CRUISING THROUGH WINTER
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
—William Shakespeare, As You Like It
A number of sailors have cruised Labrador, Greenland, Patagonia, South Georgia, Antarctica, Alaska and the Northwest Passage. Some have wintered-over in high latitudes. But fewer have deliberately undertaken winter cruises in high latitudes simply for the pleasures the season can offer.
My wife, Nancy, and I were fortunate to enjoy an extensive winter cruise aboard our 44ft steel ketch, Tamara, in extreme southern Chilean Patagonia, and in 2012 I took Tamara on a solo cruise to Alaska’s Prince William Sound late in a winter that saw record snowfall. I was subsequently honored with the Cruising Club of America (CCA) Royal Cruising Club Trophy for the effort. Since then I have returned to the sound every season.
Most of the equipment and techniques demanded for cruising high latitudes in summer carry over directly to winter efforts, and a good, reliable and simple heating system is of course axiomatic regardless of season. Winter, however, offers some extra challenges.
At the head of the list, after a good heat source, is insulation. Tamara was purpose-built for high-latitude work, and following the application of the epoxy coating system inside her steel hull, one to three inches of spray-foam insulation was applied to all interior surfaces above the bilges. A ceiling of marine plywood was then installed to cover it all, after which the interior joinery work was attached to the ceiling. This combination results in an extraordinarily well-insulated vessel, although even Tamara benefits from some additional tricks when the weather becomes truly extremes.
