Getting Defiant ready for winter

Bob and I spent all of last week in Vermilion, Ohio, getting Defiant II ready for winter.

Ah, Vermilion, otherwise known as The Fort Lauderdale on Lake Erie, or if you prefer, The Venice of the Buckeye State.

(I tied up in Vermilion long ago in Tristan, so that's how I knew it would be a good place to put the new Beneteau for winter storage and spring-time launch.)



But first, underneath the boat (which is hoisted up and resting in a cradle in a storage yard of the Don Parsons Marina: miter saw, tape measures, lengths of PVC pipe and fittings, etc.










And here's the framework of PVC pipe and fittings, each frame carried up a ladder and placed two and half feet apart stem to stern.











The finished framework. Looks good, yes?













And finally tarps wrapped over the whole structure making Defiant look like a beached whale. We trust this will protect her against all winter hazards, of which we got a good taste on Thursday.
On that day it rained, it was cold, and wind blew at 30 to 35 mpg--not making it easy to hoist those 30 by 20 foot lengths of plastic into the air, over the top, and then tied down to the cradle.
But there she is, ready for spring launching.