A Winter Check-In

When we put Endless Summer away for the winter at Pleasure Cove Marina this past October, I had some trepidations about how I would feel being boatless for the first time in 20 plus years. Even though I knew she was being cared for in her well-protected heated little corner of the storage shed, it still seemed like I was sending her off to a winter of isolation and neglect.

The first couple of months weren't all that bad and in fact, the break after living on board all summer, it was good to be at our "land based" home in Florida. But then the weather in Maryland turned cold .... really cold. And then it snowed... a lot. All I could think about was that boat whose name alone implies I had violated that trust of an "Endless Summer". But I kept myself busy with some travel to Mexico, Thanksgiving with family, Christmas in Asheville, the Miami Boat Show, playing some golf and long list of "honey-do" projects around the house. So far, so good.

By the end of February, however, I was thinking it might be good to make a personal appearance and check-in on things. It would also be a good time to review any other maintenance issues before she came out in the Spring. So we packed our winter jackets and boots and headed off to Maryland.

I was pleased to find Endless Summer safe and secure in the 45 degree heated Pleasure Cove Marina facility. Even though it was strange to see her in that condition, it did provide some relief of my anxiety and desire to be onboard again.

Fortunately, I discovered that the shore power cord was not receiving it's full 50 amp supply so the chargers and inverter were not working as they should. That meant all the batteries were dead, which was not suppose to happen. With the help of the operations folks at the marina, we got that resolved quickly, Already, I was happy I made the trip to check on her.

I also gave the bottom, pods and props a detailed inspection and while in reasonably good condition, decided that a fresh overcoat around the waterline and bow was warranted. Or as they call it marine maintenance circles a "lipstick" paint job. It was also time to replace the transom and trim tab zincs -- much easier than hiring a diver to do it in the water.

The interior of the boat seem to be in very good condition, virtually no moisture or odor present, which is always a concern when things are closed up like that. Since I had placed recording thermometers both inside the cabin and in the engine room, I was able to determine that the temperature never had dropped below 43 degrees -- that was great!

As much as I wanted to fix myself a cocktail and sit on the aft deck for an hour or so fantasizing about the summer ahead, I realized that opportunity would come soon.

Well, maybe not soon enough.