Surviving the winter...

TIME MACHINE has been under the cover 4 months now. Last weekend I checked on the boat and everything is fine. I made sure the cradle hadn't shifted and checked the load on each of the support pads. I checked all the lines securing the cover and then climbed into the boat through the stern opening in the cover. Over the years we have learned a few things which others may be interested in.

• Remove the rudder and take it inside so that it doesn't freeze. If there is any moisture in the blade it will pop or weaken the structure. Since this foil is so thin, it's more vulnerable to moisture problems. It turns out that with a tiller boat, which we are, the removal and installation process can be done with 2 people in about 30 minutes.
• Use a canvas cover that covers the whole deck and the topsides. We have a cover that was made for mast-up storage. Since that first winter we always pull the rig and setup a 4x4 'mast stump and a 2x12 'boom' with a scissors at the traveler to hold it up. This is very stable and makes a nice space underneath for working on the deck and interior. The canvas breathes, but keeps the snow and rain out.
• Leave the hatches and port-lights open. Because the canvas breathes so well we leave the interior open. Things are probably drier now than during the summer. There is no evidence of mold at all.
• Charge the batteries a couple of time during the winter. The batteries will self discharge, so it's important to trickle charge them a couple of time during the winter. We setup work lights (strings of 100W bulbs in cages) below deck and hanging off the 'boom'. When we plug into the shorepower to run the lights and heater, the battery charger is also activated.