I was down on Spellbinder yesterday and overnight checking on her.  As is usual for the time of year, a few blows have come through Gosport, and one never quite knows what to expect when a boat is left for a few weeks.  The worst fears are leaking sea cocks, electrical wires shorting, sails flapping and ripping, ropes chafing…I could go on.  These are, of course, first world fears…

Luckily all was well, and she was looking good in the winter sunlight:

She was also warm and dry, thanks to the combination of a de-humidifier and small oil-filled radiator I keep running over the winter months.  The former drains directly into the sink and thence overboard.

It does a good job, although one has to remember to block the yacht’s vents, or you risk trying to de-humidify Gosport’s whole atmosphere!

The radiator just keeps the temperature above freezing.  Some say that if a yacht is properly ventilated there is no need for these sorts of measures, even in the UK climate.  While it is true that circulating air does a good job, my experience is that a de-humidifier and small radiator do a much, much better job.  It was certainly warm and dry when I arrived.

I spent a comfortable night on board, sorting out a few things, running electricity through the wires and checking that all the lights and instruments work (I am not sure what good it does, but it is strangely re-assuring so to do).  Spellbinder also has a diesel-powered air heater and once fired up she was soon at a very comfortable temperature.  I slept to the usual sounds of creaking warps and thwacking halyards, but slept well, my dreams shaped  by some recent reading.  Plans for 2018 and the first few months of 2019 are shaping up.  The photo below gives you a clue.  I’ll shortly be posting more details, and outline dates, to encourage crew to sign up…subscribers to this blog will definitely get priority!