Winter Cruising Question

Ralph Johnstone · Dec 31, 2021

If this is a properly vented heater, it shouldn't present any problems if properly installed. It it's not vented as many camping models are not, definitely not.

If you're competent with gas fitting, replace the solenoid as you've mentioned. The PO of your boat was an incompetent to have removed the isolation solenoid and there's no telling what he may have done to the rest of the propane system. For the safety of your family, do a soap test on every other fitting that comes into contact with the propane. Ensure the propane is shut off at the tank when not in use.

You should also consider installing two well known brands of CO monitors. With kids on board, that's one thing I wouldn't want to leave to chance.

jssailem · Dec 31, 2021

I am all for adventure. But first trips can be tricky. You have two young children aboard. No time (in my opinion) to be testing the Darwin survival.

I would consider an alternative to "Grabbing a mooring ball" first time unless you have at least a little experience. Why not explore a marina port in the Islands.
Say Friday harbor... Just a little further, but you have

a dock,
a shore potty with shower,
discounted fees during winner.
Power to run a safe electric heater. (I like the oil filled ones, quiet and efficient)
Shore resources if you need emergency repairs (what first voyage goes off without something breaking?)
Pretty easy navigation.

Terry Cox · Dec 31, 2021

colb218 said:
Is there anything else I should consider before just going for it?

Really wanted to do a Christmas cruise this year, too, but decided to forego due to the weather this week as well as our son visiting with his family for a week. With twelve inches of snow and a frozen marina, a cruise was just not in the cards. Maybe next week for you would work out better.

Been in Fossil and Echo Bay many times. Both good anchorages, but a mooring ball would work, too. If any sort of southerly in the forecast, both very exposed. Shallow Bay on the north side of Sucia would give you better protection. Patos offers another option a bit to the northwest and closer to Blaine. Pretty good protection, too.

Terry Cox · Dec 31, 2021

As John mentioned, a good heater adds to the comfort of cruising. Temps here dropped to 15 this past week so the idea of sleeping in a very cold cabin detracts from the joy of sailing. Our forced air diesel furnace does a nice job keeping the boat warm during these winter nights on the hook. Unless you're in a hurry, best to wait until things warm up some. We're still below freezing here with heavy snow remaining on the ground.

Ralph Johnstone · Dec 31, 2021

colb218 said:
I am not sure how competent I am, but it also seems pretty straight forward.

Use yellow gas tape (or pink) it's thicker than white. Use plenty of wraps if you only have white. Be absolutely sure to wrap the tape CCW.

colb218 said:
I will be replacing the lines to the stove and heater with a T in the propane locker soon,

What's the "T" for ? If it serves no purpose, get rid of it. Remember, the PO of your boat was a moron.

colb218 said:
The good news is there are two sniffers under both the stove(where the T is) and the heater

Are those for propane or CO ? The CO are probably the more important right now.

colb218 said:
and the heater that I have tested by holding an unlit camp lighter under.

You lost me on this one. Don't look for a propane leak with a flame, it's not sensitive enough. Use soapy water.

kappykaplan · Dec 31, 2021

Ralph Johnstone said:
Don't look for a propane leak with a flame, it's not sensitive enough. Use soapy water.

He tested the sniffer with an unlit camp lighter.

Stu Jackson · Dec 31, 2021

Here's a fella who just got a new 40 footer who is moving from WA to Vancouver.

Who Winter Sails Subzero? - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

Our new boat sale and paperwork will be done in a couple days and need to move our boat from Puget Sound to Vancouver . Would be great to wait for better weather but we have a couple weeks off work

www.cruisersforum.com

Except for today, the weather doesn't look too good.
Just for grins& giggles the SAME guy just posted this:

Help needed inverter and batteries - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

Just got our first sailboat, 2013 Jeanneau 409 and other than trying to pay attention at the survey to everything, just got handed the keys and that was about it. Owner wasn't involved in sale and

www.cruisersforum.com

I have had my boat for 25 years and know her intimately.

I still wouldn't.

John is right.

Terry also makes the point that Sucia is open to SE winds. Very open. I experienced it once, which was more than enough.

colb218 said:
if I can get some decent weather soon.

Nice but cold today, snow tomorrow, rain for a week. Nah...

jssailem · Dec 31, 2021

Everett is currently frozen in place. No Marina activity allowed while ice covers the surface.

While not adversed to a chilly night aboard, I was reminded of my 2019 adventure by the Memories feature of my iPad this morning.
1300 Feb 10th 2019 Trincomali Channel

We started the boat's diesel heater on the 5th of February and it ran for 18 days straight.

My friend Rufus, just posted a NEW YEARS January outlook for weather in the PacificNW.
This may help in guiding your cruise planning.

