WINTER WONDERLAND
Richard Krause ponders the pros and cons of winter boating
We wake up to be greeted by a stunning Poole Harbour morning. The air is completely still, the sky is an uninterrupted solid blue and the views across to Brownsea Island and the Purbeck hills are perfectly reflected in smooth mirror-like water. This amazing panorama across one of Britain’s most beautiful bays is missing something though… boats! It is deepest winter, the mercury is struggling to nudge much above zero and only the lines of empty mooring buoys break the harbour’s serene emptiness. The barometer needle is well to the right and the high pressure suggests the crisp, clear, calm conditions will last. Well, until dusk at least. Despite the hint of frost on the car windscreen and the risk of slippy pontoons and decks, it is nonetheless still a perfect day to get afloat on our Landau 29.
By the start of November, every yacht club’s hardstanding is packed like sardines with winterised boats. The conventional sailing season is a short seven months. For those who wish to pick the prime spots in the yard, the season can reduce to a mere six. It always seems such a shame to me that they will miss out on days like this, albeit they don’t happen as often as we would like. But when they do, you could have over 14 square miles of perfect water virtually all to yourself and the peace and silence can be idyllic.
PRIME PICKINGS
Now we all know it is not a great idea to work out how much your boat actually costs you per hour. If you do, it will only be apparent that you would be better off renting than owning. Of course, that’s not the only consideration when deciding to own your boat but, having bought Walrus II, we decided to offset our ‘investment’ by not being limited to only half a year of enjoyment. After all, we pay harbour dues for a whole 12 months.
Okay, we have an enclosed cabin, a ‘coppercoated’ hull, and I’ll usually fire up the diesel heating for a while before my wife joins me on board but, if you are wrapped up warm and the kettle has boiled, it is not long before the hatches and windows are opened to enjoy that clean winter air. The contrast between summer and winter is extreme.
When the mercury rises above the 21°C mark on a weekend in July or August it is only to be expected that proud owners of every size and type of watercraft will all want to make good use of the fine weather. Want to find your perfect anchorage spot or visitor’s berth for lunch and you had better arrive very early. In the winter, you can take your pick with ease and guarantee space will not be at a premium. Speed restrictions are eased too in the main channels so you can even have a short burst or two of higher revs to avoid continually running your engine at low idle temperatures.
There are downsides, I know. You are unlikely to swim off the bathing platform or lay out a lovely lunch on the aft deck. The summer solstice has long passed and the day is eight hours shorter so, unless you are confident at night navigation, you are not going to venture far. Even in the daylight, with no moored boats lining the Wych and North Channels, you need to keep a careful watch for the next channel buoys. The perspective in the harbour is very different without rows of masts making your track obvious. When storms like Ciara or Jorge hit, you always hope you have tied her off properly against the pontoon. The fettlers and tinkerers among us may miss their opportunity for low-season fiddling and I must admit our quick lift out in the slings for a day or so can be a little short to service/clean and touch up the drive and hull.
Nevertheless, in my humble opinion, the pros still outweigh the cons and maybe you should give it some thought next winter.