Winterization

This is a list of things that must be done to make the boat ready for winter:

Pre-delivery for storage tasks

• Fuel tank should be as empty as possible so it can be easily polished
• Pump out the holding tank
• Confirm Dion's expecting you -- need to book with them a few weeks in advance
• Remove all but the necessary equipment, sails, etc. from the boat. It is a lot easier to do this from the dock in Boston than from the dock or on the hard in Salem

Pre-storage tasks

• Remove all cushion covers, fender covers, and other cloth material and bring to the pavilion to get dry cleaned.
• Remove all tethers, PFDs, jacklines, and dry
• Remove all tools and inspect for rust
• Remove all sails and lay out to look for any issues
• Remove all food, dishes, foulies, etc (basically anything that could mold/rot)
• All sails that need work need to be coordinated with sailing master and brought to the North Sails Loft at Dions
• Remove and wash and dry the spare lines, spinnakers, and anything else that’s wet
• Inspect all lines, rig hardware, and spars before storing them for the winter
• Inspect and inventory safety gear, medical kit, etc.
• Inventory spare parts and make list of needed replacements
• Medical kit should be removed to some place that will be above freezing over the winter, to avoid damage to medications.
• Do a PFD inflation test (24 hours, does it lose air) to see if we need to buy more; inspect for damage, etc.
• Remove anything
• Use a solution of bleach and water to spray and wipe down all surfaces (including in cockpit lockers) to remove any mold/mildew growth. This should be followed with a spray of fresh water
• Bring the compass to a heated space
• Remove the batteries from the boat and put them on a trickle charger in a heated space

Use black bins (with yellow tops)to store stuff

Old, for reference, Dions usually does this for us

-- things to do before you depart for the haul-out:

• remove windex, wind instruments, VHF antenna, and tricolor from top of mast
• replace halyards with messengers
• make sure you have sufficient antifreeze: 10-11 gals of propylene glycol. There should be no ethylene glycol in the antifreeze - it is a poison.

-- things to do prior to haul-out (could be days ahead or on the way to the marina):

• drain freshwater system. then pour 6 gallons of poly antifreeze (pink stuff) into the freshwater tank. then open hot water faucet at galley until antifreeze comes out. then open hot water faucet at head until antifreeze comes out. then do the same with cold faucets.
• pour pink antifreeze in toilet, pump through to holding tank until you can see about 1/2" of pink in the bottom of the holding tank. should be about 1 gallon for this.
• remove spinnaker blocks from aft mounts and stow them somewhere on board
• remove the paddlewheel speedo sensor

-- after arriving at the haul-out marina:

• winterize the engine. with the boat in the water, run the engine. close the seawater thru-hull. open the cap to the seawater strainer. pour in antifreeze until it starts coming out the exhaust. then shut down the engine. should be about 3-4 gallons of antifreeze for this.

--when the boat is on the hard:

• get *all* water out of the bilges and underfloor areas
• open all thru-hulls

Over the winter anything that can mildew on the boat probably will so you should remove foulies, inflatable pfds, tethers, kitchen towels, etc. These should not go to the pavilion; they tend to disappear over the winter; someone should take these home for safekeeping. The orange pfds usually stay on the boat.

The compass seems to winter better in someone's home than on the boat.