winter sailing- have you done any this year?

[Daydream believer]

I always take my boat out of the water each year, bring everything home & dry it all out
However, lots of people always say that they leave their boats in the water for those lovely crisp winter sails (or so they say)
So from all the U K " leave it in " types ( sounds wrong somehow- sorry!!!)
how many of you have actually been sailing since the 01 December to now & where are you based?
Is it really worth leaving the boat in the water over winter, or are you really just too lazy (no offence meant- really!!)to lay the boat up ?

 

[Lucky Duck]

During December there seemed to be one sublime and one rubbish day for each weekend so I was able to get out on the boat even if it was mainly day sailing.

The Christmas break was pretty poor and didn't manage to get on the water apart from New Year's day. However I had a good long weekend sail before coming out in mid January.

 

[dylanwinter]

Humber

some great days

far fewer than last year though

D

 

[aroona]

Boats on the hard till April

Get out regularly with the l/b over the winter but dont think that qualifies as sailing !

 

[FWB]

The boat only comes out for a few days for antifouling. I usually do quite a lot of sailing in the winter. Have only had a couple of sails so far this year, due to the carp weather. But going down for a while later this week.
Boat in Falmouth.

 

[Magaz97]

Only managed one trip out so far this year. Last year was much better. We are up on the North East coast. The weather over the past few weeks has been abysmal. This was taken about mid January, I think.(if the picture is showing?)

 

[Sans Bateau]

One weekend at anchor in the Chi harbour, just after Christmas, nothing too adventurous.

 

[prv]

Been out on the water once this year - but that was only to motor the new boat round from the Hamble to the Itchen. Bit exciting as the engine (which I was told had been serviced but actually hadn't) started dying from crud in the fuel filter. Top marks to my dad for insisting that we buy a spare filter on discovering there was none in the "complete" engine spares box before we left.

It was blowing a hoolie and we were just motoring into it, but it was still nice to be back on the water.

Plan in future is to leave the boat in over winter as she has now been epoxy coated and there's no real need to lift out. Will be in semi-refit mode in the off-season for the next couple of years, but will try to keep her sailable for the odd clear crisp day.

Pete

 

[silverdawn]

My boat is out this year after two seasons afloat (marina pontoon berth) I was eager to do some winter sailing but in all honesty December was far to cold and January & February only sailed once, this was messing about on the river type sailing but if you had a few short coastal hops perhaps it would be more enjoyable , I think you have to be quite hardy to sail in zero temperatures, so for me although I had every intention to sail the cold won out!

I always take my boat out of the water each year, bring everything home & dry it all out
However, lots of people always say that they leave their boats in the water for those lovely crisp winter sails (or so they say)
So from all the U K " leave it in " types ( sounds wrong somehow- sorry!!!)
how many of you have actually been sailing since the 01 December to now & where are you based?
Is it really worth leaving the boat in the water over winter, or are you really just too lazy (no offence meant- really!!)to lay the boat up ?

 

[dylanwinter]

Winter sailing - the good the bad and the ugly

I have been on the boat at least twice a month through this winter

I have filmed a fair bit -and had some great sails - but not as many as the last two winters but then I was in North Norfolk and not Yorkshire

not been down for two weeks now though

so am going to have to go at some stage whatever the weather is doing

otherwise madness can only be a few steps away



the good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZTy_viCUo4


the bad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kmTfZoe4hM


and the ugly


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMtW1nrU7XU

 

[Fantasie 19]

One weekend at anchor in the Chi harbour, just after Christmas, nothing too adventurous.

Lovely... where did you hole up?? Missing my boating in the harbour in case you can't tell!

 

[prv]

I think you have to be quite hardy to sail in zero temperatures

The first "serious" big-boat sailing I did (after being taken as a child on my grandparents' boats, and sunny Med charter holidays as a teenager with my parents) was a delivery trip of the Army's new boats from Sweden to Kiel, down the Baltic in February. The yachts had been frozen into their berths at the yard, with a heavy local workboat called in on the morning of departure to break up the ice and let them out. Being a delivery trip we were pressing on with the daily miles, making several overnight passages.

Nearing the end of a watch at 3:45am, mid-Baltic in February with snow still on the deck - that is cold

Pete

 

[Kelpie]

I had originally planned on keeping the yacht in commission over winter, but have only done it once. But we have the luxury of having a Wayfarer which is much more fun for opportunistic day sails over winter. Thermals, Fladen flotation suit, and a flask of oxo is the trick!
We found that the daylight hours were too short, and the nights too cold (major condensation problems) to really enjoy out-of-season cruising. Perhaps further South that's less of a problem.

Unfortunately, this winter personal circumstances leave us on opposite sides of the country, with neither of us having access to a boat

 

[Philiz]

Ours stays in all year round. We've had a few trips out over winter and a couple of nights at anchor, but the late night dinghy trip to the beach for the dogs ablutions is not very appealing when it's dark, freezing cold and raining!

 

[Garold]

We had our boat out for annual service and maint which took about 5 weeks mid Nov to Xmas.

Otherwise we are in all year and we use our boat all year round.

In summer, we feel disinclined to go out because of the poor weather maybe 10-20% of the time. In winter that increases to probably 30-40%.

We are however sailing on the Solent and rarely venture outside the Solent in winter because even if we have a good day, it is usual for the days before or after to be poor weather.

But sometimes Oct to March sailing is surprising.

Cheers

G


My wife, working hard on one of her 'working at home' days. Modern communications and IT were surely invented for the weekend sailor who wants to take Friday too.

 

[Garold]

A few more winter boating pics.

View attachment 28312

All in Solent somewhere.

Some windy, some sunny, and a bit of snow.

And there's often space to moor... everywhere.

Cheers

Garold

 

[wazza]

I take it sailing a little hobie type cat off a beach in Thailand doesn't really count...otherwise too much ice in Sweden

 

[Koeketiene]

how many of you have actually been sailing since the 01 December to now & where are you based?
Is it really worth leaving the boat in the water over winter, or are you really just too lazy (no offence meant- really!!)to lay the boat up ?

We leave the boat in most years. Boats are meant to be sailed, and they sail very badly on the hard.
We take the boat out at least once per month, but always try (and sometimes succeed) sailing more.

As for laying up: most people I know who lay up spend, upon re-launch, a fair bit of time fixing stuff that somehow miraculously stopped working over winter.
If I wanted to fix stuff, I would have a shed. Much prefer to go sailing.

 

[Tidewaiter2]

Remember, sailing is fun?

One weekend at anchor in the Chi harbour, just after Christmas, nothing too adventurous.

Bl@@dy cold and wet rain last weekend, finally got out on a Club Rally, even if it was a motor round to Gosport in no wind and a motor back with freezing wet wind on the nose, just before the 'Gale-soon' arrived, interspersed with a little engine fault finding- both Jan Rally slots got blown away.

Rain got everywhere, down collars, soaked gloves, froze fingers, oh and my heat exchanger developed a pinhole leak, emptying the header tank regularly,
Bad news £740+Vat looms, Good news Cooling water alarm works a treat!

The Boathouse Cafe in Gossers Marina does a good meal and wonderful sorbets mind!

Below, Winter Para Crew are best, until the cold gets to the old injuries, & my SWMBO's approach to Winter Cruising fun!

 

[V1701]

Been out once on mine & once on a mate's boat only, pathetic really given I live on the boat...

View attachment 28314