Winter Afloat Tips?

Tim Good

Tim Good

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This is my first winter with my first boat and since I'm still in the honeymoon period I intend to keep her afloat and sail throughout.

I think I've thought of most things but has anyone that does the same got any top tips? Things of debate for example, do I leave the spray hood up or down, do I take the main and lazy jacks off and deal with the hassle each time.

Cheers

Tim

Edit: I'm in the UK btw. Dartmouth to be precise on a trot.
 
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Sailing on sunny days in the winter is lovely, as long as you keep warm.

Do keep the spray hood up when leaving the boat, so it doesnt accumulate moisture and carp.

If you have a boom cover or stack pack, leave the mainsail on, otherwise you will be discouraged from sailing by having to deal with the hassle.

Try a couple of short outings, nothing too ambitious, to start with to see how you get on.

If you have a butane gas cooker, ie Camping Gaz, it wont work well on cold days because the gas struggles to evaporate within the bottle.
 
sails

northcave said:
This is my first winter with my first boat and since I'm still in the honeymoon period I intend to keep her afloat and sail throughout.

I think I've thought of most things but has anyone that does the same got any top tips? Things of debate for example, do I leave the spray hood up or down, do I take the main and lazy jacks off and deal with the hassle each time.

Cheers

Tim
Click to expand...

do it for sure

some diamond days

the winter is tough on the sails

I take mine off every time

it is fifteen minutes to put them on again

worth it I reckon

consider taking the berth cushions home if you can

I hope you are on a pontoon with lekkie

D
 
The sprayhood may get a bit mucky. I get over this by having an old one I put on for the season but an alternative might be to spray/paint with a mould-killer or patio magic, which should keep it OK.

I also have an old foresail that I can leave on for winter sailing. I take extra care to make sure it is well fastened and in fact wind a spinnaker halyard round the sail & forestay for additional security. I have left a main through the winter loosely folded under a good cover and haven't noticed any disclouration afterwards, as long as it is stowed dry, although this is probably not good advice.

You could also treat running rigging and lazyjacks, although I tend to take them off in spring and launder them then.
 
don't mock hot water bottles :-)

mucker boots from stable supplies shops

whisky has no "e", tho both types keep you just as warm

enjoy

i keep the sails on - reckon UV is biggest degrader, not so much of that up here in the winter...
 
Forgive me if you know this already but layers of clothing will keep you warm. The best thing I bought last winter was a thermal 'base layer' as used by runners. I am fat and the woman in the shop giggled.

As said elsewhere in this forum the next best thing is a decent sleeping bag. After exstensive research followed by a winter of testing I can reccomend this as good value:

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/starlight-iv-p152177

Lastly buy some of these, (will cheer you up on cold mornings):

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/#/sainsburys-price-comparison/tinned_beans/crosse_and_blackwell_hunger_breaks_the_full_monty_395g.html
 
on the layers theme - two cheap sleeping bags are as good as one expensive one, and space/weight is not such an issue on a boat (as opposed to hiking them up a hill :-)
 
lenseman said:
If you do a little research, you will find that the Irish spelling is "Whiskey" and the Scottish spelling is "Whisky". :rolleyes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky
Click to expand...

i know. guess which type i prefer? tho i am biased ;-) the americans seem to prefer the irish spelling also. p'raps i should have put a smiley on my original tongue in cheek post?

what is more interesting is that i've seen it referred to in old scottish books as whiskey so i suspect there is a spellling mistake in there somewhere, bit like dumbarton/dunbartonshire?
 
There are those who say the best winter sailing is found in the tropics, but that isn't very helpful is it?

Layers of clothing are good. We have thermals to wear under warmish clothes with wind proofing over. Hats and gloves are essential.

Remember the days can be very short so make the most of the daylight hours. As the sun goes down, the temperature goes down as well...

Winter winds always feel stronger than they really are because they are cold.

Some sort of heating system transforms the whole experience. When we have sailed in cold weather we often run the Eber as we sail along. Going below is a real pleasure as its toasty and dry.

Have you considered duvets rather than sleeping bags? You can get some high tog ones that are very comfortable to sleep under.
 
moodyNick said:
If you have a butane gas cooker, ie Camping Gaz, it wont work well on cold days because the gas struggles to evaporate within the bottle.
Click to expand...

I think you'll find that CampingGaz is a mixture of butane and propane; I use CampingGaz and don't have a particular problem in winter.
 
If you have a butane gas cooker, ie Camping Gaz, it wont work well on cold days because the gas struggles to evaporate within the bottle.[/QUOTE]


It has been know for people to pee on the bottle to get it going :rolleyes:
 
boiling point of butane is zero. propane is lower.

so keep bottle in bottom of sleeping bag, or heat a small saucepan of water first and stick the gaz canister in that, does not need to be v hot

rarely less than 10deg in boat in water tho outside may be another matter ;-)

keep your pee for your frozen boots...
 
Once you start having o do the things suggested above - like peeing on the gas bottle & going to bed with it - then it is time to rethink.
I have watched boats in the marina & the most any of them get in the winter is 3 or 4 days & that is not worth the hassle.
If it is your first year then get the boat laid up. Take all the gear home to keep dry. You will have loads of jobs to do from antifouling to laying up the engine properly & even just cleaning inside of the boat which has to be done whether you sail in the winter or not.
At the end of a season there is normally so much weed the boat will sail like an old dog anyway. Sails left to the elements will deteriorate & so will the covers & spray hood. Get them off & stored properly. They are expensive to replace & will just get mouldy if left out. They will look pretty poor in the summer when you want to take your friends for a sail in your "new" acquisition.
If you do not believe me then take a look at some of the boats around you. Those that are left in the water soon look run down
 
Hassle no no NO.... :-) sailing is to be enjoyable. As long as you get out every 2 weeks then i would suggest leaving everything on, main, jackstays and so forth.

Have you thought about what you are going to wear, we have a great deal on a dry suit at the moment from Helly Hansen. I fly back from Corfu in 2.5 weeks and i will be out and about on the solent doing my jet ski and powerboat instructors testing the gear. Im not suggesting you buy a dry suit as we have many other jackets and salopettes that work well for 'about-town' wear as a drysuit is pretty much limited to the sea.

Back to sailing.... I think the main items on my basic check list would be personal safety : life jacket, tether, 5 breathable clothing layer system, good grippy boots, ski gloves, hand warmers, under armour head warmer, Gill head warmer.

Day out enjoyment: good coffee and tea. A mini white boards to write how crew and skipper like there Tea or coffee, nibbles, good food on arrival, go to a restaurant in the evening as a reward for sailing in the cold during the day. If your going to eat at anchor then bring food that is NOT out of a tin. Broad beans, bacon bits and some Elmlee double cream for starter or with a steak. No salads in winter!! :-))

And finally....Because some parts of the body have no fat covering them, the blood vessels are near the surface of the skin and can lose heat to the air very easily.
This is why you should always wear a hat when it's cold out ... 30 percent of the heat loss you experience will be through the blood vessels in your head, if you don't wear a hat!
 
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