BONUS DAYS OF FALL

Had some bonus days in November with the temperatures reaching into the mid 70 degree Fahrenheit range. Took advantage of the warm days to take off the sail and lower the boom. Now it's up to the boatyard as to when to unstep the mast and pull the boat for the winter. Once that is done I'll winterize the water systems and then get into a winter mode of occasional boat checks until spring.

BOAT DRINKS AND ICE

 A little over a week ago I was snorkeling in 80 degree F water in Bonaire and enjoying ice in Boat Drinks. Yesterday I was on my boat looking at ice in the boat. A little in the bilge and the Brita water container frozen solid.

That will have to wait until warmer days to remove. It was also too cold to work on board I just sat by the heater and waited until the batteries get a top up charge.

END OF THE SEASON

 It's the end of another season and BIANKA is safely on land in the boatyard.  I spent much more time on board this summer and have plans to do the same for next year.  I had a successful test of some new systems on board. Including a new, more powerful generator and 48 volt power supply to be used when electric sailing. I’ll be posting about these new additions and other ideas here on the blog as I’ll have more time in the off season for posting.

END OF THE SEASON 2017

I had BIANKA pulled and stored in the boatyard for the winter last week. It was time there was a near brush with Hurricane Jose which came up the coast. It's also the time of the year when Nor'easters start forming making for cold, wet windy weather. I was triggered a few weeks ago while sitting in the cockpit noticing how early the sun was going down and also how cold it was while wearing my wool watch cap. It warmed up a little since then but, nature keeps sending it's reminders that it is time to end the sailing season:

Next week the remnants of Hurricane Nate will be impacting the area. Though it should only bring a heavy rain to the area. It is just another sign that it's time to pull the boat for the winter

TIME AND TIDE

"Time and tide wait for no man" 

Geoffrey Chaucer

 Well it's the end of the sailing season for BIANKA and I here in the northeast U.S. The boat is at the dock to have the mast unstepped and to be put on land for the winter.  I need to take a number of heavy bulky items off the boat and having the boat at the dock makes it easier than when she is on the jack stands. While  Chaucer says time and tide wait for no man I do just the opposite and wait for the right tide.  Removing the heavy items such as the 540 feet of sail stowed in a large sail bag, the Sailrite sewing machine or the Honda 2000 generator is best done at high tide.  Then the gangway that leads to land and the car is at it's most horizontal position. A prudent mariner waits for time and tide to accomplish such moves. Might as well make it as easy as possible if you can.

WINTERLUDE 2015

I finally got down to the boatyard yesterday to check on the boat. I had been in the Caribbean most of January. Most of it cruising on a 43 foot Catamaran in the U.S. and Spanish Virgin Islands. The idea was to miss most of the harshest part of winter. Then come back at the end of January. February would be a short month and then spring begins in March. The plan did not quite work out. I got back the day before a blizzard dumped two feet of snow here on the Isle of Long.  Much of that snow is still on the ground along with snow from smaller storms and frigid temperatures. Yesterday looked like it would be the last day where the temperature would be over 30 degrees Fahrenheit for over a week. So I bundled up and headed to the boatyard. It was a slippery walk on icy drifts to get to the boat  but, I luckily I did not slip and fall.

So far so good.

There was a little less snow under and around the boat.

But, the cockpit still had the remains of the Blizzard from two weeks ago. The deck was very icy and I had to be very careful I did not slip on the frozen surface as I stepped into the cockpit. Entering the cabin things looked as I left it over a month ago. But when I checked the bilge:

I found it half way filled and frozen solid into one big block of ice. Probably as a result of blowing snow during the blizzard finding it's way under the cockpit lockers and melting into the bilge. Where recent Arctic temperature blasts refroze it:

I also found the bilge pump fuse had blown. Replacing it would not help at this point since the bilge pump is also frozen into the ice. Not much to do except pour a half gallon of antifreeze on top of the ice:

When the temperature moderates the ice will melt and hopefully the antifreeze will prevent it from refreezing. More Arctic blasts are expected in the next week though. So it will be awhile before it melts. I just hope I don't have to wait until Spring for it to melt.

