Winter boat use.

[skipperdude]

Any body cruising this time of the year.

I think I am the only person in the Harbor doing any cruising in the winter.

I have posted a lot of stuff on my crabbing experiences.

Headed out again this weekend.

It is like a whole new world out there in the winter.

Talk about quiet and solitude.

If you use your boat in the winter tell me about it.

Not you guye in the south. Your winter is the same as my summer.

SD

 

[OFB]

SD

I dont get the chance to cruise invader much through the winter. Seems a live aboard thing for the Admiral. But I love it.

However I am out and about all the time in the little boat or any boat I can catch a ride on.

Tommorrow being sat some of us will be headed out to set a few crab traps. Set up a day / over night camp . Eat drink and be mary kinda thing. The sand beaches turn into nice solid sidewalks at - 2 deg. Tide low in the early morn so the boats just sit dry on the beach.

 

[skipperdude]

Sounds cool to me. I will be setting the crab pots again this weekend myself.
Gotta love fresh year round seafood.

Getting hard to find fresh bait.
What do you use?

SD

 

[OFB]

Commercial pellets if we have not left out some salmon heads or cod guts, chicken meat to rot a bit. Raw chicken scraps that be a bit ripe seems to work best here. But I have also used cracked open tins of sardines as back up.

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

Any body cruising this time of the year.

SD

I'm trying! I left the boat in the water this year but have been out only once since Thanksgiving. Holidays, family, work, weather ..... always something.

 

[ColonyCove]

We started our 2013 boating season on January 1st; same as last year.

[FONT=&quot]“The sea drives truth into a man like salt.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Hilaire Belloc[/FONT]

Bill- aboard Juniata

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Aw c'mon guys....First I'm lulled into a state of tranquility and NOW, I'm hungry...Winter cruising is not so much hindered by weather but by crew shortage in my case.

 

[ColonyCove]

C'mon RT, don't you know that boats are chick magnets? Pick a few choice ones and get out there.

Bill

 

[skipperdude]

I'm trying! I left the boat in the water this year but have been out only once since Thanksgiving. Holidays, family, work, weather ..... always something.[/QUOTE

Weather?? What you got for weather?

Sorry dude I ain't buying it.

The sun was in my eyes. \
Uhh I tripped on a blade of grass.
Uuuh My shoe was untied.

How about those reasons. Just as good eh?

Common get out there. Just do it.

SD

 

[OFB]

fun times

 

[Marin]

We use the boat all winter (all year, actually). We take it out throughout the winter when my schedule and the weather cooperate but even if they don't we go up to it almost every weekend and stay for a day or two. So the boat never just sits unused.

 

[skipperdude]

Marin you are my hero.

Ditto all you said.

It restoreth the sole.

SD

 

[Marin]

We even manage to make the 100-mile drive to the boat fun by counting raptors we see along the way (eagles, hawks, and vultures). Once we get north of Everett there are quite a few particulary in the Skagit River delta. Our record count on a drive (we only count in one direction, not a round trip) was 81, some two thirds of which were Bald Eagles.

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

Weather?? What you got for weather?

SD

I'm a wussy, fair weather sailor. Rain, sleet, 25k - 30k winds .... it becomes too much like work, not fun. Nope, it just ain't happening.

 

[Conrad]

We even manage to make the 100-mile drive to the boat fun by counting raptors we see along the way (eagles, hawks, and vultures). Once we get north of Everett there are quite a few particulary in the Skagit River delta. Our record count on a drive (we only count in one direction, not a round trip) was 81, some two thirds of which were Bald Eagles.

One January we were cruising down Trincomali when we saw what appeared to be a large flock of seagulls going after something in the water. As we got closer we realized they were Bald Eagles, and we stopped counting past 50. An amazing sight.

 

[skipperdude]

I'm a wussy, fair weather sailor. Rain, sleet, 25k - 30k winds .... it becomes too much like work, not fun. Nope, it just ain't happening.

It's not work man. It let's you know you are alive. The knuckles get white the blood starts pumping the adrenilin starts to flow.

Whee!! haa!!!

Hold my beer and watch this.

Whisky and fresh horses for my men.

You have a beautiful boat. What do you do for excitement?

Just funnin with you man. I understand
Sometimes you put on the pantys instead of the BVD.
Been there a time or two.


