Going to winterize today

[Frank B.]

Usually don't have to do that until early Dec., but consecutive days with lows of 26 and 23 have triggered the event.  Not so bad since installing pressurized water system, open the drain cock turn on the sink faucet, turn on the washdown hose bib and drain it dry.  Pour in a gallon of the pink stuff and pump until it runs pink from the faucets. Check the boat for anything I might have left that might freeze.  Put the Davis airdry on the cabin floor and plug it in.  All done. 

Before installing the 12V pressurized system, it was a day or so of bursitis pain from manually pumping it dry.  The whole system, pump, filters, accumulator, piping, faucet and hose bib was about seventy bucks more than the repair parts for the old manual pump. Service part pricing will often push one in another, better direction.

[Spot]

Yes, definately that time of year. We are expecting solid freeze (20F or -4C)the next couple nights and slightly above during the days.

I did not use the water system on the big boat this year so no winterization of that.
I need to do a final check as to what can stay on board over winter and remove any standing water in the bilge. I seem to wait for the cover until the second snow, not sure why I have adopted this pattern...

I did check and sponged out the one Sunfish for standing water in the mast tube, hull, and cockpit.
The other boat are all flipped upside down.

Not as active of a sailing season as I would have wanted it to be- but completing the new dinghy, upgrading the big trailer, and getting to sail the Sunfish with the new rudder were all steps in the right direction.

[Captain Kidd]

23 forecast here too. No winterizing necessary though on the dinghy. You poor souls. Lol

[Frank B.]

Well Spot, "not as active of a sailing season as I would have wanted it to be" is truly an understatement for me. As I set everything up and turned on the faucets to start the system pumpout, it ran pink. What?? Did I go through the whole Spring and Fall (rarely use it in the summer) and never reverse the water system to active?  Yep, apparently so.  Well it was out of commission early because of a halyard routing issue, and then because of outboard issues. So, I have an extra gallon of the pink stuff for next year.

[Riley Smith]

I winterized the catboat. Yep, moved her inside the shop from mast-up storage

It rained a shower early this morning and I hear thunder to the north in George County. I guess it is time for the  real cold. That coolness at dawn will turn into "&#^& it's cold!". I've also been rotating clothes, shorts are out, pants and sleeves in. Oh, I'm still wearing shorts at the moment but that'll probably change next week. I'm glad the winterization wasn't too big a deal for me because I'm on a water project of my own with a pump house. BTW...that rotation of clothes brings with it the possibility that summer will return once again about Christmas as you well know.

[Frank B.]

I winterized the catboat. Yep, moved her inside the shop from mast-up storage

It rained a shower early this morning and I hear thunder to the north in George County. I guess it is time for the  real cold. That coolness at dawn will turn into "&#^& it's cold!". I've also been rotating clothes, shorts are out, pants and sleeves in. Oh, I'm still wearing shorts at the moment but that'll probably change next week. I'm glad the winterization wasn't too big a deal for me because I'm on a water project of my own with a pump house. BTW...that rotation of clothes brings with it the possibility that summer will return once again about Christmas as you well know.

Yep, when I lived in Gulfport it was not all that uncommon to have the AC running on Christmas day.

[Spot]

Riley, earlier this morning, I moved the short pants and swim trunks to the highest closet shelf, and sweaters to the one below. figuring it's going to be 7 month before I think about warm-weather attire unless I get an opportunity to vacation at a lower latitude. Air temp is not supposed to rise above freezing today but warmer again toward the end of the week. I need to make a clean up and organize push in the garage so it can function as a work space and temporary vehicle storage this winter.

Frank, I have an old RV that I have not de-winterized in many years, so I have been there and done that along with you. The solar panel and charger I used on it is not as effective as the boat's so I did not have house battery power last I went inside a couple days ago. The boat's panel and charger kept that same marginal lawn tractor battery in good condition in the boat for many years.

[Wayne Howard]

Winterize or not. Tonight or tomorrow night, it's supposed to get down to 32F here in central Texas. Wednesday, however, we're back up to the 80's. Kinda silly to winterize for one night. LOL

[Riley Smith]

It's so weird here. I live 12 miles above the coast. The Escatawpa River runs E/W below me and once you cross it, the weather changes, because everything (Except the river) is oriented N/S. So if it is predicted 30F on the shoreline, it'll be 25-27 above the river where I live. What is so weird is watching the temp gauge drop as you cross the river. Immediately.

Yes, I've been looking at all the green leaves that'll be on the ground in the next month or so. And no, it doesn't kill the mosquitoes. Most likely what will happen is the wind will blow for three days out of the north. It'll get really chilly one morning. Still, clear and COLD. That's right at daybreak until 9:00am. After 11:00am, it's business as usual with a high of 55F. Anything below 60F is considered cold on the Gulf Coast.

[Doug SC]

Tuesday morning here in central SC will be 26F and I will be sleeping in a 2-man backpacking tent in a down sleeping bag rated to 20F with an extra fleece blanket and a 1050W power station with a 300W desk heater to take the morning chill off. There is a group of us that will paddle Sparkleberry Swamp that day. The high should be 49F.

[Wolverine]

We're expecting a freeze, but the "predictors" keep moving it. 1st the freeze watch was for 2am Monday. This afternoon it was for 10pm Monday. Now it's for 2am Tuesday.

[Riley Smith]

The north wind is huffing here along the Gulf Coast, and what that means is it blows all the water out of the bayous and bays. Here is some pictures of the bar in front of the beach house, which is only visible during the winter months when that happens. The gulls look on this as a buffet, and were all over the bar. Most likely snatching errant shrimp before they're gone.

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The bar is very visible here. It's almost always covered with water except during a north blow.

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I'm standing where the water is usually knee deep.

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I DID have to winterize the house on the beach!