Too cold to sail?

[veprjack]

My shrink wrap blows off when the wind tops 15knts in the winter.

I could skip sailing for 6 months? NAW - I'll just use more bungee cords! lol...

YES - I'm kidding, but... Enjoying the banter, posts and pics - great stuff for a newbie like moi!

[EJO]

hey as long as there is wind and the sun is shinning and the H2O is not solid you can sail or actually if the water is solid you just sail an ice boat. 33 degrees F (1 C) with a windchill below freezing is still nice when you're prepared.
Layer up, wear PFD at all times (you don't have much time for survival if you get dunked and enjoy. See pic below Michigan sailing season is too short to not take advantage of every oportunity.

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by EJO

hey as long as there is wind and the sun is shinning and the H2O is not solid you can sail or actually if the water is solid you just sail an ice boat. 33 degrees F (1 C) with a windchill below freezing is still nice when you're prepared.
Layer up, wear PFD at all times (you don't have much time for survival if you get dunked and enjoy. See pic below Michigan sailing season is too short to not take advantage of every oportunity.

Agreed but a long dodger and good cabin heater make it much nicer still.

[blt2ski]

I think there are some pics somewhere online of the winter Vashion, blowing 20-30, snowing. boats planing in the mid teens.......yeee hawwwwwwwwww!

That should get a BFS point or two or three from the smacky! now to go look for the pics!

[cahow]

did some mid 40 degree sailin last spring, that was cold enough for me!

[veprjack]

Not winter yet, but I'll put a reef or two in the old girl today and go...

WATER SKIING! lol... OK, I'll be satisfied if my boat isn't in Portugal by the end of the week! Last I heard, sustained 55mpg with gusts up to 80mph. My boat is secure, but wouldn't you know it - there are around 200 boats moored in my harbor, and the ONLY big steel hull boat is right in "front" of me! I was tempted to sneak aboard this morning and add MORE lines to her...

I'd have no problem sailing in winter, as our weather is FUNKY up here and we sometimes get 40+ degrees in January - but then there's that pesky shrinkwrap - AGAIN! You look comfy EJO!

[zeehag]

i understand the weather here is PERFECT for winter sailing in heavenly warmth...i plan on testing that this year.....no jackets needed.....we will see...

[ulferlingsson]

I sailed my old Havsfidra over the Baltic in a gale, arriving at night in below freezing conditions, but I was dressed in a survival suit, and I had a GeHå kerosene heater with radiator under all the berths running the whole time, keeping the temperature inside pleasant and dry. When its below freezing one should use "polyester silk" for sheet rather than "polyester wool" to avoid too much ice on the ropes.

[downeast450]

Hate to haul Tundra Down but Christmas is a couple of weeks away. With 6 adult children and theirs, there is too much holiday stuff to find time for sailing this time of year. Sailing the Maine coast in the fall is beautiful. December has become our end of season month. The water is warmer than the air even in the Gulf of Maine. We will be on the hard December 4th. Another month would be nice but frozen ground and snow removal at our storage yard becomes a problem.

Making ice on deck is what we try to avoid. Working on deck gets tricky and the boat gets heavy very quickly. It is warmer on the boat than on the slopes some days.

Time to find the skis!

Down

[Rozz]

i personally havent found it to cold to sail here, i love the winter months actually. for some reason when it gets below 60*, no one is on the water... so i dont have to deal with all the idiots!