Mareda, Winterized.

Winterizing a boat is never fun.  It’s a psychological punch in the stomach that tells you that you won’t be sailing again for a very long time, and it can also be stressful because you’re never quite sure you’re doing things correctly, especially if this is the first time winterizing a new boat.

One of our manias during the winterizing process is to take pictures of everything:  what did it look like before we untied that knot? removed that shackle? unzipped that zip?  Here is a list of what we did and what a winterized Mareda looks like.

Mareda, "naked like a worm" as Patrick says.

Stern-to-dock berthing to point Mareda's nose to the southwest from whence come our worst storms.

• Removed the genoa and main sail.  Fold and put into sail sacks for storage at home in a dry place. 
• Filled up the gas tank and added an anti-bacterial product to avoid bacterial growth.
• Emptied the water tanks.  Added ~ 50 cl of white vinegar to each tank with about 2 liters of water, ran the pump to pull the vinegar water through all the faucets, and let sit over night.  Pumped tanks dry and left faucets in the open position.
• Off-loaded the outboard motor and took to the mechanic for regular maintenance.
• Cleaned and vasalined the toilet pump assembly.  
• Shut off cooking gas; off-loaded gas containers.
• Set out 2 chemical dehumidifiers.
• Off-loaded all food items, foul weather gear, boots, life vests, and remaining bits of clothing still on board.
• Off-loaded all books, documents, and electronic devices not fixed to the boat.
• Off-loaded emergency offshore kit (flares, etc) and grab-bag.
• Off-loaded all tools (amazing how they can rust just from being in contact with marine air.)
• Off-loaded bedding cushions, turned saloon cushions on end for maximum air circulation.
• Off-loaded the life lines, rinsed with fresh water, dried, stored.
• Off-loaded the dodger, bimini, and lazy bag.  Dodger and bimini need small repairs.
• Covered winches.
• Rinsed boat with fresh water, rinsed the anchor and chain well.  Put the anchor inside the anchor locker.
• Opened all cabinets, refrigerator compartment, storage areas and lifted up all the floor boards.
• Greased the through-hull valves.
• Stored spinnaker pole inside boat.
• Locked compartment containing the life raft.
• Turned the solar panels to a vertical position to discourage birds from hanging out.  We leave them operational to keep the batteries charged.

Is it still BLING ?

We’re buying some wheel covers and a cover for the cockpit table / chart plotter.  In mid-January (on our wedding anniversary no less…) we’ll pull Mareda out of the water for 3 months of drying out.  We’ll pressure wash the bottom and winterize the motor once she’s high and dry.  

Now we have 5 months to organize all that stuff piled up in the garage waiting to be taken back on board in April. (No pictures of that one !)