[heather2014]

Boat is out of the water. Has been since Nov. What do people who sail do during the off season. Lol. Feel like everything I learned in my first season is melting right out of my ears as I sit indoors

 

[4arch]

Winter is a good time for boat projects. I have all our canvas laid out in the guest bedroom for servicing. The bimini needed new zippers and the rest of it I'm just going over to do any needed restitching. The windlass is taken apart in the kitchen (my wife is thrilled!) for rebuilding. I have a few engine parts to replace before spring too. Not as fun as sailing but keeping me somewhat busy.

Winter is also a good time for boating classes, seminars, etc. I took a boatbuilding class a couple years ago at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. A local chandlery does a winter boat maintenance seminar series. I'm sure there are others.

If you're really adventurous you could get a dry suit and do frostbite dinghy racing.

Outside of boating, we're going cross country skiing for a long weekend at some point and it's a good time of year to catch up on all the news consumption, reading, movies, tv shows, museum visits, etc. we don't get to do in the summer due to being out sailing!

And don't worry, that first nice spring day when you go out for your first sail all the skills will come right back and you'll forget all about winter.

 

[SHNOOL]

I've gone over this in the other winter thread recently... but yeah its repair time.
* fix rotten core port side
* remove daggerboard (keel) all 650lbs of it and paint/fair
* lube winches
* new halyards
* new speed/depth/wind instruments
* swim/boarding ladder installation
* new hatch slides, new hatch keepers
* gelcoat repair in several places.
* wet sand, compound, polish, and wax
* keel roller for trailer
* new VHF antenna and wire for masthead
* New VHF
* New tiller pilot
* sand bottom and paint

I've started about half of these projects.

 

[Jiminri]

I just finished 6 weeks of frostbite racing. Next series of races starts again in the beginning of February. So I have to endure 6 weeks without sailing.

Guess I have some time to plan boat projects and read about others' sailing adventures.

 

[Minnewaska]

....What do people who sail do during the off season. .......

Well, other than boat projects, we do this. I will be forum post counts skyrocket in the winter. I find a nice way to keep one's head in the game. You don't have to post to everything, but just reading someone's question, thinking of what you would do and reading responses is engaging. Often, by the time you read the thread, someone else has already posted what would have been your reply.

There are also a ton of great maritime or sailing books to read. Never enough time.

I also try to use the winter to get all the crap at home out of the way, as it will all be thoroughly ignored in season. We're fully re doing the guest room right now. Ugh.

 

[zeehag]

off season??? only for you.
our sailing season has just begun.

 

[kwaltersmi]

Read. Write. Maintain. Upgrade. Plan. Scheme. Save.

Remember, the ocean needs the land. Or at least that's what I tell myself to justify months on the hard.

 

[Barquito]

I've started about half of these projects.

That sounds like my method: Start some of the projects I should do... and finish some small fraction of that!

 

[travlin-easy]

I figured that this winter I'll become a snowbird, drive down to the Florida Keys, rent a house, play Jimmy Buffett music, drink Margarettas, do a little fun fishing, drink Margarettas, eat fattening food, drink Margarettas, lay on the beach, get sunburned, Oh, and I think I'll drink some Margarettas.

Back home in the spring,

Gary

 

[Donna_F]

I like to study charts. Plan destinations.

This will be the first year in 15 that we don't have a vacation house to go to (settlement as of yesterday. $$ towards Next Boat). My mother has already started a list of places she wants us to sail to as she likes to keep moving.

I'll also spend the time trying to get her to refer to "cabins" and not "bedrooms."

 

[Don L]

What do people who sail do during the off season.

sail on the internet of course

 

[heather2014]

Lol. That sounds about what I would like to do. Always wanted to go to the keys! And who doesn't love some Jimmy Buffett!!! Just have to wait for the kids to be older

 

[travlin-easy]

Heather, I took my children, both of them, to Key West for two weeks when my daughter was just 9 years old and my son was 13. I trailered an 18 foot center console fishing boat, we ran out to the Marquesses Keys nearly every day, caught barracuda to 7 feet long on spinning and fly fishing gear, caught grouper and grunts for supper at night, had a ball. They got to see the sunset crazies down at Mallary Square, and while they've not been there since, which was many, many years ago, they still carry those memories vividly in their minds.

I would have moved to the keys 35 years ago, but my loving spouse, as much as she likes it down there, said she wants to be here near her and my family. I told her they would come down and visit, but they probably wouldn't.

Cheers,

Gary

 

[Delezynski]

Working projects and then .......

YouTube is your friend!

All sorts of stuff there on/about/watching sailing and sailing related subjects!!!

Sometimes just going back and watch some of our old stuff, to refresh the old gray matter and relive it is FUN!!

Greg

 

[mbianka]

I'm never bored on the boat or on land. I got some unexpected freelance work in Washington D.C. the whole month of July so my season started late this year. But, with the extra cash I bit the bullet and finally bought a Sailrite zig zag sewing machine. So part of this winter will be learning how to sew, repair and fabricate some things.
I also have to catch up on some blog posts including editing some of the video from last January's charter in the Maldives. Also video of the summer cruise between forks of Long Island and the end of the season Oyster Festival in Oyster Bay.
Then of course my gal is dragging me off to the Spanish Virgin Islands for almost a month including a 12 day charter to boot. To get along go along I say.
In the meantime I'm watching the weather here to pick a nice day to do winter boat checks. Maybe load test the batteries or just stare at the now boatless harbor scene. There is always something to do even if it's doing nothing.

 

[hp1xbg]

4ARCH.....I was wondering where those winter maintenance seminars are held? I live in Ellicott City, so not too far from b-more.

SHNOOL... are you able to do the gelcoat repairs in the winter with the temps so low? I noticed you were in PA. I have some gelcoat stuff to do as well, but thought it would be too cold until spring. My boat is on the hard right now.

 

[appick]

I can't believe I'm the first to say this on here but now is the time you go boat shopping for the next one! That's about the only thing that gets me through the winter...

 

[SHNOOL]

4ARCH.....I was wondering where those winter maintenance seminars are held? I live in Ellicott City, so not too far from b-more.

SHNOOL... are you able to do the gelcoat repairs in the winter with the temps so low? I noticed you were in PA. I have some gelcoat stuff to do as well, but thought it would be too cold until spring. My boat is on the hard right now.

Gelcoat repair needs to be warmer for sure... I use a 135,000 BTU salamander heater (I'm indoors) to get all the components up to temp... It's not ideal, and it lengthens dry/wet times, but it should work. Right now I'm still doing epoxy fill/repair jobs... which is just drying slower than usual. I typically get the temps in the pole barn up to about 50-60 degrees. Light shirt temps. All my work is indoor, and local temps are warmer than whole room temps. We've had a mild winter so far, like today is 45 degrees out... so I can get temps up to almost 70 in there if need be. Burning copious amounts of diesel to do it. That also leaves for a pretty humid environment. I painted the boat 2 years ago with a 1 part epoxy in conditions like that... temps outside were 20s, inside about 50... it worked, but made the dry times long.

 

[heather2014]

We are always boat shopping. lol. Even when the boats in the water. 👍

 

[socal c25]

sometimes I wish we had winters here (left lower coast) so I could get some repairs done. I am getting tired of all the sailing I am doing on my two weeks off..... Just kidding I'll never get that tired of sailing.