SD

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

Sometimes you put on the pantys instead of the BVD.
Been there a time or two.

SD

But, but, well ... I haven't gone to wearing the pink bunny slippers. Yet.

 

[Pineapple Girl]

We had a seven hour cruise on New Years Day. We got cold and abandoned the fly bridge after the first few hours. We've only been up to the boat one night since but plan do go up tomorrow night the second we can escape from a dinner we have to attend- ARGH! We are hoping to head out early Sunday and anchor out overnight. We are at the boat every chance we get, rain or shine. It doesn't get that cold here, though.

 

[CPseudonym]

Got ticked off at work yesterday, turned off the cell phone and drove to the boat. Came home 2 hours later with a much improved attitude.

 

[Scout]

We love winter cruising. Not too many people and when the sun is out it is just so beautiful here in the PNW.

 

[GFC]

We went out twice for the Christmas boat parade, then again on New Year's Day for about 4 hours. Right now I'm in AZ but I'm missing the boat like crazy.

We usually put about 8-10 hours a month on the clocks in the winter. Gotta keep those engines lubed up!

 

[markpierce]

Yes. The winds/waters are normally calmer in the winter here.

 

[HopCar]

It's finally cool enough to go boating down here but my wife broke her foot. She won't let me find a temp boat babe.

 

[Marin]

Yes. The winds/waters are normally calmer in the winter here.

Is that Mt. Tamalpias on the horizon?

 

[FlyWright]

I'm from NORTHERN California, so I assume your comment about those from the south referred to guys boating in SOUTHERN California. Our winters include freezing temps and fog, unlike those in SoCal!!

We cruised into Pittsburg for a TF Rendezvous with Giggitoni, markpierce, Delta_JimS and dswizzler. The morning temps edged close to the freezing point, but no worries...the heaters were working great. Fortunately, the fog wasn't a problem this trip.

Just before Christmas, we got out for some dungeonous crabbing. Got limits and still have crab in the freezer. It was my first attempt on a buddy's boat. I had a blast!

I'm hoping to get out sturgeon fishing following next weekend's inverter replacement. As our water temps rise and the turbidity clears, we're hoping for a serious improvement in our sturgeon bite. I'm watching the reports out of the Napa River closely. I'd love to spend a week there chasing the dinosaur fish. Come March/April, the striper action should pick up.

 

[markpierce]

Is that Mt. Tamalpias on the horizon?

No, that's Mt. Diablo (we're looking eastward from Carquinez Strait). Mt. Diablo is about 35 miles inland from Mt. Tamalpias. Mt. Tam is in the Marin Peninsula, adjacent to the ocean (which you know of course, but not all forum readers do.)

 

[markpierce]

I'm hoping to get out sturgeon fishing following next weekend's inverter replacement. As our water temps rise and the turbidity clears, we're hoping for a serious improvement in our sturgeon bite. I'm watching the reports out of the Napa River closely. I'd love to spend a week there chasing the dinosaur fish. Come March/April, the striper action should pick up.

If you catch'em, gut'em, cook'em; we'll eat'em. We'll bring the margaritas.

 

[markpierce]

I'm watching the reports out of the Napa River closely. I'd love to spend a week there chasing the dinosaur fish. Come March/April, the striper action should pick up.

So, what part of the Napa River has "dinosaur" action? (Don't let this photo deceive you. The river has a narrow navigable channel.)

 

[markpierce]

The Napa River is interesting/enchanting, but one must be constantly "on one's toes."

(Three diesel-electric Baldwin locomotives fell/ran into the river in the 1950s, to their ruin, while the bridge was raised.)

 

[Nomad Willy]

Winter cruis'in??

OK just let me get some of this white stuff off da boat.

On a calm day we'd love to go a mile or two out into Clarence Strait and drink in the beauty of it all. Don't think I have any pics. But most of the time we attempted to go afar limited daylight, tides and of course the gales seemed to keep us close to Thorne Bay. Now we're down south and Willy's hauled. For the first time I've put anti-freeze in the bilge.

We did make quite a few trips to Ketchikan in the winter. Took about 6 hours and saved us considerable hotel costs. I went by myself once and arrived in a bad snowstorm. Had to clear the windshield every 2 min. No wipers. I could see dead ahead but not much else.

Second pic was taken by a friend from a passing ferry.
Third pic is at the Yacht Club float in Ketchikan in the winter.