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.
