Winter sailing

[Rhylsailer99]

Made it to the boat and managed to get a deep water mooring. I did forget to put the wheel up on my dinghy and they got caught on a mooring rope oops. Quickly in reverse and managed to man handle the dinghy free. Now I can chill until decide to set off.
Its bit easy grabing a mooring buoy with icy decks, and my harness got twisted on the jack lines .

 

[Rhylsailer99]

 

[dunedin]

It took a few turns of the engine to get the old Bukh going. I turned the night heater on to hopefully get he air warmer to help it to start.
I think some grit on the deck might have been a good idea. Safetty harness will be on and Im thinking to motor until the sun comes up.

Avoid grit on deck, but we often give a sluice of sea water over the decks which clears any ice (at least in typical UK cold, don't try in Antartica).
Have a safe trip.
PS We have had lovely sunshine sails in mid-winter - even the time it was -8C overnight and surface ice around us in the morning in Tarbert harbour!

 

[Rhylsailer99]

Its not as cold now

 

[Halo]

Well done you!

 

[Refueler]

It took a few turns of the engine to get the old Bukh going. I turned the night heater on to hopefully get he air warmer to help it to start.
I think some grit on the deck might have been a good idea. Safetty harness will be on and Im thinking to motor until the sun comes up.

To be honest - if its a shortish trip - most boats get a little warmth from engines ... so I would be inclined to motor-sail .....

 

[fredrussell]

Its not as cold now

First sign of hypothermia!

 

[Minerva]

First sign of hypothermia!

Or sunrise

 

[Rhylsailer99]

Made it.

 

[magicol]

Well done! Good winter adventure for all of us who’ve put our boats to bed! Thanks for posting.

 

[Stemar]

PS We have had lovely sunshine sails in mid-winter - even the time it was -8C overnight and surface ice around us in the morning in Tarbert harbour!

Thank you for reminding me why I don't do winter sailing any more

Well done! Good winter adventure for all of us who’ve put our boats to bed! Thanks for posting.

Well done indeed. Definitely my kind of winter adventure - one I can read about from a nice warm fireside

 

[Sandy]

Some cracking pictures there.

If you are spending winter afloat I'd recommend a pair of RAB winter mountaineering gloves, best not look at the price, as you can steer and handle ropes in them. Thankfully we have moved on from wearing wooly sheep on our hands.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Some cracking pictures there.

If you are spending winter afloat I'd recommend a pair of RAB winter mountaineering gloves, best not look at the price, as you can steer and handle ropes in them. Thankfully we have moved on from wearing wooly sheep on our hands.

I’m not sure they’ve moved on in Rhyl.

 

[Rhylsailer99]

Made it to the boat and managed to get a deep water mooring. I did forget to put the wheel up on my dinghy and they got caught on a mooring rope oops. Quickly in reverse and managed to man handle the dinghy free. Now I can chill until decide to set off.
Its not easy grabbing a mooring buoy with icy decks, and my harness got twisted on the jack lines .

I also forgot to add whilst pulling up a 2.6m dingy attached to a mooring buoy by its back wheel the rope caught my headtorch and knocked it into the sea .
I did not realise how hard it would be to see a mooring buoy in total darkness, my torch just bounced back in the hazy sea air.
I did notice how I could see the buoys by not looking for them i.e in the corner of my eyes only.

 

[steveeasy]

Glad you enjoyed your Trip. I so wish my boat was on the water, winter sailing is so exciting. Still it will be much like today in late March, so ill not miss out too much.
Steveeasy

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Glad you enjoyed your Trip. I so wish my boat was on the water, winter sailing is so exciting. Still it will be much like today in late March, so ill not miss out too much.
Steveeasy

Nothing quite like a crisp winter day
Last Saturday.

 

[Wansworth]

Would you have benefited from a crew member?

 

[Wansworth]

Nothing quite like a crisp winter day
Last Saturday.
View attachment 168603

Cold winters light

 

[Birdseye]

May be a bit late as you will be on the way, I assume.

I sail all year round, out of Oban area. With current air temperatures and 18 its of wind, the wind chill will be very noticeable. The cold can soaks in slowly and it gets difficult to warm up. Layers are good, better to be too warm where you can cool down by opening a zip, than too cold. Tight, or close fitting layers should be avoided, loose being superior for both trapped air heating and circulation to move away any humidity under the clothes, or at least spread it around. A prefer a buff or snood around my neck rather than a scarf as scarfs come loos and need adjusted, a snood just sits there; get the ticker type. I carry a set of low cost ski googles, yellow tint. The tint is not important but I found that yellow tint is fantastic at managing glare from bright blue sky, improved definition. More importantly, googles protect the eyes from cold wind. On the glove front I wear mittens which can be removed where dexterity is required, I find the mittens to be superior to gloves. Have a few pairs of gloves and wooly hats, if you lose one, it can turn a great day into a crap experience.

A good breakfast of something that releases energy slowly is worth it: porridge, ready break, breakfast burritos and eggs (good hot air circulation generator). Bring along Lipsil or similar to keep lips moisturised.

Lifejacket / safety harness. I don't ware a lifejacket in winter, as the straps compress the clothing and lead to cold spots if fitted correctly. I do wear a safety harness, just the shoulder straps and waste belt type, fitted on the loose side of snug. I always use it, I am never disconnected when outside the cabin. Lifejacket is close by and can be grabbed and fitted if needed.

At the end of the day, there is more than one way to skin a cat, but it's great that you are going sailing in winter. Just do it, think about what could have been done better after the sail, and make better for the next winter sail.

All the best on the water.

Lots of good advice here.

I have for many years sailed through the winter, mostly racing rather than cruising. As the kipper I was pinned behind the exposed wheel with not enough movement to generate heat. To deal with this I wore a fishemans immersion suit which has a foam layer between inner and outer and in most cases I was a bit too warm as a result. Beanie for the head, mittens for the hands, wellies and a knitted / fleece neck sleeve of the sort used on my motorcycle.

Biggest issue was if I ever wanted a pee!

 

[RunAgroundHard]

One thing I recently experienced after a cold sail on the boat, was falling asleep at the wheel, the car wheel on the way home. Don't underestimate how tired you may be after a good, cold sail in winter. In my case it was a micro sleep, but I was deep in the land of nod, when the rumble strip woke me up with a sudden snap! I had been fighting it for an hour or so, windows down, fresh air in the car, heavy eyes, radio on, forced concentration.