I do go out in the winter whenever I can, but the opportunities are rare. Since I am still working full time I can only go out on weekends and holidays, and getting good weather on a weekend or holiday in the winter is a rare thing. And of course I do other activities as well, and I have a large extended family, so there are other things that can keep me in town.
The above shot was taken in early 2004 at the downtown cruise ship dock. You can see the heavy ice which stretched almost all the way across to Pennock Island. It was not thick enough to support a person but the sea gulls were walking on it.
In the winter I try to keep my trips a little shorter and closer to home, just because of the probability of rapid weather changes, usually for the worse.
There are some elements of boating that are distinctly different in the winter.
Ice in the water -
The above shot was taken in early January 2007 in Carroll Inlet. As you can see I ran into some pretty heavy ice in the water. I had to turn around and head back. From what I have been told the dangers in running in ice are these. You can damage your hull (assuming that it is fiberglass) as the ice scratches up against it. You can suck ice up into the salt water intakes on the engines and that can plug up the water pumps. And of course if it is thick enough it can just prevent any forward motion.
Decks and docks are frosty or even icy, and while that may just seem like a minor inconvenience, it could be a life or death situation. If you jump out of the boat while pulling into a dock and the dock is very slippery you could fall and sustain injury, and perhaps lose the boat in the process. My boat weighs about 21000 lbs without fuel, water and gear and so when you pull it in you really need to be on a secure surface. I know a friend of mine was out on Christmas eve a couple of years ago and stepped out on the dock and slipped and broke his arm. Fortunately he had someone else with him or he would have had a real hard time running the boat home in rough seas the next day.
You can't get pictures like this out on the trail in July!
I was out on a winter trip with a friend on a 42' boat. We were in rough seas in cold weather and one of the windshield wipers quit. I tried to go out on deck to take a look at it. I had heard about and seen icing on the TV shows but that was the first time I had experienced it first hand. I could not easily stand on deck, and all the railings and decks were coated with ice, so I could not even hold on securely. In short, I was just unable to go out on deck and look at that wiper, something that would have been easily done in the summer.
Lines freeze up on the cleats. Any mooring lines that have any moisture in them at all will sometimes freeze solid on the cleats. Again, it seems like more of an inconvenience than a real problem. But anyone who has been boating for any length of time knows that sometimes it is of utmost importance to get the line off the cleat quickly. I have had to bring out hot water from the cabin to thaw frozen lines. Of course that makes them wet again, so you have to deal with that as well. When I leave for a winter trip, depending upon the outside temperatures of course, I sometimes lay the mooring lines inside the cabin so they will be warm, dry, and most importantly, pliable when I reach my destination.
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Ice fishing in Margaret Lake, January 2010. They actually caught 1 trout, of which they were very proud!
Lack of other boats in the area. One of the reasons we go boating is for solitude, and so we like to be away from crowds of other boats. But, when you have a mechanical or perhaps a medical problem, it is nice to know there are other boats in the area. There are just a lot fewer boats out and about during the winter and so the probability of another boat being in the area if/when you have a problem is a lot lower. Of course one can always call the Coast Guard, and they will respond, but depending on where you are at the time, it may be awhile before they arrive.
Equipment failures due to cold. I went out one time on my old boat, the Forever, when it was about 10 F. Even though it was cold it was sunny and clear, and so I decided to run from the flybridge. The Forever did not have electronic engine controls as the Faraway has, and the cables for the throttles and gears froze up making it impossible to control the engines from up there. Fortunately I was able to pilot from the lower helm with no issues.
"Cabin time." In the winter the daylight hours are pretty short, so you have to take enough projects and diversions to keep yourself occupied during those long hours of darkness. That is no problem for me, although it may be for others. I take my guitar and all the music that I've been working on. I take cross word puzzles, books to read (iPad/Kindle), boat projects and repairs to work on, and movies to watch. Once it gets dark you are pretty limited in what you can do outside, so I try to maximize my time outside while it is light. Food prep, consumption and clean up can take up some time too. So I just go out prepared for long hours of cabin time (with no Internet service of course.)
As most of my readers know I use both the Spot Messenger and the Delorme InReach for trip tracking when I am out. The Spot Messenger (the service that I have chosen) is one way messaging. I can send preset messages with my location and of course can call the emergency services network if needed. The InReach allows trip tracking in detail, and anyone with my login credentials can see exactly where I am within about 10 minutes. When paired with the iPad it also allows two way text messaging. I also carry an Iridium sat phone provided by my employer, which I use primarily to check messages on my office line. And of course there is the good old VHF radio, but since it is a line-of-sight technology sometimes I get little or no signal. And of course there is the cell phone, but most of the time I am out of range of cell signal, so it is of little use to me.
Winter boating can be a great experience, but additional caution must be exercised to stay safe and have an enjoyable experience.
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