OCTOBER CHANGES: Wind and windage

October is a month of change here in the harbor on the Isle of Long. Boats start disappearing from dock slips and morrings. Sails come off of boats and on some boats the masts also come down. At least they don't fall down but, are laid on deck so the boat can be moved and stored in some inland location. Yep, lot's of changes happening around BIANKA.  The taking down of the mast on a sailboat before it's pulled can change things quite a bit especially if the boat is put back on it's mooring to await hauling out for the winter. I observed this the other day as two nearby boats had a close encounter with the change of tide. One of the boats had it's mast laid on it's deck the day before which changed the amount of windage upon it. This gave the currents flowing underneath the boat more sway in how the boat lay at the mooring. Meanwhile, the boat on the next mooring still had it's mast and was affected more by the wind. The result is when I looked up at one point the end of the mast of the demasted boat was poking into the cockpit enclosure of the fully rigged boat:

Luckily, it appeared to be just high enough to make it over the lifelines and did not appear to be hung up on anything. I kept watching hoping I did not have to make an intervention. Which would have been difficult in the conditions since I only had a dingy with oars and the wind was picking up. In a few minutes the boats had separated:

But, only for a few minutes. Soon the currents and winds resumed their battle and the boats were once again in close proximity to each other. But, not in any danger of getting hung up as before:

Eventually, things got back to normal and the collision danger passed. The next day I woke up from a nap hand found that the boat with the stepped mast had been removed from the mooring eliminating any further chance of the two boats bumping into one another. Just something to consider this time of year when the wind and windage of the boats can change and mysterious damage happens.

WINTERLUDE 2014

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The mooring permit arrived in the mail the other day. Despite the snow still on the ground I really had to get down to the boatyard to pick up some documentation for the application. Also because I had not been on the boat since late December I really wanted to make sure things were ok on board. We have had several winter storms during January and I had visions of an ice filled bilge or worse. In addition a Nor' Easter was expected the next day which would make getting to the boat even harder if not impossible. So for all of these reasons I put on some boots and headed to the boatyard.

Like Robbie the boatyard manager told me a few days before there was still some frozen snow drifts making for a difficult walk to the boat but, not too bad. I used the folding ladder like a crutch or walking stick to help break through the frozen drifts. Soon I was in sight of BIANKA:

There was no snow underneath the boats but, icy  foot and half drifts along the sides. My boats southern location help keep the snow to a minimum around the boat so I could unfold the ladder. But, before I did I noticed the three foot icicles hanging down from some of the cockpit and deck drains:

Yeah, it's been a cold winter with very little thawing in between storms.  I'm going to be doing a close inspection of the cockpit drain hoses when things warm up for sure.  Just to make sure the ice build up has not damaged them. Climbing up the ladder I saw first hand how much snow we have had compared to previous winters:

Somewhere under all that snow is the cabin top and deck. Looks like it was a tactical error not to cover the boat this year. Previous winters for the past ten years had been rather mild and any snow did not stick around for long. Especially with the harbor waters helping to moderate the winter temperatures.

The cockpit was partially filled with snow. The solar panels on one side of the solar bimini were covered as well from the snow of last week:

So I was expecting the worse as I went into the cabin I had not seen since late December. But, to my surprise I found only about an inch of water in the bilge despite all the snow that hit the area:

The water was still way below the bilge switch but, unfortunately because of the recent below normal single digit temperatures the water was frozen.

 So I added a little more spare Antifreeze to the bilge and hope to come back again soon to remove the water when things warm up a bit. I still was relieved to see how little water had actually ended up in the bilge in the month and a half since I was last on board. I also checked the cover over the mast partner area of the boat and it was secure and things were completely dry by the mast step:

Despite the solar panels having been partly covered by snow I was glad to see the batteries were still fully charged. Though I turned on both battery charges to make sure they would get a little top up too while I was on board. I also took out the small ceramic heater and fired it up:

Soon things were nice and toasty. I took off my boots and warmed the insides as well as my toes after trudging around in the 20 degree temperatures and snow drifts  to get to the boat. This little heater works very well to warm up the cabin on a cold winters day. I stayed on board about an hour. Picked up the paper work I needed. I took one last look at the winter view of the docks:

The  undisturbed snow on the dock makes it seem like spring is so far away.  But, after the snow storm last night temperatures reached up to 40 degrees fahrenheit this morning and started to melt much more of the snow. This gives me hope that my next trip to the boat will be a lot easier and warmer.  

