This was our first night tied up to a dock since we left in March – more than three months ago. We were so accustomed to the rocking of the boat, but now we were still. Weird. We even slept with the a/c running. This is a luxury we don’t usually enjoy. But for now this was a wonderful treat. At anchor the bow will swing into the wind and as soon as it does the breeze comes in the hatches so no need for a/c. Unless there is a current that is stronger than the wind. Then we don’t get the fresh sea breeze down the hatches so we just deal with it. On the dock, the wind rarely blows the right direction to cool the boat off so a/c is standard.
This morning while we enjoyed a hot cup of coffee we made a list of all the things that needed to get done before we leave the boat for a few months. Oh, we may not have mentioned what we are doing. We are visiting our kids and grandkids. Going to Europe, on a European vacation, on the cheap, sort of…We are going to visit our son and his family who live just a couple hours from London.
We have two little grandsons (and one on the way) that need a visit from Baba and Gramp! How we got those nick names is beyond me but they seemed to have stuck. We talk with them frequently on Face Time, but it’s not the same. Baba needs snuggles and FT is just not doing it. This plan was formed a few months ago when we decided not to do the Bahamas until fall. When we knew we would spend our last hurricane season in the United States it seemed fitting to take advantage one last time of easy travel and a safe place to keep our boat while we traveled to visit the kids. ‘Safe place to keep our boat’ is a tongue-in-cheek term that has little to do with actual safety of anything. Hurricanes can affect any coastline on the Atlantic side and this year is predicted to be much more active than in recent years. We have a long list to get Silhouette ready for the season.
First is the watermaker. This very useful piece of cruising equipment looses its usefulness when we are tied to a dock. And even worse is when left as-is and things start to grow. Biological stuff, small micro organisms that attach and clog every part of the system if left without proper care. So we have to “pickle” the system. This process flushes out and stabilizes the system in a chemical that does not allow marine growth. This process must be done within six days of the last time water is made or we must flush the system with acid before using the watermaker again.
Next is addressing the sails. We chose to lay up Silhouette in New Bern for two reasons. One was because it sits up at the head of the Neuse River, an entire days travel inland from the Atlantic Ocean. This puts a lot of land between us and the forces of a hurricane. It does not prevent from being hit by hurricanes though. The last one that did damage here was July 3rd of 2014, just two years ago! But it does tend to reduce the damage from wind. So about the sails. These can be a boat’s friend or foe. At sea, they harness the power of the wind and make the sailboat a flying carpet on the water. In port during a strong storm, they can cause havoc to the boat and tear to shreds if not properly stowed. So the Genoa will need to come down. Roller furling sails in strong winds can easily unfurl and without the ability to turn into the wind rolling them back in is nearly impossible. So a prudent sailor takes them down for storage. Taking down 500 square feet of sail is a big job especially if the wind comes up while you are doing it, and of course it does. (It’s also like trying to fold up a life size map of Rhode Island, where one square mile equals one square mile.) The main sail has a cover to prevent it from getting picked up by the wind but we lash it with heavy line to the boom to prevent it from pulling from the stack pack.
Then we double up the lines. We carry lots of extra line on board for this purpose. We were told, the last time Silhouette had to weather a hurricane nearly every line broke. Thankfully, the previous owners had spare rope hanging on the rails and the dockhands were able to re-secure her before too much damage was sustained. This also requires chaffing gear on every point where the line could rub against something and break under tension. Hundred mile per hour winds can stretch and even melt the line from friction or chaffing.
Inside, we have a refrigerator, a freezer, and a chill box that all need to be emptied and defrosted days before we actually leave the boat. It will take that long for them to get to room temperature and dry out. Also, the ice maker needs to be shut down, dried out, and a salt pack added to prevent moisture from growing into mold.
We will leave our air conditioners on humidity control to prevent mold on the walls and to keep the interior fresh. Then we need to clean the months of salt from every nook and cranny of the boat. Salt is the enemy of everything. It makes paint fade, stainless steel rust and everything sticky. It traps the moisture in and does not allow things to dry out. We use a great product called salt away. Salt away breaks the bond of salt and naturally dissolves it. Safe for the environment and good for everything boat.
We tied her down as if a hurricane was going to hit tomorrow. We double checked that the water was off and every hatch was shut and dogged. With everything ready, we put the hatch boards into place and snapped on the locks. We are ready!
Now, off to the airport.