Winter Sail Plans

[Will Gilmore]

Every Winter, it seems SBO posts get ... "interesting", might be a good word to describe the slow (or not so slow) creep of desperation as the sailing season sleeps, for many of us.
So, what are some of the plans you all are coming up with to "depressurize", to keep the system from exploding over the Winter?

-Will (Dragonfly )

 

[sail sfbay]

The SF Bay sky is often clear, air temperatures are 50+ F and winds are generally not excessive. We routinely spend weekends in Sausalito where the temperature can be 70 degrees without fog in the middle of the winter.

 

[Serenity on Hudson]

Sharpened the skis, make reservations out west, do day trips to Hunter, take the Cayman out when the roads are clear, eat too much, dream of fair winds and hull speed.

 

[Tom J]

I'll mostly be planning boat projects for next summer. I will be kayaking this week off the leeward shore of Maui to watch the whales. Eventually, I'd like to get an outrigger canoe like this one to help me get through the winter.

 

[DrJudyB]

My boat is going sailing out on Sf Bay Sunday. The forecast calls for sunny skies, warm weather, and light winds.

The boat is going sailing but I’m not.

My Boat partner is taking her out. I’m staying home to nurse a new replacement knee joint!. The doctors tell me I won’t be healed enough to sail for two or three months after surgery. This is really boring. I’m watching tv, taking pain meds, and sleeping. I have to keep me leg elevated almost continuously.

I’m planning to build a new website for the San Francisco Bay Area multihull association starting next week, so that’s the big project to keep me me busy and engaged. It will be a fun learning experience. I’ve hired a very competent designer to work with me.

 

[shemandr]

I'm going to do some RC for US Sailing Center Martin County. This is the sailing season here. Some friends from LI have been doing RC work for them for years so hopefully I can transition into their system smoothly. Along the way I hope to learn if I would be happy going back to off the beach sailing.

 

[TheCruisingExperience]

The Caribbean is a great place to be during the Mediterranean & North American Winter months.

 

[dlochner]

Next week we head to the north shore of LI Sound for some serious boat shopping. First stop, Life Raft and Survival Equipment, then Rigging Only, Mystic Seaport to see a rarely shown collection of 19th Watercolors, Defender, Hatchmasters, and finally Landfall Navigation. Then back home to try and earn some money to pay for all the toys important and much needed equipment.

In February we're off to check on Kilauea and make sure Pele' is resting comfortably.

And then it will be a full court press to get Second Star ready for a mid June departure to the Canadian Maritimes and points south.

 

[RussC]

I've ripped out the carpet "headliner" from our Mac 25 and, over the past few days, I've gotten it sanded down in preparation for paint. a nasty prep job but we're tired of the musty smell that the old headliner attracted.

 

[Mark Maulden]

Mid Feb is flying to Buenos Aires and boarding a small Holland America ship. Up the coast to the Amazon and up the Amazon for a few weeks and back out and then make our way through the Caribbean with a few stops and then into Ft. Lauderdale. After that is an Air B&B in the Keys for 10 days..Or at least something close to this..

 

[DAVA390]

Road trip south. Baltimore to Charleston, Savannah, Sarasota, Atlanta. Newlly retired , only restriction is how long the neighbor will feed the cat!

 

[mermike]

Winter kayaking!

 

[Tom J]

Winter kayaking!

View attachment 173431

 

[Terry Cox]

Just returned from my Christmas Cruise around the Islands. Nice weather through this past Monday, but all weather hell broke loose Monday night and continued during my return back home yesterday. Got no sleep Monday night, and rather than lose more sleep, per the forecast, decided to head for home. Nasty sea and wind conditions on my return would be an understatement. Using the lee side of islands helped some, but my anemometer reads low and I saw several 40 plus wind speeds (50 gusts were forecasted). Sea state was very, very lumpy. Made it back safe and sound yesterday afternoon and a very restful sleep last night. Even caught a wind break as I came into our slip without banging up our neighbor's boat. Would I do it again, of course.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Welcome back Terry. An exciting sounding way to finish your cruise on.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[jssailem]

I am happy for you that you made it out. Way to go.