THE HEAT IS ON

It was 25 degrees fahrenheit outside this morning.  Even though technically it is still fall here in the northeast it sure feels like winter already and I'm reminded that I  really need to go check on the boat despite the cold temperatures. When I bought BIANKA it came with a Espar diesel heater installed. Which came in handy during early April and late fall sails to and from New York where I lived aboard the boat. Since I no longer carry diesel on board after converting to electric propulsion the diesel heater has not been used in years. But, in the off season while working on the boat I do have supplemental heat in the form of an Holmes  Compact Ceramic Heater .
I also used it on board when the boat was at the dock in New York. It provides nice heat in a small package. It can even fit under the steps blowing heat along the cabin floor or on a counter blowing a dry heat toward the bunk keeping one nice and toasty. It has a thermostat but, I never keep it on unless I am on the boat. The boatyard also has a policy of not allowing any electrical power to be connected unless you are on the boat. Which is a good idea since fires can start if heaters are left unattended. But, when working on the boat on a cold day it helps make things nice and toasty in the cabin as one waits for the warm  Summer Wind to once again arrive.

WHY I'M AN OPTIMIST

While some sailors may look out their front door in despair at this scene courtesy of the blizzard Nemo. As for myself, I take comfort that I mailed in the application for this seasons mooring permit yesterday. So I know the sailing season is on it's way.

MID WINTER CHECKUP

It's sure been a cold cold winter

- Rolling Stones

Yeah, this winter is certainly not as warm or snow free as last year. So last week when things warmed up into the mid fifties last year I took advantage of the heat wave to go check on the boat. Things were looking good. The bilge was completely dry except for the splash of   antifreeze    I left in it.  I also did a quick check  of the propulsion battery bank which has being topped up over the winter by solar and wind charging systems. I fired up the Dual Pro Charger just to make sure things were fully topped up. While I waited for it to go through it's cycle I finished the last chapter of The Coast of Summer: sailing New England Waters from Shelter Island to Cape Cod by Anthony Bailey. A book I had been reading on board. I took a little nap too and by the time I woke up the charger had finished.
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Things were looking good there too!

Elsewhere in the boatyard there were signs of recovery from the effects of Super storm Sandy last October. New replacement docks being assembled in the yard:

.and others like this new Dingy dock are already floating in the water:

So even though a snow storm is threatening to hit the area in a few days there are signs that the boating season is on the way. 

ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE

For the past several years I have been using the top of a five gallon bucket to cover the opening of the mast partner opening after I have unstepped the mast.

Unfortuntely, the cover I usually used which resided on the bucket I used a quick rinse after a swim got blown away this season during Hurricane Earl. What to do? I'm a "use what you got and you won't need what you've not" kind of fellow. So I took some used heat shrink I had on board and placed it over the mast partner hole. Then I took one of the straps that hold mast seal cover and placed  it over the heat shrink material and tightened around the mast partner collar.

Seems to work pretty well and has stood up to 60 MPH winds in a recent blizzard. Problem solved and through the use of recylcled material to boot. Another win win situation.

SEASONAL SIGNALS TO WINTERIZE THE BOAT

The storm and winds that prevented me from heading to the Oyster Festival were followed by the first reports of snow in the Adirondack Mountains. The Nor'easters can't be far behind. Here in the Northeast and other northern waters those are the seasonal signals it's time to start thinking about winterizing the boat. So this might be a good time to to review Capt. Mike's technique for winterizing BIANKA's water system using one gallon of antifreeze. 

One of the real nice things about having an electric propulsion system and no diesel on board is that winterizing the water system is about all that needs to be done to get BIANKA ready for winter.  Click here to see how Capt. Mike winterizes with just one gallon of antifreeze on board BIANKA.



TIP FROM CAPT MIKE: I test the recovered antifreeze using a refractometer to make sure the antifreeze will provide the needed freeze protection of the water system. If you get one that tests for both Propylene glycol (the kind used for winterizing the water system) and Ethylene glycol antifreeze (used in engines) you can also use it to check the engine antifreeze protection as well.

Winterizing a boat with one gallon of antifreeze

I wandered into the West Marine store to pick up some Starboard to use for making a permanent mount for the Thoosa electric motor throttle control and some propylene glycol antifreeze to winterize the boat. I got a little "sticker shock" from the price of the Propylene glycol antifreeze that is used to winterize on board water and engine systems. Almost five dollars a gallon! When I saw that I was glad I had converted to electric propulsion as I no longer need the extra three or four gallons to winterize the diesel engine. Knowing I had some left over Propylene glycol antifreeze from last year I opted to buy only one gallon. It turns out that is all I needed. This is good, very good. Good for the environment and good for the wallet.
Here is how I did it:

Storage tip: Covering the mast hole.

After the mast is pulled on a Nonsuch 30 I have found that the cover from a five gallon plastic pail is the perfect fit to cover the hole in the mast partners. A little gaffers tape and a little extra weight (water in a gallon jug in the photo above) will help to keep it weighed down.