Haul-Out Timing In the Great Lakes

[ADMPRTR]

Out of interest, I was wondering of those Great Lakes sailors when you haul out:
1. Just after Labour (Labor) Day?
2. Just after Canadian Thanksgiving (for those American sailors is mid October)?
3. When your marina/club says you must?
4. When the water goes hard?
5. Never?

And if you answered anything other than 1, do you sail much for that time?

We typically haul out mid October but some times earlier. I have found that the weather seems to be inversely affected by when we end the season. If it is early then we get a nice extended summer and if it is late then winter comes early. This year we are going late so hopefully that is a trend, not a rule...

[bgallinger]

I usually haul out around mid-october. I find the weather is spotty after the third week of september..pick and choose your days as best you can. Most summer berths close up at the end of october anyway.

[ADMPRTR]

Yes, the weather can become very unpredictable and if we do go out it generally is close to home.

Which lake do you sail in? I was surprised how much earlier the season ends in Georgian Bay compared to Lake Ontario were I started up.

[S/V Alchemy]

November 1, when my insurance expires.

[sailstoo]

Mid-October while it's still warm enough (more or less) to put the cover on without freezing fingers. I'd do it first week ('cause I'm not gonna sail it anyway) but that means I'm last in come May.

[bgallinger]

My summer berth is Bayfield on Lake Huron. Come mid-october it can get nippy with overnight frost!

[sailcruiser]

We haul anywhere in the first 2 weeks of October. We have to be out by November 1 when the lift is winterized. We came out one year at the end of October and worked in the snow. NEVER again! If we sail after oct 1 it is very local. We find the lake gets quite cranky quickly. (Erie)

SC

[ADMPRTR]

These explanations largely conform with my own experiences. With such a short season one wants to maximize the use of the boat but bad weather makes it difficult and uncomfortable to do. Thanks for your comments, everyone.

[spinwing]

3. Club crane day. 22 Oct. Very expensive on one's own. I could use the lift across the harbour at the marina but over all that is more expensive.

[Vasco]

We haul out after Thanksgiving. And we usually sail up till haul-out. You sometimes get very nice breezes on Lake Ontario in late September and early October. Our club hauls over two hundred boats on a weekend using two cranes and our own marine railway.

[ADMPRTR]

Your club sounds well organized. The club I used to be a member of took one crane, two days and much gnashing of teeth...

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by Vasco

We haul out after Thanksgiving. And we usually sail up till haul-out. You sometimes get very nice breezes on Lake Ontario in late September and early October. Our club hauls over two hundred boats on a weekend using two cranes and our own marine railway.

Sounds like at the National Yacht Club.

[hard aground]

We haul the Saturday after Thanksgiving (Canada). Still some very good sailing days on the north shore of Lake Erie.

[ADMPRTR]

Ya, Lakes Erie and Ontario are balmy compared to Georgian Bay. That said, we know of at least one family who sails right up to November with the first snow. They have thicker blood than me...

[Tam]

I'm inland from Lake Michigan on the Illinois River. The boats here get hauled from mid to late October which is a shame because there are plenty of days through mid November that make excellent boating. Just put up the canvas and put on a pot of coffee and cruise down to see the fall foliage at Starved Rock or rest behind an island and read a book. Everyone's gone for the season and you have the river all to yourself without fear of an icy Great Lakes storm kicking up.