Winter Preparation

Although many people don't winterize their boats when they're in the Med, we wanted to do whatever we could to make it safe for the winter. Winterizing generally involves eliminating water or salt water from the onboard systems and replacing it with antifreeze, turning off all batteries and electrical draws, and trying to protect indoor and outdoor surfaces from sunlight or dust.

The boat stays on land each winter. This page depicts the winter preparation for our first year out of the water, in Spain. We've gone through a similar process each year before we leave the Mediterranean.

	Here's our boat, awaiting haulout. We put up a sun cover over the boom and placed the inflatable dinghy to keep sunlight out of the forward hatch. If the marina construction lasted longer than we expected it to, the boat would still be very safe in the water.
The Club Nautico El Arenal was the 2000-2001 winter home for Swept Away. We like the facility and the staff was very professional. While it's hard to leave the boat for months, it's helpful when you trust the marina to take care of it.
	Here, Art handles some final tasks. This cockpit cover normally gives us a protected place to sit in cold or rainy weather. When the boat is out of the water, the cover provides protection for the varnished outdoor chart area.
Boats hauled out of the water are secured by wooden studs.
	The winter storage area was under renovation when we left for the winter. After the rest of the marina construction was complete, our boat was pulled out of the water on a Travelift, which took it to its winter home on land.