How to properly prepare for winter sailing

How to properly prepare for winter sailing

I like to take risks. Prolonged sailing season - I'm used to it. It happened for the first time by accident just a year when I bought a yacht. When I was ready to lift the yacht out of the water, it was discovered that the lift in the port had already been removed for wintering. Until that moment, yachts were constantly seen in the Baltic Sea, attracted by the November unkind, but tailwind away from the coast into the expanses of water. Yachts sailed past the leafless forests, through the Elbe Trave canal, enjoying the uninhabited but beautiful landscape with foggy mornings and clean cold evenings, despite the light frost and the coming cold. But it is known that the first snow is a kind of signal of the complete end of the season until the onset of spring March. Sails are lowered, hiding in covers, and yachts are sent for the winter.

But this time it was different. A fully armed yacht was in the port of Hamburg, I lived in a boat. I only needed a little preparation, and we were completely ready to go to sea. The ice - the child of the first cold weather - disappeared, and a thin layer of newly fallen snow lay on the berths. The weather forecast was promising: an intensifying east wind of 4 points, snow squalls. This sounded better than one of the summer forecasts, promising showers brought by winds from the southeast. So, give up the mooring lines! - two days before the New Year.

How to properly prepare for winter sailing

To Wedel and back - this route was planned by me, Kinga and Frank for this day. With a suitable tidal wave, this would work well. As the sun rose, Frank and Kinga climbed aboard, and a favorable wind drove us towards incredible landscapes and panoramas against the backdrop of the Hamburg dock, dressed in white winter clothes.

The first two miles were accompanied by unpleasant sounds from the water, which, agitatedly, beat against the concrete wall of the dock and the floating dock. Having straightened the fore, we are faced with the first difficulty: the cold froze the water that got on the deck, and a thin layer of ice turned the bow deck into a skating rink, with each new drop falling on the deck contributing to the build-up of an ice crust. What to do? Break the ice? And that's when the enthusiasm sir Ernest Shackleton, who headed in 1914-1917. Imperial trans-Antarctic expedition on ships Aurora and Endurance, calmed down a bit, and I remembered that sailing at this time of the year is not only romance, but also a struggle with snow and ice.

How to properly prepare for winter sailing

"A thin layer of ice turned the bow deck into a skating rink, with each new drop falling on the deck contributing to the build-up of an ice crust."

The cold season makes its own special demands on the crew and the vessel. The most important rule in winter sailing: at temperatures below freezing, walking on deck is strictly prohibited - of course, onboard and rescue rails must be prepared before sailing.

Wellness is even more important in winter than in summer. To enjoy the unusual snowy landscapes, in addition to warming tea, first of all, you need to have a solid, absolutely waterproof yacht suit. The best way to maintain a comfortable temperature is the kale method, which provides layering. In this case, the underwear layer should consist of thermal underwear or ski underwear made of synthetic fibers. On top of the linen - one or more layers of fleece, and then only the suit itself. When I was in the North Sea, I even had to wear a snow suit under my waterproof pants.

It should be borne in mind that ski clothing often provides better thermal insulation than sailing clothing that is not designed for cold temperatures. Manufacturers of snow suits, in turn, do not count on the contact of their clothes with a large amount of water. Therefore, it is imperative to wear waterproof windbreakers on top. The same goes for winter gloves, scarves and hats. Gloves are especially difficult. Water first penetrates through the seams into the filler, and then falls into the palm of your hand. And then every movement of the hand brings unpleasant sensations. In this case, only a countless collection of gloves to replace wet can save, and they need to be changed at the end of each maneuver.

How to properly prepare for winter sailing

It is also important to have heating on board, which is essential for drying wet clothes. Modern electric and diesel heating also works under moderate sailing conditions and slight heeling does not pose a problem. The blower ensures an even distribution of warm air on the yacht, and the crew can warm up from time to time in the cabins.

In the warmth and comfort provided by diesel heating, I spent many evenings surrounded by my friends who came to my floating apartment. The port of Hamburg was an ideal wintering place for me. But wintering on the water requires some trade-offs. The tidal zone reduces the formation of hard ice. Besides, there is life in the port. It is very important to know that you are not alone, but among people who occasionally cast glances at your boat. The feeling that someone is always there, and there is a phone around the corner, helps to realize that you are safe. Of course, the infrastructure must be appropriate: since I lived on board, it was important for me to have sanitary facilities, electricity, water and garbage collection services. And, of course, it won't hurt if there is a lift somewhere nearby in case something breaks on the yacht.

