Folks have asked for to do a recap of how I prepared the boat for six months on the hard, here in French Polynesia… so here is how I “winterized” or rather “summerized” Sarantium.
Bedding and clothing
I packed away all bedding and “vacuumed packed” as much as I could in plastic bags. I stood all cushions up to minimize mold on flat cloth surfaces. I wiped down all surfaces with vinegar and some areas with bleach.
Food
I threw out everything that was opened and double bagged all dried food, such as flour, rice, nuts, oats and pasta.
Toilet and Holding Tank
I flushed the toilets and holding tank prior to getting hauled out. I flushed it ten times because I knew I would be replaced the waste pump once I was back. I made sure I had zero water in the toilets as it attracts insects. Same for the bilge.
Hatches and Portholes
I greased all rubber seals around windows with cylicon spray. And wiped glass with vinegar. I also added hatch covers to protect from sun.
Batteries, Solar and Power
I decided to leave the Solar Panels hooked up, even though some would recommend to detach them from batteries. I was worried about coming back to dead batteries. I turned everything off on the panel. I left the bilge pump on in case of a leak during the cyclone season. Upon arrival, batteries were full and I could start using the batteries again. To be expected there was some water in the bilge and I am guessing that the bilge pump had done its’ job during th six months I was gone.
Sails
Sails were taken down and packed away. Among many other items, new ones arrived to Apataki while I was away. I placed a fairly big order with Island Packet Yacht Parts and Mack Sails in Florida during the autumn of 2025. The shipment from Florida was smooth and at a reasonable cost. I had to pay a small customs fee since I have a temporary visa for FP and a EU passport.
MAST and Rigging.
I packed away all the ropes, halyards and sheets and wrapped the winches and bottom of mast to protect from sun, with a tarp. I also wrapped the furlors in plastic but the wind and the sun threaded these and I came back to plastic strings. I also wrapped my hydro vane and removed the Hydro Vane Rudder.
The owners of the boatyard do not want to any tarps on the decks as the winds during cyclone season are so strong that it will rip off tarps and end up all over the yard.
THROUGH HULL SEACOCKS
I greased all seacocks and made sure they all opened and shut easily, prior to leaving.
In case of a flood, it is recommended that the two lowest through hull fittings are open, for drainage. I decided to leave one in the bow and one mid ship open. I added material to work as a strainer to try and keep mice, rats and other critters from climbing aboard. I have not seen any evidence of mice being onboard. I only found a couple of geckos and some ants. Quite a few boats in the yard have had rats living in their boats while owners were away. I am grateful that I had such a clean boat when returning.
Propane
This goes without saying, I turned this off.
FLOORBOARDS and all cabinets doors
All were left open for good ventilation.
FOUR CEMENT Blocks
… to fasten boat to the ground in the case of … use your imagination here. I paid extra for this but I thought, this would be more valuable than an expensive insurance policy.
At the end, I decided to NOT pay the boat yard to check on the boat, as I had heard of people doing this and noone ever checked on the boat. I also, witnessed this myself when I was there for the three weeks before flying home. I also didn’t want anyone in my boat opening hatches (this is a service you can pay for) to ventilate, and then forgetting to close up before the big squall.
I am thankful I spent the extra time to “summerize” the boat and as a result I came back to a mold free and odour free home! AND A BIG THANKS TO THE DAILY FRESH WATER SHOWERS that the cyclone season brought. The decks and topsides were the cleanest I have EVER seen.
Spic and Span
Sailaway Sarantium 