 

[Terry Cox]

Thanks John and Will. Monday night was when the wind began to howl. Backed down on the mooring ball upon arriving, but not near the pressure from the gusts rolling in. Unable to sleep for fear the mooring would not hold. Already three missing from the Eagle Harbor field. But it held.

Decided to leave after listening to the forecast update for the week. Cypress Head would have offered more protection from the strong southerly winds, but alas was not there. Bellingham Channel was'n too bad but the east side of Guemes was a mess. A long fetch built pretty large short period waves crashing over the bow until I ducked in behind some of the islands. Then more of the same through Padilla Bay until the north entrance to the Swinomish Channel where shallower waters reduced wave height, and even smaller further through the channel. Wind however did not let up until well past the twin bridges and the resistance from many of the nearby hills.

Minus the wind, the last time I was in that kind of sea state was in 2015 crossing from Cape Caution to Fury Cove in route to Princess Royal Island. Almost turned back, but decided to grit my teeth and press on. Would I do it again, of course. All part of the experience. It might have been more comfortable sitting at home on a barcalounger watching some weepy movie sipping a gin and tonic, but...

 

[jssailem]

Maybe more comfortable but not as much fun... I would suspect Eagle Harbor was a bit lumpy based on the wind patterns showing on the weather sights. 40-50... That would not be nice. I’d be up sipping coffee and awaiting the dawn.

Glad your safely back to your marina. Lyn had me looking at a house listed on the web not far from your marina. Up on the hill. They want too much for it, but on the other hand It would be nice to be so close to the boat.

 

[Will Gilmore]

My big Winter plan is to remove the thru hull cockpit scuppers from Dragonfly.
Mariners have half-inch scupper tubes to drain the cockpit. They are notorious for clogging and, when extra crew is aboard, they let water in when heeling.
Since the scupper tubes block the space directly under the cockpit next to the CB trunk where I want to install the batteries for an electrical system, and the current state of the thru-hull fittings is disintegrating, I want to just remove them and open up that space below.
I have thought about scuppers out through the transom, but that would require sloping the cockpit sole aft. I still want a self-bailing cockpit, so my solution is to drain the cockpit into the CB trunk. That means some water may not drain until I tack, but I think that will be ok. I've been considering building up the forward outboard corners of the cockpit sole to funnel the water towards the CB trunk. This should work for all but the most severe heeling conditions. I feel this approach will also mean the scuppers don't back flow either because they will be higher than before, when on a heel.
I will have to glass over the old thru-hull openings in both the hull and the cockpit sole. If I put the sloping corners in, that will take care of the sole opening. I could even cut the corners out and have more space for the batteries. I will add a battery pad that will also cover the old holes in the hull. Then I have to cut slotted scupper opening into the CB trunk. No fittings, just a glassed opening on either side of the trunk. I may even slope the slot out into the cockpit an inch or so. The opening size will be somewhere around 1"x 3" or 4", to allow for faster drainage.
I hate fiberglass work. I always get it on me and spend the next 12 hours itching. But, this will be outside in Winter. I'll tarp it over and put a heater under the boat. That means it won't be the heat of Summer when I want to work in shorts and shirtless.
If I manage to get this done, I can float Dragonfly and if it isn't still Winter, going for a sail in our local reservoir is next. If there is still some Winter left, the next project is the yuloh.
I have a couple of commissions to get done before any of that.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Terry Cox]

Up on the hill.

Patti and I have talked about it, but so comfortable where we are and not that far of a drive to the boat. You, on the other hand, have quite the hike. Most all the land around Shelter Bay is owned by the Swinomish tribe, so you might own the structure, but you pay a right-to--lease fee to access or build on it, which can be as much as the price of the structure. We prefer fee simple, which made that change near impossible to swallow.