Faced with the task of winterizing the boat, I keep putting it off, hoping to squeeze another day or two in before I put her away for the winter. How do you decide when it is finally time to call it a season, and start to focus on upgrades and maintenance the boat needs before next spring? Here in Vermont I have seen it snow in the beginning/middle of October, but I still don't want to give up yet- Lake Champlain isn't even close to freezing over!
When do you call it quits for the season?
- Thread starter tsell
- Start date
- Status
I call it quits for the season when it snows in Florida. Well farther South than Sarasota. I take that back. If it snows in Sarasota I will go to Punta Gorda. Maybe consider winterizing if it snows in Punta Gorda.
I have not yet sailed in the keys...
I have not yet sailed in the keys...
That's the approach I should take! I sure the admiral wouldn't mind if I quit my job. Come to think of it, that is probably why she wanted to buy the boat in the first place.
When the Corps of Engineers decide to draw the lake down to where the last slip of the dock is just deep enough to keep me floating, which means I have about three days until the ramp is no longer useful. That time varies depending on their mood, so anywhere from mid-October to mid-November.
This year they're early.
This year they're early.
Here in New Yawk I wait till about the 1st week in Nov. cause I have to be out of the town marina by the 15th I have all the systems except the engine winterized and then when I drop it off at the travel lift a gallon of pink through the raw water intake hose covers that part and the rest when I'm on the hard
Here in western Long Island Sound, I move the boat from a mooring
right on the sound to a slip in protected Manhasset Bay...and sail to late November or early December depending on weather or when my
wife announces it's time to put up the Christmas decorations.
Anyone up the some late fall sailing?
Then when the boat is put to bed....I go sailing with friends
who sail thru the winter.
right on the sound to a slip in protected Manhasset Bay...and sail to late November or early December depending on weather or when my
wife announces it's time to put up the Christmas decorations.
Anyone up the some late fall sailing?
Then when the boat is put to bed....I go sailing with friends
who sail thru the winter.
I had to pull out a few weeks ago. Lake Champlain level was so low I was touching bottom on my mooring. I was really looking forward to sailing this weekend with the leaves at peak color.
I enjoy reading the replies here....particularly a few amusing ones. I can leave the boat in the water all year here in Seattle but without a full enclosure it's tough to sail all year long when the temps drop and we get the cold rain. I just sail on friends boats that are a bit more suited for winter weather. It's not too bad when we merely have a 'dry' rain. You know, of course, we have about 50 adjectives for different types of rain here!
We typically go in around April 15th and will stay in until the end of November. This year we are pulling after Thanksgiving weekend.
Next year I would like to stay In year round.
Next year I would like to stay In year round.
Our boat has been out for the past 2 weeks, painted boat and replaced a thru hull. About to leave the house now to launch later this morning. Will be in the water all winter. We sail if we get a nice day or just hang out onboard overnight to escape the daily grind, anytime over the winter.
I remember sailing Lake Champlain with fondness, but I forget the shortened season. We'll stay in the water here in Maine until November. Nights on the water get cooler in October, but the days can be the best of the season. I'm lucky in that I can pick my haulout just a few days in advance to choose the right weather.
The biggest pressure to haul is docks start coming out in my harbor the end of October/early November. That makes stripping sails and preparing the boat to haul tedious.
So we get a much longer fall in Maine than we used to sail in Vermont but the springs are a little sluggish in comparison. The oceans temperature calls the shots in the spring. Compared to Vermont weather, the old adage here on the coast compared to inland, is pretty accurate. "10 degrees cooler in summer, 10 degrees warmer in winter".
- Status