With the ending of sailing season upon us and Añejo on the the dock to get ready for haul out, there are a few things the Captain and I do to get her ready to go on the hard for the winter. Aside from taking off all the snacks, food, and drinks, other things must be accomplished as well.
The boat must be winterized, which means all the fresh water and sea water is drained from the boat and pink antifreeze is added to all those areas. Just think about how many places is there water in a boat, and you will be surprised. Aside from the two fresh water tanks, and one hot water tank, there is also the raw water intake. The raw water intake is where seawater is sucked in from the ocean and used to cool off the engine. When you see any marine engine running you see a stream of water coming out, that is the raw water intake cooling the engine as it runs.
Añejo on the dock at Cape Ann Marina, ready for haul out
We also take off all the canvas; the dodger and the bimini. All the sails are unfurled, taken down, and brought to the sailmaker for cleaning and maintenance. Taking the sails down is that moment we know the season is over, especially when you look at your sailboat and she all of a sudden looks naked. Even though we are taking the sails to be cleaned, and stitching checked, we still like to fold them properly so they fit nicely in their sail bags.
Folding a sail is all about the flaking. Some friends of mine can fold their sails on the deck of their boats as they take their sails down, but I prefer to bring the sails to a large parking lot or park and fold them with no rocking of a boat or not enough space to move around. I have become very good at the fold this fall.
Our head sail on the deck is a NeilPryde Sails. The sailmaker for Beneteau.
Perfectly flaked head sail ready for the sail bag
The Beneteau logo is on our main sail.