Winter Sailing Buyer’s Guide: Low Season Cruising

Sam Fortescue takes a look at winter cruising and the sort of kit you need to enjoy a proper winter warmer.

Sailing magazines are full of advice at this time of year about how to batten down the hatches for winter and keep the boat safe on land. Between winter storms and Jack Frost, the threats to the boat seem to be legion.

Not everyone takes that view, however. Some hardy sailors keep their boats in the water until Christmas and beyond for winter racing and cruising. Temperatures may be lower, but there are plenty of fine sailing days and the crowds are thin on the ground, meaning that a busy pub or anchorage can be all yours.

We set out to learn more from Cruising Association members who swear by winter sailing, gathering advice, tips and equipment recommendations that could keep you afloat during the off-season. We also spoke to a keen winter racer.

Safer afloat

The first myth to dispel is that the boat suffers more wear and tear by staying afloat during the winter. In fact, it is probably better protected from the elements when surrounded by water, which will never get below freezing point – unlike a chilly winter wind ashore.

“It depends a lot whether you’re in a saltwater marina or a freshwater basin, filled by a potentially very cold river,” says Alan Kohler, who keeps his X Yachts Xc38 in Largs marina throughout the winter. “Generally, it is much better afloat, as the hull is raised up in the cold wind when ashore. I had slight damage to the cockpit shower head in the one year the boat was left ashore!”

Tania Neven, who sails her X-Yachts 4.3 out of Hamble through the winter, goes even further. “We have not noticed additional wear and tear on covers, fittings or lines from the extended time in the water over winter. We have a furler boom with a cover and a jib cover which keeps everything dry and protected. We think it actually helps to hoist the sails to air them over the winter.”

Fine, cold conditions

In fact, you might have to look again at the whole notion of winter sailing being a question of dodging storms and hoisting the trysail. Average wind speeds in the Solent during the winter vary from 12.2kts in October to 13.7kts in January, compared to 11.2kts for most of the summer months – hardly a dramatic change. Even looking at daily averages, sustained wind above 10kts occurred on just five to six days per month, with gusts over 20kts recorded on fewer than half of winter days.

“I tend to disagree entirely with most of the articles on winter cruising, which traditionally emphasise preparation for strong winds, extreme weather etc,” says Kohler. “Provided people have time flexibility, winter sailing tends to be done when the weather is suitable – which is often high-pressure days that can be bitterly cold but with light winds and sunshine. I rarely use a reef in winter, and even remove my R3 lines, because I’ll typically be sailing in 5-10kts.”

Following a winter race programme, Mike Yates can’t pick and choose which days he’s in action. He says he’s had to sluice the side decks down with seawater to melt the ice before more than one winter race. “But the worst winter conditions are probably less to do with wind and more to do with horrendous rain,” he says. “Although we once saw a squall coming through and dashed back to the marina, seeing another boat broaching under bare poles as we came in.”

Layer up

With cold rather than strong winds your chief opponent during winter sailing outings, it obviously pays to tog up well with warm gloves, hats and plenty of layers. Mike Yates has been hugely successful on the ORC circuit with his J/109 Jago and is a regular participant in the Hamble Winter Series. He likes to mix and match, with Helly Hansen Lifa base layer and salopettes topped off with a Musto MPX jacket. “I’m always steering, so I don’t wear gloves at all when racing. Otherwise, the carbon wheel gets a bit slippery in the wet,” he says.

By choosing more clement sailing days on the Clyde, Alan Kohler says that technical clothing becomes largely unnecessary. “I rarely even wear oilskins, but instead winter walking clothes,” he says.

Adapt your sailing

Sneaking a day or two here or there when the weather allows will require a slightly different approach to the sort of sailing you do. Most of the sailors we spoke to said they stayed local, with short hops and only rare nights aboard. Shorter days, colder seas and low air temperatures all militate against long passages offshore.

“When the weather isn’t good go for a walk instead,” says Roger Bickerstaff, who sails on the Solent. “In fact, aim to sail to the pub in any case, as they are much quieter/more pleasant than in the summer and you only want to do short passages. I remember a having a meal in the Royal Corinthian in Cowes (before RORC bought it) between Christmas and New Year, and we were the only people there!

