We have kept Prairie Gold on the water for the winter 2013/14 season. Our goal was to try to use the boat at least once over the winter between Nov 1st 2013 and May 1st 2014. Given that our condo looks over the harbor, we have previously been frustrated during nice weather wishing we could sail. Well, the end of December conclusion is that it was worth it. We have been out five times since November 1st and hope to get out once more, hopefully January 1st. I have managed to get to the "tree house" several additional times and find myself doing little jobs, even turning my computer on and working for a while. On Thanksgiving day I came down to Prairie Gold, just because, and my neighbor Chuck was here with fishing poles. It was really cold, but we dangled lines for smelt. Then Chuck had the great idea of bloody Mary's. All before 10am. Why not!
I didn't quite know when to winterize while being in the water. Near the end of November there was going to be a cold snap and several people who were leaving boats in the water were in a flurry of activity. Given that I had all of the items on the boat I went ahead and winterized PG. This allowed me to test my new electric oil changer. I put the tube down the dipstick hole, attached to the battery and off she went. It took a little more time than I expected. Then I realized that this was a design feature and that the small print mentioned the need to drink an IPA with each oil change. Instructions duly noted, I obliged.
We normally winterize when we get to our destination to take the boat out of the water. When is the right time to do so when you are in the water? Hmmm. the scientist in me is testing this out. Of course the most important thing is to not allow water to freeze. Cold water 32F and sea water 28F. I winterized our fresh water system and the engine sea water cooling system. But was it yet necessary? So I have been tracking many temperatures since then - sea water, cabin temperature, engine temperature, and ambient temperature. The current conclusion is that the sea water temperature dictates the engine, and cabin temperature. However, I will need to keep coming down to collect more data (as well as checking that the beer hasn't frozen). Currently, the sea water temperature is 37F, the cabin and engine temps are 36F. The great thing is that with the refrigerator turned off and winterized I can keep beer perfectly chilled in there with no need to use electricity.
While we are enjoying the occasional sail, it does take a while to prepare to leave the dock. We have 15 docklines attached to Prairie Gold - see some beneath. And there are days when the winds have really got up there that I have been glad they are all attached.
A chilly December day with snow on PG
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