Patrons up in NW WA & BC, (and those above 1,000 ft) have plenty of winter issues still at hand. While the Fraser Wind will ebb & flow, cold outflows are not completely behind us yet (below). It should be mostly dry and chilly on the 1st day of Twenty-Twenty-Two.

The next very wet system is moving down the panhandle of Alaska & coast of BC for arrival in the PNW before sunrise Sunday, Jan 2 (from north to south). The “New Year" storm will have impact. It will bring moderate-to-heavy rain to most locations, but we will stick our proverbial Mug out and forecast that surface - or 550 ft and above - SNOW and/or Freezing rain will be possible in locations from Portland north into southern BC. Wet, “heavy” big-flake snow, if you get some. Patrons in the Columbia River Gorge area are likely to get a lot of snow, freezing rain before transition to rain (if any at all). Sunday night will be stormy. ->> The morning commute on Monday could be crazy. HEED Nat’l Wx Service alerts. After that storm front passes, there may be enough cold air 'draw in behind’ to set off more snow or snow/rain mix at the surface, or close to it, esp for Patrons north of Salem. This is possible into Tue Jan 4.

A ‘warm’ front moves in overnight Tue, with rain for western OR, a dusting of snow or snow/rain mix in Bellingham/Abbotsford area before sunrise Wed. The scene will be set. A stronger front arrives overnight Wed, ushering in moderate rain, Columbia River Gorge frozen precip issues, and - if the Fraser Outflow kicks in just a little - snow and/or freezing rain for Bellingham north, at least for a few hours. Please note: the ‘just in’ model run from GFS indicates that the Wed night arrival, on into Thu morning, could start as SNOW and/of Freezing rain from Portland (and east) up to Canada. We like to see several runs showing similar outlooks, but for now, there could be enough cold air from the east drawn into western locations for that frozen precip issue to verify.

It will likely be on/off rain for all of the western areas of the PNW from late Thu into early Saturday, Jan 6-8. The rest of that weekend should be DRY & chilly, with temps dipping below freezing just about everywhere Sunday morning the 9th.

An offshore, NE-to-E, wind will dominate the weather for the week of Jan 10-14. Temps will top above freezing during the day; below freezing at night in wind sheltered areas. Yes, it looks DRY until late Fri the 14th. Good time to take down outdoor decorations, as temps should gradually warm as that week progresses. Daylight hours are slowly getting longer.

The weekend of Jan 15,16 is trending dry, with offshore breezes. Some model scenarios bring a one day rain to western WA on Sat. Not a bad January weekend in the great PNW.

Stu Jackson · Dec 31, 2021

From that CF link:

Georgia Strait Extended Forecast
Issued 04:00 AM PST 31 December 2021
Sunday Wind southeast 35 to 45 knots diminishing to southeast 20 to 30 in the morning.
Monday Wind southeast 15 to 25 knots diminishing to southwest 5 to 15 late in the day.
Tuesday Wind southeast 20 to 30 knots diminishing to southwest 5 to 15 late in the

You do NOT want to be at Sucia for this.

jssailem · Dec 31, 2021

Winter sailing, for me is preparation and routes that take advantage of the conditions Making sailing easy.

With a NW or W wind out of Bellingham you are reaching if you head to Anacortes. Easy sailing. No tacking. Cape Sante is a great marina. Right Downtown. Fun historical river boat museum. Good places to walk and only 14nm.

Spring and Fall as shoulder seasons make anchoring or mooring balls feasible. Summer all options open.

Without a good reliable heat system on board living with young children unaccustomed to cold boat life can be very difficult.

Stu Jackson · Dec 31, 2021

colb218 said:
Sorry to clarify, I am NOT lookin to go out today or really any time soon. Ideally looking to get some wamer-ish weather in mid Jan or early Feb. Looks like MLK weekend might be an option! Mainly just trying to plan so that if a weather window opens I am ready and not just heading out with 1/2 a plan.

I constantly battle the idea 'get out there and sail' vs 'paralysis by analysis.' I was hoping to sleep on the boat not tied to the dock, hence the idea of grabbing a mooring ball. Friday Harbor might also be a nice trip though, though it looks to be about twice as far. The two kiddos certainly play into any decisions on board.

Good to hear.
I have a good friend with a boat the same size as ours. They have a diesel heater (hydronic to fan & coil units). They use their boat from April to October. THIS KIND OF WEATHER is well beyond their comfort zone and most likely their heater's ability to keep safely warm.
With your two kids, I would urge you to wait until the weather warms up, at least the beginning of May.
If your wife lets you out of the house while she deals with the two youngsters herself, spend two nights on the boat: one with just your propane heater, as if you are on a mooring buoy; the next with just a 1500 watt electric one. Most likely you'll need both
See how that works for you. Don't forget a thermometer.
Even with warmer weather, folks with central system diesel heaters use them regularly in shoulder season because it cools off at night and the water is only 47F.

jssailem · Dec 31, 2021

I like Stu’s recommended thermometer. I followed @LeslieTroyer recommendation and bought this.

