SAILING NEWS
Laying up 8
Get set
HE Summer has left us, and it’s
T
By Matthew Tett
all too tempting to dwell on the
buoys we have laid and the
now will pay dividends. Just think for a
beaches on which we have laid,
minute, or the rest of the afternoon, about
rather than the tortuous process of laying
Spring. Will you really want to spend the
up. Just the thought makes me want to lie
first good day of next season working on
down!
all the things you know you should have
CLEAN SWEEP: Make sure the inside and out However, whether you are a yachtie or
been working on at lay up, or would you
side of your boat are spotless a dinghy fanatic a few hours’ hard labour
rather be out on the water chasing that
first trophy?
Okay, we know it has to be done, so the
first question is do you do it yourself or do
you hand your baby over to the nearest
available boatyard. On most boats, yachts
or dinghies, the job requires semi-skilled
mechanical work and good organisation.
If these qualities do not describe you, then
I suggest that you turn to the local boat-
yard for assistance. This is perhaps one of
the areas where dinghy sailors have the
advantage over the yachties, as the majority
of dinghies are better behaved and easier
to lay up than their larger brethren. That
said there are many technical areas of run-
any close encounters as we round the
ning rigging on dinghies that will benefit
mark. BUT we sometimes fail to spot the
immensely from a service by an expert.
tiny little exceptions to cover when our
Best practise is to ensure that your boat
babies are on the hard or laid up in a kindly
does not break down, rather than trying to
farmer’s barn. It may pay to don those
learn to fix it if it does. So, what are we
reading specs and take a look at your
aiming to achieve? The plan is to protect
insurer’s small print, just to remind your-
your baby against frost, damp, corrosion,
self of any vital requirements.
electrical deterioration and theft. THE JOB IN HAND:
Ergo the areas we need to consider are:
Stuff you will need: It helps to have a
Storage; Covers; Sail care; hull, spar and
checklist of equipment required before
rigging repair; engine and electrical
the practical “winterising” (as our cousins
service; and Insurance, although not
over the pond like to call it), so here is
necessarily in that order!
mine (please note it is neither exhaustive
INSURANCE:
nor prescriptive!):
Before we start with the practical stuff,
Duct tape; Clean cotton rags (old
let’s think about the seemingly dull bit
undies, T-shirts and towels are perfect if
first. It seems oh so obvious, we all ensure
you are not too proud to show them off on
that we have adequate insurance whilst
the boat yard!); Full tool set, to include
we are on the water, lest we should suffer
adjustable and plumbing wrenches; Large
tub of Vaseline; Cleaning products; Boat
wax, and polishing machine; Boat and
equipment manuals; The wife’s cookery
blow-torch – perfect for sealing those
fraying cords and sheets; Notebook and
pen and pencil to keep records – this will
make the job much easier next year!
STORAGE:
Once your baby is out of the water, the
question of where to store her for the
winter can be a vexed one. Dinghy sailors
are at a distinct advantage here as garages
and barns and outhouses generally fit the bill.
Yachties have more of a problem, as there is
a shortage of dry storage for big boats.
Even dinghy storage can be a problem,
especially if you have several vying for
space in one garage. Enter “Boat rack”, a
singularly simple contraption that can pre-
vent any storage problems. Resembling
one of those Fold-away clothes rails on
castors, it provides a mobile method of
storing dinghies sideways, suspended by
webbing straps, which means that they
can be stored in minimum space, allowing
storage of two or three lasers side by
side in a space the dimensions of a
single garage, useful if you have a
number of teenagers in the family.
(www.Boat-Bits.co.uk)
COVERS:
If dry storage is not available, for dinghies
and big boats, the next best thing is a good
cover. A cover doesn’t just keep precipita-
tion out of the boat’s interior it will also
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