Sailing in sun-drenched waters with seas the color of blue skies and dolphins leading the way as they frolic in the bow wave. Find the perfect anchorage before the sun sets over the palm-fringed beaches and linger on the terrace with cocktails as the moon casts its silver shadow, the waves gently sway the contented souls. I envision this as the lifestyle of a cruise ship … a year-round enjoyment. So my home is in tropical Queensland, Australia.
The other extreme weather!
On a visit to Canada, I experienced the other extreme and saw yachting enthusiasts do it elsewhere. In Canada, the boating season begins to decline in September and October, as they prepare for a long, cold winter.
The Great Lakes of Canada are freshwater and freeze quickly as soon as the temperature drops. A large percentage of yachts and motor boats are taken out and placed in cradles. The masts are removed and the hulls are covered with shrink plastic to protect them from ice and snow. Ice can damage fiberglass and wood alike, penetrating and enlarging even the smallest cracks.
Chores range from protecting all accessories with lubricants and pumping antifreeze into the engine’s cooling system to draining fresh water tanks.
Ice freezes the hatches and accompanying pathways and unless you’ve taken the necessary steps to get in, you’re sealed for the winter.
Marinas and anchorages become so solid with ice that you can skate on them. The fishermen stop where the waves have licked their hulls a few months before, making small holes to drop a line.
But some sailors actually stay aboard their yachts in marinas during the winter, saving their money for other things, including the dream of cruising to distant sunny shores.
At Frenchman’s Bay near Toronto, for example, they have had as many as 50 yachts with Canada’s liveaboards each winter.
How they survive!
As winter approaches, they erect an enclosure on the yacht deck. It takes a week to assemble the cover and at the end of the season they are stored for the next winter. Two plastic sheets are placed over the top so that they can use the deck as well as the heated cabin underneath as living space. The clear plastic sheets act like a greenhouse and heat up on the deck. There is a small door on the deck so you can enter the cabin. Some even add windows.
Ruth, who with her husband had just spent their first season living aboard their yacht Witchcraft when I met them, explains: “Despite the previous cold snap, spending the winter has been fantastic. All kinds of people have asked if we have cold. I always knew that we were liveaboards from Canada and we needed warmth. Concept difficult to understand for many, this living on board even in winter, I guess. “
Insulation is added to the inside of the helmet to prevent condensation and during the colder winter months, electric and diesel heaters run almost non-stop.
Sub Zero and Liveaboards from Canada!
You have to think carefully about simple things that we take for granted in warmer climates, like filling our tanks with fresh water. Hoses left with water freeze up and cannot be used, so Liveaboards from Canada tend to have a day where everyone fills up their tanks.
A small bubbling machine is used to keep the water moving. Air pumped through a perforated hose at the bottom causes bubbles to rise from the warmer water below the ice, thus preventing the hull from freezing, which would crush it.
Logs or empty polyethylene bottles strung end-to-end in the water near boats can also avoid pressure from ice build-up.
Venturing to use the toilets and showers on land is something that must be approached with extreme care. Says Ruth: “Navigating a wall of slippery ice is not one of life’s joys. Yuck! A slip could put me at risk of going through the ice and into the water. For all that, I am happy with the decision. we take from getting on board. “
Despite the difficulties and inconveniences, living on board is not a passing fad for most. Some live like this for years, saving their money for other things.
“The decision to put our money on a bigger ship instead of buying a house and having a mortgage was to save for a trip south,” another cruise ship told me.
Living on board in sub-zero places requires a bit of thought and planning, but we have the comforts of home and a television, laptop and telephone. “
When the snow and ice melt!
As the days lengthen and the snow and ice melt with the onset of spring. In April and May, thoughts turn to the next five months of the boating season. The yachts are beginning to come to life and the marinas are bustling with activity. The winter covers are removed, the necks are proud again, and the Bob Marley CDs are placed on the stereo. Reggae music transports patrons to the places where they intend to be next year … without ice, snow, and freezing blizzards.
They dream of sailing south through the winter to the sunny Caribbean and sailing like us in Australia … all year long!