Winterizing

Breeze On is on the hard and almost completely winterized. We chose a calm day last week to take her up the creek to the Generation III boatyard. Since it was calmest in the morning, we bundled up—the temperature was in the upper 30’s—and went down first thing to move her. When we were ready to go I pushed the start button. The engine turned over then quit. I tried a few more times with the same result. The starter battery seemed to be working but the engine just didn’t want to run. Apparently Breeze On doesn’t like the cold weather any more than we do! Our best guess was that there was an ice crystal in the fuel line. George fired up the Little Buddy propane heater, placed it near the engine compartment and sat on board reading while I went for a walk. We tried again after I returned and—although I had to hold the start button down for a few seconds—she did start. We motored down to Generation III, tied up at the end of a dock, and walked home.

This past week we were expecting a storm. Breeze On was still at the end of the dock and tied up on just one side so we drove to the marina planning to move her into a slip. Chuck had already put antifreeze in all of the water lines, including the engine intake, so we couldn’t move her. Dave, the owner, promised to take Breeze On out of the water before the storm arrived. Early the next morning George used Marine Traffic to watch Breeze On via AIS as she was pulled out of the water and put on land.

George waited for the solar panels to fully charge the batteries before he disconnected the AGM batteries (starter and bow thruster.) He then disconnected the solar panels by taking the fuses out. He will leave the fridge running to draw the lithium ion batteries (service bank) down to around 70% before he disconnects them. It’s best not to store lithium batteries at 100%. Breeze On will then be winterized. George will “visit” the boat periodically to check the batteries and general conditions.

Since we can’t be in the Bahamas we are focusing on all of the things we appreciate about being home. Hot showers are high on both of our lists. We also appreciate the ease of doing laundry and washing dishes. This past weekend we watched a Christmas boat parade from our balcony and enjoyed the show.