearest the pub.

6. You have much more room to tack in.

 

[Tranona]

You will find it very difficult to take advantage of those odd days in the winter if you effectively winterize your boat on a mooring. The boat needs to be ready to go and easily accessible as often you get little notice of good sailing weather and the time is hort if you want to sail in daylight.

I have kept my boat in commission in a marina for over 20 years - some years (inevitably those long in the past!) have been good, others very limited as good days seem not to coincide with being free.

Having said that your major constraint is likely to insurance for an unattended boat on a swinging mooring.

 

[FairweatherDave]

Thanks James. Yes, I am already on that and it is partly because the renewal is coming that I am doing the thinking now.

We already keep the boat on the mooring until the end of October although autumn weather often reduces how often we go. The end of season is currently determined by how much daylight is available to sail back to Shoreham where we overwinter. Our return normally takes 7.5 hours and I like a bit of spare. Another alternative would be to spend a night in Littlehampton on the way home and then there would always be enough daylight. But the thrust of my question is about swinging moorings and winter sailing and the effort/reward equation.
I feel I did a lot of maintenance last spring, the boat is in good shape and I want a different routine.

 

[FairweatherDave]

Thanks Minn, your post is encouraging!
Thanks Tranona, points taken. I suspect if I did go for it I would use an old furling genoa and main and remove both if not anticipating any sailing or a proper storm was forecast.

 

[seumask]

Go for it. I don't believe you need to do a substantial amount of winterizing for a Chichester Harbor berth in winter, but I would take the sails off and be happy with the mooring strops. Plenty of boats spend the winter on moorings there, and your unlikely to get a freezing problem in the engine but I would empty the fresh water tank, IMHO the Boat will generally be warmer than on the hard.

 

[Iain C]

Minn and Tranona are spot on. I have been out for winter twice in the last 10 years, and that was only for major maintenance work. Personally I think a sheltered swinging mooring is about the safest place for a boat. Ashore in a yard all it takes is some plonker's genoa to unfurl, a cradle to give way next to you and you're in trouble. Not forgetting the grinding sparks/spattered antifoul all over your boat.

On a swinging mooring in big winds a boat is always presenting herself bow-on to the storm...not like in a marina where 40 kts going over the transom is trying to rip the sprayhood off. Ditto far less chance of being hit on a swinging mooring.

Personally, I'd leave the sails on, but invest in one of those headsail cover things to stop the grime ending up all over your genoa.

And on those days you do get out, IMHO it can be pretty magical...and I actually enjoy logging some night hours when it's dark but not actually that late.

 

[interloper]

On the east coast of the United States, the decision on whether to leave a boat in the water year-round seems to be based on whether the water freezes. In Virginia, boat typically stay in the water year-round. In Massachusetts, boats are hauled out of the water for the winter. I'm not sure exactly where the geographic dividing line is.

 

[Praxinoscope]

On the east coast of the United States, the decision on whether to leave a boat in the water year-round seems to be based on whether the water freezes. In Virginia, boat typically stay in the water year-round. In Massachusetts, boats are hauled out of the water for the winter. I'm not sure exactly where the geographic dividing line is.

Several of our club members zoom off with their boats to Miford Haven for Winter sailing and return for the Summer season, so fine if you have a sheltered mooring go ahead, but make sure your insurance are happy.
On a slight deviation, I few years ago I went over the pond to give a talk at Yale in December and was amazed to see that many ‘winterised’ boats were in fact shrink-wrapped.

 

[Seajet]

I think that it is an excellent idea to try it and see how you get on. We did it for a year or two, from a marina, but found that the beautiful winter days were rarer than we had imagined and didn't justify the extra effort, this in spite of having a dehumidifier and heater in use. Much depends on how near you live and the facilities for getting warm and dry again. Winter wildlife can greatly exceed that of the summer but it does get dark very early. A compromise might be to extend your season to late October before deciding.

+1,

winter sailing means short, usually calm days under engine and long damp nights - I've tried it a few times and concluded it doesn't really work, and that was in a marina with a 240v fan heater.

As mentioned a lot depends how close you live to the boat.

Better to get the boat ashore and go like mad to get any work done well before Christmas, as between then and late Spring the weather is awful - just sitting in the boat or club sharing cups of tea and moaning...

 

[dunedin]

Key question is whether you live near enough to the boat to enjoy day sails in the winter. That is the best way to get use out of the boat.
Yes there are a lot of cold, wet and windy days - in summer and in winter! But there are usually quite a lot of cold but sunny and light wind days in winter, which can give magical sailing. As long as you can pack up and get ashore quickly at the end of the short day it is lovelyl.

