[Public-list] Re: winter

[Gordon White]

   I commonly leave Brigadoon II in the water at my pier where I can 
look at her. I put a blue tarp over the boom to keep snow and ice from 
accumulating in the cockpit. I put pieces of screen over the cockpit 
scuppers to keep leaves  from clogging them. (pretty big problem). I 
find that if I leave the covered main on the boom I need to put 
something  over the cover, as one winter the tarp flapped enough in the 
wind to  wear several holes in the sail cover. I do take off the roller 
furled  genny.

    I stick a hose from the engine raw water intake into a bucket of 
antifreeze and run the engine until antifreeze comes out the exhaust. I  
pump out the head as much as I can and add antifreeze, then  pump some 
more and add some more.

    I find that even if the creek freezes over the ice does not hurt the 
boat, even if it's thick enough ice to walk on. Down here in southern 
Virginia the water itself is warm enough not to freeze below the surface 
and the underwater part of the boat never gets below 32 degrees or so. I 
do leave a light bulb on to keep a little warmth in the boat, and the 
computerized trickle  charger on the batteries.

    I pump the water tank dry and put in a little pink (potable) antifreeze.

    I cinch everything down so the wind does as little chafe damage as 
possible. I top up the two fuel tanks and add  preservative, then turn 
off the valves at the tanks. One year when I didn't I got a siphoning  
thing going that siphoned as lot of fuel out through the vents.

In the spring I change the oil and the antifreeze in the fresh water 
side of the engine cooling system. (Diesel)

Anyone have better ideas?

- Gordon White