One of our design goals for this new boat was to be able to put her into storage mode much faster than has been the case with our sailboats. Beowulf typically took us two to three days or hard work to get ready for storage, and the same to wake her up after we returned.

Upon our docking in California, and the necessity to get back into the harness on the home front we had the first chance to put theory to the reality test.

The first job was to remove all our awnings (including those for house sides, foredeck, and flying bridge). These then needed to be rinsed with fresh water to remove accumulated salt (storing with salt on the fabric often results in mildew). Once dry, they were folded and stored in the forepeak.

The next job was in the engine room. Genset, engine, and transmission oil all needed to be changed, along with the related filters. Thanks to a plumbed-in “Reverso” pump and manifold, this is a job quickly and cleanly handled. We run the various pieces of gear for a short period to warm the oil, which makes it easier to change, and have several 5-gallon (20-liter) plastic containers into which the old oil is pumped. Oil is replaced the same way, by pumping in using the Reverso pump.

There are two choices for extended storage on the watermaker. You can either use a biocide, or you can flush periodically with fresh water (if the water is non-chlorinated or run through a charcoal filter). We prefer the latter as it is easier on the plastic parts, and we can reflush every four to six weeks when we’re visiting the boat).

There are two bilge areas in the boat where it is possible to accumulate dirt or salt from evaporated sea water. These are in the engine room aft, and the forepeak forward. Both bilges are rinsed with clean water to get rid of any salt build up.

We’ve got half a dozen grease fittings in the engine room, plus a couple on the Maxwell windlass, and all of these get a squirt of grease from our grease gun.

The engine room stays pretty clean, but there is always a little dirt and oil residue here and there. We like to wipe this away so that no odors build up while the boat is closed.

Most environments where boats are stored are dirty. We’ve learned over the years to tightly close the vents and hatches. On Wind Horse there are two big vents into the engine room, which have Morse cable controls, as well as four sealable Dorade vents for the interior. These are all closed tightly.

Each deck hatch has a storm cover, which also keeps out sunlight from the interior and protects the Lexan plastic from UV rays. These are fitted around the boat.

In the engine room we close the two incoming salt water lines – they service the entire boat. All other through hulls are either above the waterline or on standpipes which come above the waterline. We also shut down the master switches to the generator and engines, and turn of most of the circuit breakers. Engine room lights and bilge pump are left on.

Interior preparation is easier. To promote airflow we open all of the locker doors, the floorboards to the basement, and most of the drawers.

The fridge is emptied and cleaned, as is the freezer (unless we’re leaving frozen food behind). If the fridge and/or freezer is left off, their doors are wedged open so they cannot accidentally close.

We then extract our dehumidifier (purchased at Home Depot) from the basement storage, and set it on the galley sink counter. It drains into the galley sink, which dumps directly overboard above the waterline. We have found that the dehumidifier keeps the interior dry and free of mold or mildew. However, you do have to be careful not to set it too dry, as the interior timber can dry out and shrink, opening joints.

The last job is to drop our window shades, thus protecting the interior from sun.

Just before leaving the boat all interior circuits are turned off, except for bilge pumps and the security system.

When we’re cruising we use 7/16″ (11mm) Spectra dock lines. These are very strong and easy to handle. For long-term storage we switch to 1-inch (24.6mm) polyester double braid. This is stronger and has more material in case chafe is an issue. If we’re worried about the weather or the dock cleats, we will double up on our dock lines, dividing the load between more points on land.

This sounds like a long and involved process, but in reality, it takes about half a day, assuming the boat is clean to begin with.

If we were to store the boat where serious weather was a risk, for example in the tropics during hurricane season. we’d fit our storm shutters over the saloon windows. This would be a two-hour job for the two of us.