Haul out for winter or leave in?

[catsailor]

No offense Recess but Florida panhandle isn't really winter. I like off season sailing too. Last winter I probably sailed weekly on LI - but it was a very mild winter. I haul my boat. But luckily, a buddy doesn't. He has an outboard, no water system to winterize and so it's not a big deal to show up on a mild winter day, motor 500 yards to the bay, hoist a sail and go for a few hours. It sure makes the winter go by more easily. One day I would like to take that sail while it's snowing. I think I could learn a lot from watching the snow flow over the sail. And, did I mention the stark beauty of the low sun and clear air which makes a sail in familiar waters look totally different.

I had so much snow on deck 2 years ago (about 2 feet and more in the cockpit drifts) that I had to go through a deck hatch to dig out the companion way. But very quiet sleeping that night.

 

[Gunni]

First season? Haul it, put it on stands and go over it thoroughly this winter, getting familiar with the boat. If the winter turns out to be a typical Ches Bay winter, the marinas and shallow water will freeze and the ice grinds your hull. I'm repainting our boot strip this year to repair ice damage from two years ago. If you leave it in use a bubbler or de-icer.

 

[thinwater]

First season? Haul it, put it on stands and go over it thoroughly this winter, getting familiar with the boat. If the winter turns out to be a typical Ches Bay winter, the marinas and shallow water will freeze and the ice grinds your hull. I'm repainting our boot strip this year to repair ice damage from two years ago. If you leave it in use a bubbler or de-icer.

This is where local knowledge is important. Some marinas freeze hard and long, while another a few miles away may stay ice-free or have only a thin crust. It has to do with tidal flushing and fresh water. Others are exposed to wind and the ice shifts with some force, others the ice sits still and the wind is blocked. There's no substitute for asking folks that have been on the same pier for a dozen winters. Some mid-Chesapeake marinas I would stay in over the winter, others not so much. I'm fortunate to be in a relatively ice-free slot with no exposure to shifting ice. And if it gets really bad, perhaps every 10-20 years, I have a bubbler.