Spring in Sydney - perfection for boaties

Hello from the Blog desk of MyBoatCrew. This is our first blog, and it seems appropriate to focus this one on the things that boat-owners can focus on to ready their floating investments for the new sailing season.

Spring in Sydney is, arguably, the best time of year to enjoy your boat with friends and family. North-easterlies are starting, water is warming up, the air is still nicely cool, and the sun isn't at mid-summer levels of baking.

Everyone in Sydney knows this last winter has been bloody wet. And windy. For boats, that combination means water penetration.

Even the newest boats have nooks and crannies where rain-water, under wind pressure, can inveigle its way on board and find places to pool, make stale odours and generate mould. Typically, that water will work its way relentlessly downward, into the bilge, leaving helpful moist patches in your bunk cushions along the way.

Bilge-pumps never pump a boat completely dry. They leave a small amount of water in the very bottom of the boat, under the floor-boards where it's hardest to reach, that can't be picked up by the automatic float switches (assuming you have them on your bilge pumps).

So, a great place to start your pre-season boat refresher is your bilges.

Don't pump it overboard!

Everywhere in Sydney and Pittwater - in fact all waterways in New South Wales - is within a "Zero Discharge Zone", which means that you can't pump anything other than clean water out of your bilge. Hefty fines apply for polluted discharge into New South Wales waterways.

Start by checking that there's no oil or other pollutant in the bilge, before pumping out.

If you do have oil or other gunk in the bilge, suction or sponge that out first into a bucket or a jerry-can, then give the bilge a good wash by hand with a 100% biodegradable, no-phosphate cleaner or detergent. Here are some products you might consider: Koala Eco, Earth Choice, Simply Clean, Zero Co, Resparkle and EcoStore. Be sure to check the ingredients yourself before using anything that might find its way overboard.

Next, the dreaded holding tank. If you haven't used the boat in a while, odds are the air in that sucker will be pretty evil, and the last thing your family wants on the fist day out is a stinky toilet that sets tender stomachs off.

You're going to want to flush the holding tank with clean water and a 100% biodegradable, no phosphate cleaner. Flush the mix of clean water and cleaner through the toilet, so it cleans the bowl and pipes that feed the holding tank, as well as the tank itself.

Again, you can't pump out holding tanks anywhere in Sydney or Pittwater - the Marine Pollution Regulation 2014 prohibits the discharge of untreated sewage from any vessels into, or onto the bank or bed of, any navigable waters in NSW.

Your options are either the local pumping station, or heading out to see a minimum of 12 nautical miles and discharging, underwater, while underway at a minimum of 7 knots.

For most boaties, the local pumping station will be the best option: you can find a list of pumping station locations at this link.

Once you've done the basic clean of the bilge and the holding tank, you can work your way up to the bunks and seats, checking for tell-tale signs of damp or mould. Mop up any small amounts of moisture you find, and get the cushions up onto the deck and into the sun.

Worst case, you can usually take the bunk cushion covers off the cushions and take them home for a proper wash - BUT:

• CHECK first that the covers are machine washable, and won't shrink.

• BE READY for a serious wrestling match to get the covers back on the cushions - they're designed to be tight (even without shrinkage in the wash).

Those 3 jobs - bilges, holding tank and cushions - and a good dose of fresh air through the boat, will set things up for your most valuable crew to enjoy that first bracing outing of the season - fresh, salty air, sun on the face, wind in their hair!

And of course, if you don't have the time, or can't quite find the energy, to do those 3 jobs yourself - call MyBoatCrew! We'd love to help; that's what we're here for.

Safe boating!

Andrew