“Turn back and go home when people are getting cold. And put on the heater when you’re sailing – having a warm cabin makes life so much nicer!” It’s also worth keeping a flask of tea, coffee or hot chocolate ready to warm you up, and make sure you have some treats available.

Alan Kohler also agrees that short hops are the best bet, although he remembers one glorious exception in recent years. “We did do one great winter sail to Tarbert Loch Fyne in January – when it was beautifully sunny but bitterly cold, with the temperature expected to drop overnight,” he says. “So, we created an additional winter cruising technique – we stayed overnight in a warm B&B! Being a somewhat freshwater harbour, there was thin ice around the boat when we returned to Tarbert in the morning.”

Tania Neven sees this ability to overnight in the off-season as one of the biggest attractions of winter cruising. “We do not venture far and use the tides to speed us on our way, but we love going to places that are normally busy during the rest of the year; taking ourselves to our favourite places from where we can base ourselves for some coastal walks and cosy pub suppers,” she says.

Icy decks and marina pontoons can be a real hazard during a cold snap, so be prepared. There’s no alternative to being careful as you head ashore, but a good dowsing with seawater does wonders to disperse ice and frost unless the temperature is well below zero. “The most dangerous thing is probably icy pontoons,” agrees Bickerstaff. “I remember almost falling in when going to the heads in the morning in Bucklers Hard.”

Savings to be made

Perhaps counter-intuitively, it can often be cheaper to berth the boat in the marina over the winter, rather than haul her out. Many marinas offer keen winter packages in the off-season and charge higher rates for renting a cradle and space on the hard. Largs Yacht Haven is a case in point. It costs £151.50/m to berth a sub-40ft boat for six months over the winter, while winter storage is £193.50/m for the same period, including lift out and mast un/stepping. 

Hamble Point is another example, according to Tania Nieven. “It is cheaper to keep our boat in the water as our marina now charges for extended time ashore,” she says. MDL Marinas offer annual berthing packages that include just eight weeks ashore – meaning that it’s necessary to pay extra if you want to keep the boat out between October and March. By contrast, three months’ winter berthing is priced at a 40 per cent discount to the standard rate at many of the group’s marinas. Costing £1,573.20 for the quarter at Torquay marina, savings on a 10m yacht top £1,000.

Offers vary at each boatfolk marina, but Haslar and Portishead are both doing a five-month winter berthing package for the price of four months. Nevertheless, winter storage ashore at its five south coast sites is still around 10 per cent cheaper than staying afloat. Premier’s south coast marinas also offer flexible winter berthing packages at a discount to its usual monthly rate. Prices start at £238 per month.

But even if cost isn’t a big factor, you shouldn’t underestimate the amount of effort involved in packing up and de-rigging the boat for storage ashore. “Keeping in commission all winter also saves a huge amount of work – what in ‘process re-engineering’ terms would be waste activity,” says Alan Kohler.

Fitting in maintenance

If the boat remains afloat for most of the year, when can you find time for the necessary maintenance – particularly the annual antifouling and anode change? Well, it will depend on the size of the jobs list, of course. If it’s just a case of repainting the hull and replacing worn anodes, it can be accomplished in a few hours in the slings.

“Many maintenance jobs, such as engine servicing etc can be – indeed perhaps are best – done afloat,” says Kohler. “Initially we just did a lift and hold in March to do the antifoul and anodes. But now with larger items on the list, like the saildrive seal, we tend to lift for two weeks in March, before the winter contract expires.”

Mike Yates, skipper of Jago, takes a kind of hybrid approach. He stays in for the Winter Series organised by Hamble River Sailing Club from October to December, then comes out for the colder spring period. Plenty of local clubs organise ‘frostbite’ racing in the spring, but he gives it a miss. 

“That gives us three to four months to get the boat out and do the jobs,” says Yates. “The main one is bottom preparation, but you need 10 degrees-plus to get a good key on the antifoul, so we usually do it not long before the boat goes in the water in March.” He favours Nautix A4 T-Speed.

