The onset of winter naturally signals the start of the task of winterizing my 21-foot MacGregor trailer-sailor. I take the boat home for the winter and park it in the driveway so that it’s convenient to work on the boat during the few months I can’t go sailing. Winter is the time that I’m happy I have a trailerable boat and don’t have to make the trip to the marina each time I have a couple hours to “play.”

At the beginning of winter, I jacked and blocked the trailer up, removed the wheels and inspected and re-greased the bearings. I thoroughly checked the rigging and mast with more than the customary quick inspection when I brought the mast down at the marina. I gave the boat and trailer a good wash down, removing nearly everything from the cabin and storage areas. I removed any gear that could be damaged by freezing temperatures, had batteries or other items that could corrode and/or burst, as well as anything that might pose a hazard to the boat due to extended storage or changes in temperatures. I also emptied every locker and cubby hole out to discover anything I thought I lost during the season. Each winter I am reacquainted with many of my favorite possessions from inside the boat that I thought I had lost for all eternity–kind of like getting Christmas presents early.

I started removing things from the boat not unlike a dog digging in the yard, with boat items substituted for dirt sent flying in all directions. The bag of bedding was the first item tossed from the boat, followed by a couple of light blankets, two sleeping bags, a pair of dirty socks I found under the bags and three pillows, all of which started a growing pile of “boat stuff” in the driveway. Next thrown out were several plastic tubs that hold the various smaller items that are needed, handy or that just got stuffed away one day out sailing. The first tub was an immediate candidate for the “Why is this even on the boat?” (“WITEOTB?”) list as it held spare towels that were not used even once all season. Investigating the next tub I found my pocket knife I thought I had lost, the spare boat horn top minus the air bottle, an assortment of can “cozies,” spare batteries of various sizes, one of my wife’s uncapped lipsticks and eyuuuew–a spare pair of sunglasses smeared with sunscreen from the open tube of SPF 5 Medium-Mega Tanning Lotion that was also in the tub. In fact, I discovered that just about everything in that tub was smeared with the lotion. The tub and contents were immediately earmarked for the “things to clean” pile.

"The battle between essential gear and available space is an ongoing one aboard any size boat, but especially pronounced aboard smaller sailing boats."

Changing tactics only slightly, I carefully removed the whisker pole, two fishing poles, both canoe paddles, the boat hook pole, the gin pole I use to raise and lower the mast and the long-handled brush I use to clean the boat with. I think I used one of the fishing poles exactly once all year–certainly an item to leave behind this spring. I also removed my “boat bag” that holds the hand-held radio, plug-in electronic fish-finder, gloves, portable cockpit light, burgees and flags and other assorted items including another bottle of sunscreen which fortunately, had not spewed its contents. Pitching these items from the boat didn’t seem to be a wise thing to do, so the bag was gently lowered to the ground.

All the cabin cushions went next into the pile, followed by one of my wife’s bikini top–a bikini top?!?! Oh yeah, I remember that day (blush). Next out was the collection of PFDs, followed by the big bag of sails, followed by the several bags of paper and plastic plates, forks, knives, spoons, cups, napkins, paper towels, zip-loc baggies of various sizes, several of those little plastic storage containers that will hold a sandwich, a napkin and some pickles all nice and dry and uncrushed, a half-empty can of peanuts and crushed single-size bag of chips (yuck). So that’s where they went! Digging deeper now into the storage spaces under the berths, I found the swim fins, mask and snorkel, three water shoes (not pairs, just three individual shoes) a spare batten, some sail tape, several coils of some non-descript line, three rolls of water-soluble toilet paper for the Porta-potty, two refill bottles of that blue antibacterial fluid for said potty, and a crushed ball cap that I recall wearing the day I launched the boat for the season. The “WITEOTB?” list was growing exponentially.

Looking around the inside of the cabin, I was struck by how much bigger it suddenly seemed. I didn’t feel like I had taken that much stuff out yet, had I? My Mom always complained that she didn’t have enough closet space in the house and Dad always seemed to be redesigning or building a new closet for her. I had the same feelings about my boat. I think that one of Murphy’s Law must state something along the lines of, “One will always strive to collect more stuff than there is storage space for…” Looking at the growing pile of stuff on the driveway, I thought that statement fit my boat exactly.Image: clean interior

"A place for everything, and everything in its place makes life aboard a saner affair for all."

I advanced on the last storage space under the stern hatch and began to empty the area under the cockpit. Out came the little shop-vac and the cleaning bucket complete with a wide collection of boat cleaners, compounds, waxes, towels, rags, hand brushes, and a soggy box of latex gloves that I had forgotten were in there. Next came the bumpers, spare dock lines, two hoses and the heavy-duty extension cord I plug into the boat to recharge the battery. Oh yeah, I still had the battery and the outboard motor to remove and store. As I climbed off of the boat I almost thought that the final step down was longer than when I climbed up. Was it was possible that my little boat was riding higher on her trailer? Looking at the pile of things I had pulled from the boat, I thought it was probably true.

As I picked up and moved each item into the garage for storage or to the house for reentry into the realm of usefulness, my "WITEOTB?" list was annotated. With the last of the pile safety tucked away, the list was also finally finished. The highest priority for immediate banishment from the boat was given to everything that I didn’t recall seeing or using at any time during the season. Next on the list was anything only occasionally used or that I brought with me each time I went sailing. Then I listed all the stuff I thought I could do without, borrow or store at the marina, followed by the stuff I knew that I used or needed on a regular basis. The last two parts of the list were pretty small compared to what I started with–amazing! I figure that I can stow the stuff I might do without in the truck instead of the boat, so it’s handy "just in case"–if I carry that stuff around long enough without using it, out it goes.

So, by all accounts as spring rolls around, I think my boat will be somewhere in the order of at least 100 pounds lighter at launch time, which means I’ll be that much faster in the club races–woo-hoo! And yes, I checked the boat and it is sitting higher on its trailer, all covered up in blue tarps, in the driveway, waiting for sailing weather to return.

But just watch, I bet this will be the season that I’ll suffer from another of Murphy’s Laws that goes something like, "You never need something until you don’t have it with you." So, what’s in your boat?