I suspect if I did go for it I would use an old furling genoa and main and remove both if not anticipating any sailing or a proper storm was forecast.

Definitely would want to have sails on to enable day sails. If you have old sails then that is ideal to put them on. We have used "winter sails" for 10 years, and been through a number of F9+ (albeit in marina).

Shouldn't need much / any winterisation I would think - though if not using for overnights might be worth removing interior stuff up to and including cushions. Again this has been our practice from December to February.

PS Also worth checking any deals from local marinas for cheap winter berths.

 

[Kelpie]

We kept the boat in commission on her mooring the first winter we owned her. Had maybe two day sails and suffered some damage to the canvas work- the only such damage we have had.
We now leave her on the mooring all year but out of commission- strip off absolutely everything (sails, boom, cushions, charts, pilots, personal effects). I leave the engine in service and ensure that there is an anchor able to be used, so if necessary she could be safely moved.
We don't have too many problems with damp as there is a good cockpit cover that allows me to leave the washboards out, and the forehatch is forward facing with an 'ajar' setting that allows ventilation without water getting in. Through flow of air is essential.
I visit the boat at least once a week, and run the engine every so often which along with the solar panel keeps the batteries topped up. This year I installed a blown air heater so I expect to run that every so often as well.

My reasons for storing the boat on a mooring are mainly about cost and convenience- the mooring is five minutes away, but the nearest boatyard is an hour. So long as you trust the mooring I don't see why it's any less secure than being in a cradle ashore.

 

[eddystone]

Keep mine on swinging mooring over winter having previously overwintered on mid-river pontoon (R. Itchen); had some minor damage during a storm because fenders popped so swinging mooring much kinder to boat. I leave it in sail ready condition as per any other time of year. Only damage I’ve had on swinging mooring is because I tied down the sprayhood and the clutches went through the plastic windows - no-one else around me seems to bother

 

[obmij]

Never really seen the point in hauling out for the winter. When the boat's been on a mooring and we fancy some time aboard we just marina hop anyway so have all facilities and even if just moving from mooring to marina and back at least enjoy being afloat and on the boat.

Obviously much more convenient to move the boat into a marina berth for the winter and this is usually pretty cheap as for whatever reason many bertholders spend 6 months of the year ashore.

When we've had an annual marina berth, same same. Keep afloat during winter and haul out for a week in summer - usually much cheaper (or free) as there is loads of yard space as everyone is back in the water!

As for hauling out, I would say we get more productive work done during 3 summer days than 3 winter months

 

[eddystone]

Never really seen the point in hauling out for the winter. When the boat's been on a mooring and we fancy some time aboard we just marina hop anyway so have all facilities and even if just moving from mooring to marina and back at least enjoy being afloat and on the boat.

Obviously much more convenient to move the boat into a marina berth for the winter and this is usually pretty cheap as for whatever reason many bertholders spend 6 months of the year ashore.

When we've had an annual marina berth, same same. Keep afloat during winter and haul out for a week in summer - usually much cheaper (or free) as there is loads of yard space as everyone is back in the water!

As for hauling out, I would say we get more productive work done during 3 summer days than 3 winter months

YMMV but for me being free to swing is better than grinding on fenders in a marina, assuming of course you have confidence in the mooring all the way from the lump of concrete on the river bed to soundness of your cleats

 

[Seajet]

And you can get insurance, I'm sure you're not the type to ' wing it ' and put others at risk in the event of an accident involing your boat or the mooring breaking.

 

[ashtead]

We stay in over winter but in marina berth and have limited use . I have sadly seen a number of swinging moorings end up on the shore so main risk apart from damage to sails etc would seem to be the concrete block deciding it would prefer to be say on the beach at Prinsted as opposed to off Thornham marina and taking a stroll while you are awy. I am sure this is a rare occurrence but I just wonder if you might get more use and be safer in winter if in marina where someone is checking lines etc ? Ultimately it depends on your budget but I just wonder if those rows to and from the mooring might be off putting after a while ?

 

[Dutch01527]

I leave mine in all year round on the Yacht Club pontoon with a haul out for a few weeks in spring. We are in Cardiff and have good heating so it is a bit of a floating holiday cottage and is used as such during the winter as well as still being sailed.

The boat is a Dehler and the clever Germans seem to have designed a cover over the area that the companionway hatch slides into that is 100% watertight but ventilates the boat so no damp at all.