How to properly prepare for winter sailing

For most of those who spent the winter with me, being in the center played an important role. In the port city, those who work and live here can easily find a boat. Of course, the port lost in the North Sea promises more romance, but still after a festive evening it is more important to have another look at the yacht, especially if cold winds bring snow blizzards and new cyclones. And then you will definitely have to chop the ice and remove the snow from the yacht. And in order not to damage the yacht, I recommend using yacht covers and awnings in advance.

It makes sense to spend the winter on the water only if if the yacht is planned to be used for its intended purpose. If not, then spending frosty short winter days moving from the pier to the apartment is not logical.

Before you go on a yacht on a winter voyage, you need to do more than just think it over - I was finally convinced of this by the excellent alternative to city winter. Winter swimming attracts not only because of the possibility of solitude, but also because in the period from November to May you can see all the northern rivieras, which suddenly take on a completely unfamiliar look. Of course, such a trip needs to be well planned, since not all ports are open in winter. It is necessary to take into account the fact that the days are short and the nights are long, and, of course, a more careful analysis of the weather forecasts.

But the memories of the experienced snow storms will remain in the memory forever, because these sensations are fundamentally different from the usual emotions associated with everyday summer rain clouds.

How to properly prepare for winter sailing

Safe wintering on the water

There is a myth that boats must winter on land - a relic of the era of wooden boats. This is understandable, since wood, water and frost cannot coexist together. Although nowadays wooden boats can easily spend the winter on the water. Of course, wintering on the water will require additional control from you, as well as the presence of heating on board. For yachts with glass-plastic hulls, the latter condition is optional. Here, the special coating against fouling by microorganisms of the flora and fauna of the underwater part of the vessel mainly suffers when the boat is cleared of ice and snow.

There is another fear that haunts yachtsmen - the hull can be compressed and deformed from a heavy crust of ice - but this is not a problem at all for modern yachts, since the ice builds up from top to bottom. In the worst case, the ice can slide under the boat and in the coldest periods raise the yacht slightly.

But if wintering a boat on the water, in principle, is not a problem, then there are some aspects during the preparation of a yacht for winter, which must certainly be paid attention to.

It must be remembered that if you leave your boat for the winter on the water, you must definitely operate it.

In this case, it is imperative that the boat has good heating. Diesel heating - this is the best option, since in ports the electricity consumption in winter is monitored and read from intermediate meters. Therefore, a 2000W air heater can cause unpleasantly high amounts on electricity bills.

In addition, built-in heating has a higher quality on board and is therefore worth some investment and installation effort. But then how pleasant it is to enjoy hot tea in the warm saloon accompanied by the pitiful howl of a winter squall on the deck.

The biggest risk to a yacht is damage to water lines and side outlets. If the heating has been turned off for several hours, it may happen that on the coldest days the water hoses to the motor, sink and toilet may freeze and burst. Then only closed seacocks can prevent the boat from sinking. It is also necessary to sometimes warm up the engine to prevent it from freezing.

But the main problem on board in winter is the presence of condensation. Wherever there is a direct connection between the hull and the cabin, a kind of cold stream is created, which promotes the formation of condensation. On yachts with inner lining, this problem is less relevant and arises, first of all, on the sides of the hull, mainly in cabinets and lockers.

It is necessary to ensure the drainage of condensate into the hold in order to exclude the formation of mold. On deck, these areas are always slightly warmer than the rest of the space and are easy to recognize when the first snow hits - a good insulation test. Classic problem areas are windows, hatches and sliding hatch covers, which can be additionally insulated with insulation boards or double-layer furniture linings.

How to properly prepare for winter sailing

On deck, all preparations are mainly associated with the formation of melt water: the halyards that descend from the mast to the cockpit must be stretched so that they do not turn into waste bins and allow melted water to drain freely from the deck. The same applies to all cables and items that are on the deck. It should always be borne in mind that the deck is heated from the inside, and the snow melts according to all the rules from the bottom up.

A sail on a boom and a fokastag tolerates frost well in tarpaulin covers. At low temperatures, there is no reason to worry about the formation of mold either - this problem is more relevant in the autumn-spring period. If the temperature rises, there is one good way to prevent mold from forming: simply remove the canvas covers from the sails and ventilate well. Mold is much more likely to form below deck when sails are stored in a poorly ventilated warm bow space.

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05.10.2017