Each year the Fraser River in Mission, British Columbia, where we live aboard our 40-foot trawler, brings a new winter weather adventure, courtesy the howling arctic winds and the three-foot waves that strike our breakwater dock. This season we suffered two consecutive storms, each of which rocked our boat as if we were underway.
Vessels on the outside of the breakwater are wholly exposed to the wind and waves and, if the temperatures are below freezing, quickly become burdened with ice, testing the condition of ice-laden dock lines and fenders.
RICK LEBLANCDamaged by snow and ice, Valhalla goes under. 
As the boat filled with water, it began to threaten the rest of the boats tied to the dock.
Soon a tug was called in to secure a line to Valhalla's bow and as soon as the boat's frozen dock lines were axed free, she was towed to the nearby river shoreline and dragged partially out of the water to prevent the vessel from sinking to the bottom, 30 feet below. Still, by the time Valhalla was brought to shore, half the boat was submerged.
Long warm days of summer spent on the river with calm waters and wildlife all around are magical. But few people talk about the winter months?
February sweeps in each year dramatically changing life for liveaboards. How well you undertook the long list of winterization tasks can make you warm and cozy or break you entirely–as the owner of Valhalla discovered.
If you've been lazy or careless with preparation, it can come back to bite you in ways both large and small. If you slip off an unsalted dock into icy water, for example, the consequences can be fatal. One thing is certain: your preparations will be tested when the season's whopper storm threatens to submerge your vessel or leaves you without power for a week.
HEATING
We typically experience freezing temperatures for two or three months on our dock, usually from December through February. Although there will be some windows of nice weather, for the most part our climate requires that we have heat on around the clock to maintain a cozy home. Living aboard in this area, for as long as we have, we prefer to use electric heat.
At one time we used a small Dickinson propane heater in our previous boat, which we located in our second stateroom to supplement our electric heaters. We were running through a 25-pound, $12 propane tank every three to four days. While we enjoyed the warmth and glow from the heater, it wasn't practical or economical when we could use another 15-amp electrical connection for $40 a month.
We have three, 1,500-watt oil-filled heaters on our boat. Our normal 110 volt shore circuit will accept two 1500-watt heaters. We have run a second electrical power cord that will handle an additional 1500-watt heater. These heaters may be larger than most, but they're quieter because they have no fan. We have placed one heater in the saloon, one in the pilot house and one in our stateroom.
Friends have suggested we get a diesel range in the galley. They claim the range would draw cold, moist air in, and exhaust it back up the stack. The range would be left burning around the clock to provide heat. Air would circulate, and condensation problems would be greatly reduced.
However, in the summer we would not be as charmed. The range would not run around the clock. Rather, it would be slow to heat for cooking, and would heat the boat while it was in use, two things we would rather avoid.
For us that's not practical because we cruise the Inside Passage for two months each summer and don't want to cook on a hot plate during those warm sunny days
MOLD AND MILDEW
Living aboard makes moisture problems more pronounced during the winter months. Our bodies give off moisture. Showers give off moisture. Food gives off moisture as it cooks, and if you cook with alcohol, kerosene or propane, the open flame gives off considerable moisture.
Most of our lockers and cupboards have recently been insulated with silver-backed bubble wrap because in our first year aboard Sea Foam we found condensation in the unlined cupboards and locker areas on the boat's outside walls. We also installed fiberglass cladding under our queen island bed to keep the condensation off the underside of our mattress.
We use small fans to combat condensation from cooking and showers. We have two small, plastic open propeller fans in our bow stateroom, attached under the port and starboard portholes. These quiet, 120 volt fans run off our inverter. There are two more in the pilot house near the front windows that keep the air circulating around the boat.
If the temperature drops dramatically, we also have our Espar diesel furnace for back-up.
Whenever we're cooking on our three burner propane stove, the window in front of the stove is opened to allow the steam to escape. When we put the kettle on to boil, we keep an eye out for the first signs of steam to keep the windows from fogging up.
RICK LEBLANCThe landscape after six inches of snowfall.Our shower is a separate room on the port side. When we're done showering we open the porthole and let the steam escape while we towel off, before opening the door to the main stateroom.
We also have a 45-liter per day dehumidifier in the pilot house. It uses four amps. However, dehumidifiers deal with the effects of excessive moisture in the boat, not the causes. The real solution is to replace high-humidity air with lower-humidity air, and to circulate air through the boat to fight "dead spots," where mold can form.
WATER SUPPLY
We have 275 gallons of water on board, which will usually last as long as four weeks during the summer when we're cruising. During the winter we keep the tank full. While our dock water lines were wrapped in foam insulation, our hose from the dock to our boat is not, and freezes. When our hose is frozen, we rely on our tank water. There is always a day during a three week period when the temperature allows us to refill the water tanks.
If the city power goes out, we have a Northern Lights five kilowatt generator to keep things running. Last winter, with the city of Mission darkened with power outages for three days, we were warm and cozy aboard Sea Foam. We are as content as our urban-dwelling friends and, at times, better off. A large tank-full of water and a generator go a long way, as long as the diesel holds out.
SAFETY ON THE DOCKS
When the winter snow and ice arrive we are more careful when boarding our boat. Nonslip decks are good but not that good when covered in snow and ice. Getting on and off the boat when it's stormy can be tricky because the boat is constantly moving and pulling on the lines. It's very easy to slip, and the last thing we want is to end up in the icy water.
RICK LEBLANCIce accumulates on a tug's bow lines.So in the winter we try to shovel, salt and sand the dock and steps on the ramp. Every year we hear of boaters who've fall in the water from their boat or dock and can't get out. Our harbor manager fell in last winter while pushing a log away from a boat moored on the outside of the breakwater. She lost her footing, slipped and fell into the water. She was barely able to call for help in the icy water. Luckily, another liveaboard saw her fall in and helped her out. After this mishap we invested $25 in a pair of "Yaktrax" ice cleats for use when the dock is icy.
Another thing we pay close attention to are our mooring ropes. We have two lines from our bow, one amidships and two off the stern. If one fails there is another one to hold the boat until the trouble is addressed. We frequently check the security of our mooring. The last thing we want is our boat to break free in a storm while we're asleep or even worse, while we're not there. As a result, we make sure our mooring ropes are not only secure but also in good condition.
We keep our batteries maintained throughout the year. Before winter sets in we give all four of our house batteries a top-up with distilled water and twice a year we equalize the batteries using the battery charger.
When we first moved aboard, friends would call on stormy nights and invite us to stay "in town" with them to enjoy a warm house and a hot shower. We always declined, and it took time for them to understand that we really did prefer to stay right here, at home, on Sea Foam. There have been a few occasions when we've phoned up friends and invited them to the boat because their power was out and they were cold, and unable to prepare a meal in their homes.
The summer makes up for most of the winter hardships. Apart from some anxious moments, we love living aboard in a storm, if only to be closer to the elements. And trust me, there is no time that makes you feel closer to nature than during a storm. It is a comforting feeling to be safely tied up to a dock, rocking in the wind as it howls through the halyards and funnels through the harbor.
Carol-Ann Giroday and Rick LeBlanc live aboard Sea Foam, a 40-foot Eagle Pilothouse Trawler based on the Fraser River in Canada. Carol-Ann is a teacher and Rick is an engineer. Their work has appeared in magazines such as Sea, PassageMaker and Power Cruising.