Seamanship- Keep your pontoon mooring safe
Pontoons grow moss, algae and lichen in the winter months and can get very slippery. Consider scrubbing yours clean, using something like Ronseal’s Decking
Cleaner, and then doing a final scrub with salt water. The salt in the surface of the wood will make it less likely to ice up.
- De-ice your decksDecks covered in ice can be lethal. Luckily, for boats sailing in salt water, the
answer is all around you – use the sea! A bucket of seawater and a scrubbing brush will soon remove ice provided the air is above Arctic convoy temperature. - Plan short passages With fewer daylight hours it’s best to reduce your expectations and plan shorter
sails than you would in the height of
Plan shorter passages when daylight hours are limited
summer. A short hop to a favourite spot is likely to be more than enough on a cold day. If you are doing longer passages, then consider setting off in the pre-dawn so
you arrive before dark, rather than leaving later and arriving when it’s pitch black and blooming chilly – it’ll improve crew morale and safety.- DrinksKeep hot drinks in easy reach, but be aware that
caffeinated drinks are often a diuretic – which can be a problem when you’re swaddled up in
layers like Tutankhamun. A flask is a good way
to keep ready-made hot chocolate or your drink of choice to hand. - SustenanceA good supply of food will warm you up nicely. Something that can be heated in
the oven is even better – warm up things like pre-bought bread rolls, Cornish pasties or similar to keep the crew happy. - GasYou might like to consider
changing your gas bottle for a propane one for winter sailing –
a simple matter of replacing the regulator, which will have a reverse thread to ensure you don’t mix it up. Propane, which is supplied in a red
bottle, has a lower freezing point than butane (blue bottles) and won’t be as sluggish or as likely to freeze as butane. Camping Gaz, as used by some boats, is a
mixture of butane and propane, so should
be OK, but if you’re planning to sail in very cold weather,
changing to propane will make sense. Don’t forget to take a spare, full bottle
with you – it’ll be harder to source a refill in winter.- Sensible clothingIt can be hard to move when you’re wrapped in layers of bulky clothing –
but it’s best to use lots of thin layers as opposed to a few thick sweaters. The thin layers will trap more air, keeping you warmer, and help you move around.
Modern base-layers are very good, as are mid-layers – something like a set of mid-layer salopettes will stop gaps opening up at the waist. A fleece ‘snood’
will keep your nose, chin and neck warm. 13. Don’t forget the
shades Contrary to popular belief,
the sun does shine in the winter, and it’s a lot lower in the sky – which
means you’ll be squinting to find that up-sun navigation mark unless you pack the sunglasses. - Gloved handsWe tested a full range of
waterproof, thermal gloves in PBO last month – and it’s well
worth getting a good pair. But they do make handling lines
be worth taking a glove off to tie a knot, before drying your hands off and and tying knots difficult. It can
replacing it. Some people take multiple pairs of cheap fleece gloves, which they find warmer than waterproof ones – and you can change them as soon as they
get wet.15. Keep lines dry
Trying to keep lines dry will make life much more pleasant – it’ll keep your hands warmer and stop the lines freezing should it get really cold.
Ben Meakins16. Take wet sails home Should a spinnaker or headsail that you normally stow below get wet, it’s worth