AcuRite Digital Wireless Fridge and Freezer Thermometer
One sensor in the refrigerator and one near the engine. They work great. You can put one in the cockpit and the other in the V-Berth.

Mikem · Dec 31, 2021

colb218 said:
Hello All-

I posted previously about transferring to Everett from Blaine, but it appears that the waitlist just might be long enough in Everett(currently #7 I think) for me to get some cruising in out of Blaine to shake down the boat some more and ideally be more comfortable when the time comes for the move.

I am considering an overnight trip to Sucia as it is only about 15nm away from Blaine if I can get some decent weather soon. I have looked at the Washington State Parks website, but was hoping for some more info. It seems that Echo Bay or Fossil Bay might be the easiest to get into and I am sure a mooring ball would be easy to snag this time of year. Anchoring is another option, but for our first time out I wouldn't mind the ease of a mooring ball. Anyone have any input as to where to more for a first trip to Sucia?

My main concern right now is that we have a 3 year old and a 6 year old. The boat has a bulkhead mounted propane catalytic heater that our surveyor was not thrilled with. The previous owner had removed the solenoid which I am installing again, but I am curious as to everyone's opinion on these type heaters? I would probably only run it while we are awake and just use lots of blankets to stay warm.

Is there anything else I should consider before just going for it?

Hmmm. With this weather before you head out try spending a night on the boat pierside. You can test your heater/blanket theory without fear of being very uncomfortable and potentially ruining your family’s boating experience.

Kings Gambit · Jan 1, 2022

colb218 said:
Hello All-

I posted previously about transferring to Everett from Blaine, but it appears that the waitlist just might be long enough in Everett(currently #7 I think) for me to get some cruising in out of Blaine to shake down the boat some more and ideally be more comfortable when the time comes for the move.

I am considering an overnight trip to Sucia as it is only about 15nm away from Blaine if I can get some decent weather soon. I have looked at the Washington State Parks website, but was hoping for some more info. It seems that Echo Bay or Fossil Bay might be the easiest to get into and I am sure a mooring ball would be easy to snag this time of year. Anchoring is another option, but for our first time out I wouldn't mind the ease of a mooring ball. Anyone have any input as to where to more for a first trip to Sucia?

My main concern right now is that we have a 3 year old and a 6 year old. The boat has a bulkhead mounted propane catalytic heater that our surveyor was not thrilled with. The previous owner had removed the solenoid which I am installing again, but I am curious as to everyone's opinion on these type heaters? I would probably only run it while we are awake and just use lots of blankets to stay warm.

Is there anything else I should consider before just going for it?

Kings Gambit · Jan 1, 2022

colb218 said:
Hello All-

I posted previously about transferring to Everett from Blaine, but it appears that the waitlist just might be long enough in Everett(currently #7 I think) for me to get some cruising in out of Blaine to shake down the boat some more and ideally be more comfortable when the time comes for the move.

I am considering an overnight trip to Sucia as it is only about 15nm away from Blaine if I can get some decent weather soon. I have looked at the Washington State Parks website, but was hoping for some more info. It seems that Echo Bay or Fossil Bay might be the easiest to get into and I am sure a mooring ball would be easy to snag this time of year. Anchoring is another option, but for our first time out I wouldn't mind the ease of a mooring ball. Anyone have any input as to where to more for a first trip to Sucia?

My main concern right now is that we have a 3 year old and a 6 year old. The boat has a bulkhead mounted propane catalytic heater that our surveyor was not thrilled with. The previous owner had removed the solenoid which I am installing again, but I am curious as to everyone's opinion on these type heaters? I would probably only run it while we are awake and just use lots of blankets to stay warm.

Is there anything else I should consider before just going for it?

Good Morning, Happy New Year

A short trip to shake down a “new” boat before attempting a long trip is generally a good idea. But what would we be “shaking down?” Sail plan/rigging, diesel, ground tackle, heating, charging, batteries or other? Anyway, my point is that you might not need go farther than Drayton Harbor to shake down ground tackle, heating system at anchor, battery/charging/power management, etc. I’ve seen sailboats anchored out there in the deep part (20 to 35 ft) in summer. Can also test the dink/OB to run to shore and back. If it turns too cold, just pick up and go plug in at the Marina. The kids won’t care that you did not go far; they’ll love it just as much. Overall, it’s a very pretty setting. Well protected. If you get the wanderlust sail over to Point Roberts for a night visiting a new dock, then return to your anchor site in Drayton Harbor. I doubt if I’d commit to a 30 n.mi RT shakedown up there in winter weather with sub freezing temps about. Brrrr!

KG
(PNW wannabe)