Winter Cover

[supersailor]

Well, it's that time of year again! The mess has been increasing from the sinking recovery. Currently everything seems to being worked on. With the deck beginning to show signs of greening up and the sails being damp, I decided it was time to do the winter cover thing. A quick trip to COSTCO for two tarps, the attic for some cheap line, and Harbor freight tools for some nifty tarp clamps and viola Terra Nova is winterized.

This arraignment probably wouldn't work in snow country but here in the North West, I'm pleased with the result. For the approx. $35 spent the results are good.

Pix 1 shows the current inside situation. Pix 2, 3 and 4 show the just installed cover. The forward support is the spinnaker pole.

 

[Loren Beach]

Looks good. Did you add more grommets?

Loren

 

[Tom Metzger]

I'll bite... If it doesn't snow what are you trying to keep off of it?

I was tempted, but I won't ask if you cover it in the summer. That would have been boorish. :nerd:

 

[supersailor]

Hi Tom and Loren,

Loren. I didn't go the route of extra grommets yet. Harbor Freight had these neat tarp clips than can be tied off with a line. They were on sale for $5 for a pack of four. Worth a try as they are so easy to use. I do have extra grommets in reserve, though.

Tom. Snow can happen. Everyone crashes their cars when this happens. Thee are some hilarious videos of people trying to negotiate the hilly Seattle roads after the ice and snow storms a couple of years ago. The winters here are cool and DAMP, DAMP, Damp. The deck gets green spots that turn into black spots that don't want to come off in the spring. The incessant rain finds every tiny leak and wrecks what is underneath. The anchor rode stays wet all winter yielding a moldy anchor line in spring. The pedestal gets pitted and the interior becomes musty. Our nearby log yards debris piles up on the deck all winter staining everything. The cover stops all that dead in its tracks. Also I can fix the leak in the port forward port light after I finish everything else and it can even be raining.

Winter cover good.

 

[supersailor]

Hmm! Maybe I will have to take back a little the not for snow comments about the cover. We just had what the Great Lakes sailors would call a "Lake Effect" snow event. A Frasier River outflow crossed about 80 miles of water and hit the Olympic Mountains. The result was a significant snow event over about a 50 mile area. Lots of snow on the cars, roads and landscape. The cover was about bare (slippery tarp) but the docks were about solid ice with a small topping of snow. Am most happy except for the slipping and sliding on the way home. The neighbors were not as lucky.

 

[Lucky Dog]

That's not snow

This is snow

 

[supersailor]

Yup! That's why I live here. I can drive 14 1/2 miles to Hurricane Ridge (5400 feet) if I want that. Living on the ocean and buried by the couple inches we have is tolerable!!

 

[Loren Beach]

Close to Bob, but a lot higher up

I grabbed a screen shot from the roof cam @ Hurricane Ridge yesterday.
The cam is located on the roof of the Park day lodge.
Their web site indicates that the road is usually plowed for day light use in the winter. It would be neat to drive up there, like we have in the past in the summer. The cam view direction is W/SW if I recall.

 

[supersailor]

Hey Lucky Dog, Note this post was placed in the Pacific North West Forum where we can handle ridiculous Hurricane winds, giant seas, unbelievable waterfalls of rain and currents that move around like white water rapids. We even periodically bounce off rocks but god help us if any of the water solidifies! :0 It's the most fun on our roads where our drivers have no clue what that sheet of ice on the road will do to their cars.