Advice for sailing in winter

• l Consider putting on a second-best suit of sails
• l Lift and hold for rapid antifouling and anode replacement, and use greenhouse heaters to keep frost at bay
• l Keep freshwater tanks empty, or at least depressurise the water system
• l Sluice frozen decks/pontoons with seawater to thaw them
• l Double up mooring lines
• l Double-check sail covers when leaving the boat
• l Change oil and service the engine in the autumn
• l Top-up antifreeze in the cooling circuit
• l Keep fuel tanks topped up to minimise condensation
• l Bring extra gloves, hats and warm layers
• l Prepare a Thermos with a warm drink and make sure you have plenty of snacks
• l Sail with the heater on, so the cabin is cosy

Profile: Alan Kohler
X-Yachts Xc-38 – Largs, Scotland

I live in Edinburgh but keep my X-Yachts Xc38 on the West Coast of Scotland.  I have no permanent summer berth, but have wintered at Largs Yacht Haven in the Clyde for 15-plus years.

As I have an expensive North vertical battened jib, I bought a second-hand jib for the winter, to avoid damage either from water or storms. I don’t have an annual marina contract, but winter afloat is less eye-wateringly expensive and I don’t think it is any more expensive than storing the boat ashore. The one winter we had the previous boat ashore we had both frost damage and slight rig damage putting the mast back in.

Winter sailing days do depend a lot on the weather.  We have the huge benefit of beautiful islands at Largs – giving sheltered conditions and spectacular beauty.  I can leave home in morning, sail round two beautiful islands and be back home for dinner. You can’t do that in the Solent!

Last year we had 15 sailing days from October to mid-March, when we lifted.  Sometimes we get slightly more, sometimes less if there is a sustained period of southwesterly gales. On one occasion, I spent 15 minutes carefully sluicing both pontoon and decks with sea water as I was unable to walk on the frosted surfaces. Then I had a superb sail!

Tania Neven’s Top Winter Cruises on the Solent

Cowes – a short enough hop even on a blustery day from the Hamble – we like to walk through the town where there are plenty of shops for a bit of early Christmas shopping. We walk out to the Royal Yacht Squadron and beyond along the seafront. Island Sailing Club always offers visiting yachtsmen a warm welcome and the food is very good. We also love to eat at Coast and The Smoking Lobster – both popular even in winter, so there is a nice buzz and atmosphere. There are many excellent local bakeries selling delicious breads, cakes and pastries to keep us going on the passage home!

Yarmouth – for us, an overnight stay from Hamble. The advantage is there are normally finger berths available at winter rates (£40 instead of £55), which makes staying much more pleasant than rafting in the summer. The shower facilities are excellent, and a short walk into town rewards you with a wealth of dining opportunities – from the George Hotel with cosy seating around the fire in the bar and delicious food in the restaurant, to On The Rocks, where you cook your own meat on hot stones with unlimited salad and fries. Not forgetting Salty’s – now a pizza restaurant with a famously lively bar – and Off the Rails. 

We like to choose a weekend with early west-going tides on Saturday, and afternoon easterly tides to take us home on Sunday. Yarmouth is good for walking and cycling too. Using the bus to get to The Needles, it is possible to walk over Tennyson Down and back to Yarmouth along a riverside path and disused railway in an afternoon, enjoying stunning views across the Solent and the Channel and beautiful scenery along the river. The Albion Hotel reopened this year and makes a nice place to stop en route for a hot cup of coffee on the seafront, watching the crashing surf in Freshwater Bay. 

Lymington – another favourite, and a great town with plenty of nice restaurants which we use as a base to visit local friends. 

Beaulieu – lovely on a sunny calm winter day. Take a picnic or some treats to warm in the oven and pick up a visitor mooring and watch the peaceful beauty of this tranquil river in the winter time. 

Newtown Creek – normally packed in the summer, it provides a beautiful winter lunchtime anchorage particularly good for bird watching.

Seaview – you need your own means of getting ashore in the winter, but the walks and the friendly yacht club are worth the trip. 

Cruising Association

Founded in 1908 to meet the needs of the cruising community, the Cruising Association (CA) is acknowledged as a leading organisation for sail and motor cruisers with over 6,400 members worldwide. The CA is a trusted source of cruising knowledge, information and advice, whether you are exploring UK waters or heading for more distant shores. 

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