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cold weather sailing on Chesapeake and protecting the engine

mjsouleman

Sustaining Member
Moderator
Discovery has been preparing for or undergoing a deck and cabin fiberglass since April and we are a 7 days from October 1st.

My sailing demon has been driving me crazy and I am THINKING of taking Discovery out for cold weather sailing in October and December on Chesapeake Bay MD.

Usual question(s):

Is this s stupid idea?

How would I protect the engine?

MJS
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
We often sailed through Thanksgiving and beyond in Annapolis. I can't imagine a sudden freeze being a problem for the engine, since the bay water will still be relatively warm.
 

Bolo

Contributing Partner
Sail up to T-Day

Discovery has been preparing for or undergoing a deck and cabin fiberglass since April and we are a 7 days from October 1st.

My sailing demon has been driving me crazy and I am THINKING of taking Discovery out for cold weather sailing in October and December on Chesapeake Bay MD.

Usual question(s):

Is this s stupid idea?

How would I protect the engine?

MJS

We normally sail our E32 up to just about Thanksgiving and then winterize. Then we keep it in the water for the winter and only pull it in the spring (after April 1st) for a short time to clean/check/paint the bottom and apply prop speed to keep the barnacles at bay. Never had a problem with ice since our marina (Port Annapolis) keeps ice eaters going. I go down once a month to check the boat out during the winter. Prior to winterizing I've never had a problem with a hard freeze that would jeopardize the engine or even the fresh water tank or hoses. As part of my winterizing routine I add some antifreeze to both bilges to keep any water that gets in, especially the mast bilge, from freezing up.
 

Navman

Member III
winter sailing on Chesapeake

My wife and I have always sailed in the winter months on Barnegat Bay.We used to sail through the entire winter as we had an outboard engine and were not worried about the cold. Now that we have a larger boat and keep it on the Chesapeake, we still sail late into the season. The best winds and the lack of yahoo's on the water make this time of year spectacular. Last year our last sail was the second weekend of December. Woke up to 26 degree weather and sunny skies. Frost on the decks, mist on the water. By the time the sun melted the frost we had had our breakfast and were ready to go. Had a beautiful sail! Was not worried about the engine as the water temp was much higher than the air temp and the engine is located low. We use a "Little Buddy" propane heater for the cabin for the night and keep a port cracked open for ventilation. Works great. We are in Green Point Landing on Worton Creek just above Rock Hall and 6 hours sail from Annapolis. So go on and get out there and enjoy some of the best sailing of the year!!! See you out there.
Keep the round side down!
 

JPS27

Member III
When is cold too cold

I've been reading these posts with interest. I'm located at the southern end of the Chesapeake. We can get some cold snaps like those farther north. I have never done more than winterize my diesel engine and I use the wm space heater with the auto on/off thermostat. Last year I'd winterize and on a good weekend winter day (January/February) sail and then re-winterize. Based on what's discussed above for engine health can the air temp or water temp be too cold to put your engine at risk when running the engine? And what type of winter extremes obligate one to put the boat on the hard?
 

alcodiesel

Bill McLean
Hi Jay, nice to read you! Having surveyed many owners at Willoughby, like you a space heater set to maybe 40 degrees is fine. I leave the engine cover open, open doors and hatches inside, drain fresh water tank and that's about it. Not trusting the A/C wiring on the boat I simply run a dedicated extension cord for the heater leaving the boat un-energized.
We sail year round. This from a former northerner is super great. In fact, with proper clothing winter/spring is way more pleasant than sailing the Venus like summer here.
Let's get together and share ideas.
 

mjsouleman

Sustaining Member
Moderator
Thank you

Christian, Bob and Beverly, Navman, JPS27, Bill,

I have compiled your answers as follows:

No - Your not insane.
It is safe to sail on the Chesapeake into mid to late November and possibly December weather depending

Protecting the engine.
No advice on protecting the engine except to winterize when the weather gets cold.

For anyone in the Deale area (Herrington Harbor) stop by and I'll show you how Discovery is coming and we'll talk sailing and have a beer or two.

MJS
 
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