CS34 Winter Cover

Two days after haulout, I was bound and determined to get the winter cover on.

In past years, work and life was busy, so the cover was usually rushed when it was freezing outside. Plus the willow trees just west of the boat would shed their leaves and stain the deck.

Last year, in heavy winds, a couple of the support ribs fell down and the cover collapsed in the wind and snow load a couple of times.  The stanchions poked several holes in the cover.  There were several rips from the howling winds.

A couple of weeks ago, I got the cover to WYC member Phil Hoskins to repair the sections of the cover, re-inforcing where the stanchions are.  He suggested that I get some schedule 40 PVC pipe and put it around the life lines.

I ripped a goove in the PVC pipe on the table saw at home.
Had to use a drill where the stanchions meet the lifelines, then a vibrating multitool at the various fittings

Lifeline gate

I also used tie wraps to secure the ribs to the toe rail and the PVC pipe.
This means that the ribs will not collapse like they have in the past.

Made a mess on the deck fabricating these, so I power washed the deck and cockpit.

Rita came by and helped me put the cover on

The 3 sections of the cover zip together.

Looking aft

Looking forward

Really pleased how the cover and frame has come together this year.

The cover fits like a glove, and the zippered door in the back makes for easy access using the swim ladder that folds up behind it.

The anchor will not fit underneath the cover, so I drop it to the ground.

Gives me a chance to clean out the anchor locker.
The yellow cord going to the right is the power cord so I can charge the batteries over the winter a couple of times.

Anchor/chain/rode under the boat, as well as the bimini frame.

Note how the whisker pole and boom are stored on the cradle.


Still Time is ready for the winter.

Only 192 days until launch!

CS34 Getting Ready for Winter

Day after haulout, sunny almost 20 degrees outside.

Vacuumed out all the bilges.

Spent some time on the insides winterizing

• motor
• head
• hot water heater
• plumbing
• desk wash pump
• bilge pump

Spent over 3 hours powerwashing the bottom and sides of the hull.
Still Time was not used that much after August, so the bottom was really scummy
Came out pretty good

I spent the next couple hours getting the frame together.
What a PITA.

#ourbackyardtonight

CS34 Still Time Haulout 2019

Got to the club at 6am and got a good parking spot on the beach.

Still Time is the 5th boat to be hauled out.

Breakfast at the club is always great on launch day.

There was frost on the docks and boats making it very slippery for the crews and boat owners.

Time on the photo is 7:15am
You can see the frost on the docks and deck

Looking out the harbour

Cranes lifting boats

Sunrise didn't happen until around 7:20am, and the haulout was slow starting, so Still Time didn't come out until 8:15am

https://youtu.be/nlxMXmllGrI


I had an incident before she was hauled out.

The haulout was delayed and slow, so I was out on Still Time motoring around.
I went to turn around by the launch ramp, and my rudder clipped a concrete anchor!
The finger docks on the west side of the channel had been pullout out of the water yesterday.

Yellow rectangle is where the launch ramp is
Yellow circle is where I clipped the rudder

Damage to the rudder is minimal:

Will take some epoxy fiberglass work in the spring before launch.

Glad the rudder shaft was not bent!


Spent the rest of the day getting the masts for the 22 and 34 put away (as well as the club Sharks)

Also pressure washed the 22's bottom.

C22 Still Time Haulout 2019

Haulout time is my least favourite time of the year.

Usually, little Still Time is done with the sailing school boats in the early afternoon, as there are several small boats that the crews do over by the west shelter.  Been the same for the 10 years that I have been at the club.

I got woken up with a phone call at 7:30am from the launch crews saying that they have changed the order of haulout this year.

Got into the club by 8:30am just in time to do the two club Sharks and little Still Time.

9:04am for Still Time

https://youtu.be/P38xs41pXzI

No harm
No foul

There's Still Time!

C22/CS34 Demasting of the Still Times

Haulout is coming FAST.

The weather for Wed/Thu was wet/windy/cold, so the masts HAD to come down today Tuesday after the Thanksgiving weekend.  Sunny and warm (16 degrees) with not much wind.

Walter Pingle met me at the club in the afternoon and we headed over the mast crane:

Walter Pingle at the mast

Mast came down easily as JP Dubreuil and Mark Backman came over to help; thanks guys!

We did a final pump out and proceeded to take the mast down on little Still Time.

Glad to get this done!

Ready for haulout

Mark and I along with help from new member Al took the Shark masts down.
Interesting Al owns a Mirage 35 called Wind Song, which is Walter Pingles previous boat!
Welcome to the club Al.

CS34 Emptying before Haulout

Every year we take everything off of the CS34 cruising boat.

• sails (including spinnaker)
• stackpack
• dodger
• bimini
• cockpit cushions
• interior cushions (there are 18 of them)
• bedding
• pillows
• food
• booze
• cleaning products
• life jackets and other safety equipment

You name it, it comes of the boat.

A couple of years ago we left the cushions on the boat, and they got a little musty smelling.

So now they come off, get vacuumed and put the basement.

All the exterior canvas has to be thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed to get rid of the spider nests and droppings, along with a couple of spiders!  

Exterior canvas layed out

Shadow is supervising
Cushions everywhere

More Shadow supervision

It is a lot of work, Rita is a real trouper doing most of this.

With all the cushions off the boat, the other big job is to clean the teak.

There is a LOT of interior teak on Still Time.

We use this product from Canadian Tire:

If you don't clean the teak in the fall, white mold develops on the teak, and it looks chalky in the spring.  Come spring time, we treat all the teak with some lemon oil before putting the cushions back in.

The teak interior on Still Time is what we love about the boat, as compared to many of the newer boats with the IKEA look.

CS34 October Sail

Was working around the house, went outside and cut the grass.
Man it was hot, so I called Rita and we headed to the boat for a sail.

Winds we forecasted for 7-12 knots for the afternoon, and build with thunderstorm warnings after 4pm.

We left the dock at 12:30pm, hoisting the main going out the channel.

Full main

Unfurled the jib shortly after.

110% jib

Wind was only 6-8 knots from the SW.
We headed on a close reach 45 degrees off the wind almost due south at about 3 knots of boat speed.
Waves were almost 2ft, meaning something has been happening all night/day out were the wind was coming from.

Rita andShadow

About 3 miles out we tacked toward Pickering and were able to make 4 knots of speed thinking we might go into Frenchman's Bay and have dinner at the Port restaurant.  However, thick clouds were building on land.

We turned back to Whitby, but the wind had dropped to 5 knots, so dead downwind was slow.
I didn't want to get the spinnaker out as were were expecting thunderstorms, so on came the motor.

We got in and got the boat away before the rain started.

Trip Odometer: 9.44 miles
Moving Average: 3.5 knots
Moving Time: 02:39:00

GPS Track
Click for BIGGER
Yellow is where we dropped the mainsail