Amy and I find ourselves on probably the last nice day of the fall working in the boat. The season comes to a close, again. Why I work on winterizing the motor, Amy is busy cleaning up after the seasons messes inside the cabin.

The season definitely ended as it started. By that I mean the boat did not want to leave the water or start at all. After multiple attempts to start the boat; my neighbor, friend, and all things sailing “go to” Carl and I borrowed a fresh battery from Howe at PT boat storage at Lake Rathbun. With the new battery, Clair de lun finally started and made the trip to the boat launch and trailered easily. And when I returned the battery to Howe, he had a power washer ready for me to use. I find it wonderful to have old pros at boat care to look after me and my boat, as well as teach me good habits for the future.

But, know the boat is home and needs to get ready for the drop in temps that we are expecting. Now that this is my second season of winterizing it went much smoother. Wing nut opened to drain the excess water in the motor, turn it over a few times to have the pump empty the rest. Spark plugs pulled and WD-40 sprayed in the block to prevent rust, and the muffler cap removed to allow for further drainage. All sails, including big dirty, opened and refolded, as well as all cushions pulled into the house for storage. The boat is ready!

We have a lot of things to look forward to next year. A new electrical setup, done by Howe has made it possible to run two batteries. We will be moving to the South Dock which has a lot more protection from the elements, dock bock for extra storage, and electrical power to allow for a trickle charger to be hooked up (will insure that we will get back from sails), and more people to invite down for sailing adventures (i.e. Kelly and Beth Davidson, Kirk and Missy Bloom, etc.). We also hope that our guests this year will be wanting to return next for more fun, Steve and Ben you know you’re welcome anytime.

I hope everyone who has read this blog over the past year has had fun and laughed at our expense (I know we have), and hope that you all have a great winter and see you next year.