Why we are hauling out our catamaran for winter - Greece 2026

On 22 January 2026, a violent winter storm struck Rhodes Marina in Greece, bringing around 36 hours of southerly winds that reached Force 10 to 11 on the Beaufort scale. Four boats sank inside the basin, including two catamarans, while several other yachts and marina buildings suffered heavy damage. Aboard Sailing Sea Moon, Scott and Sandy had left their Seawind 1160 Lite catamaran, Sea Moon, afloat in Rhodes Marina for the winter while traveling overseas.

Although Sea Moon escaped the January storm with minimal damage and no fatalities were reported in the marina, returning to see the wreckage firsthand convinced Scott and Sandy to change how they winter their twin Yamaha 25hp outboard-powered catamaran. Rather than leaving the vessel in the water again, they chose to haul Sea Moon out onto the dry hardstand for four months at Cleopatra Marina near Preveza, Greece.

Surviving the January 2026 Rhodes Marina Storm

During the previous Mediterranean winter, visa requirements had prompted Scott and Sandy to leave Sea Moon in the water at Rhodes Marina while they traveled first to Australia and then back to Europe to explore ashore. Knowing that winter weather in the region could be rough, they worked alongside the Rhodes Marina team before departing to secure the catamaran with big steel chains, heavy-duty springs, and extra mooring precautions.

Those heavy lines held when the 22 January 2026 storm hit Rhodes with 36 hours of Force 10 to 11 southerly gusts, even as neighbouring vessels were battered and four boats went down. Witnessing the scale of the damage across the docks and marina infrastructure upon their return left a lasting mark on both sailors. With those memories fresh in mind, Scott and Sandy decided not to leave Sea Moon afloat for the 2026 winter season.

Selecting Cleopatra Marina Near Preveza for Winter Storage

For their four-month winter layup, the couple selected Cleopatra Marina near Preveza, home to one of the largest boatyards in Greece with hardstand capacity for up to 1,200 boats. Backed by more than 35 years of boatyard operation, a dedicated lifting crew, extensive maintenance facilities, and 24-hour security, the yard offered a well-protected base while Scott and Sandy traveled off the boat.

Even so, hauling a cruising catamaran out onto dry land carries its own stresses. The couple had lifted Sea Moon several times before, but always for just a couple of days at a time—and their previous haul-out in Türkiye had gone sideways in a way Scott described as “a bit disastrous.” With anchors up less than a nautical mile from Cleopatra Marina to make the short hop to the travel lift bay, Sandy admitted how they felt after talking it over the night before:

“We’re both like really apprehensive about leaving her on the hard for 4 months.”

Sandy, Sailing Sea Moon

Bulkhead Checks and Sling Adjustments in the Travel Lift

Once Sea Moon motored into the lifting slip at Cleopatra Marina, the yard’s lift specialist came aboard to discuss the exact bulkhead positions with Scott. Because Sea Moon did not have bulkhead marker stickers applied to her hulls, the crew had to determine the load-bearing points manually before positioning the plates and green underwater mats beneath the catamaran.

Scott noted the importance of aligning the lifting gear accurately while praising the yard crew’s preparation:

“Technically, if you bring the boat up in the wrong spot, it could break in half.”

Scott, Sailing Sea Moon

To speed up the operation, the Cleopatra Marina team pre-adjusted the slings before the big travel lift rolled back into place, and wrapped clean plastic sheeting between the slings and Sea Moon‘s hulls so grime from the straps would not rub onto the white topsides. As the lift prepared to take the weight, Sandy watched closely from the dock:

“We just don’t want to hear a big crack now.”

Sandy, Sailing Sea Moon

Before the travel lift hoisted the catamaran clear of the water, Scott went down to inspect the underwater strap alignment. He spotted that the forward strap was sitting too close to the keel and directly over the sonar transducer. Although they were unsure whether the sonar had already been touched, Scott had the lift operators pause and shift the front strap forward by about a foot to clear the transducer. Watching the manual adjustment, Sandy remarked, “This is why we need to have stickers on it.”

Hydraulic Trailer Transport and Blocking on Mini Keels

With the forward sling repositioned, the travel lift raised Sea Moon cleanly out of the water and set her down in a temporary holding area on the hardstand. From there, the boatyard crew backed a hydraulic boat trailer underneath the catamaran, adjusting the hydraulic support pads against the bridgedeck and hull structure to balance the load for the slow drive across the yard to her four-month winter berth.

A week after the haul-out, right before departing Greece for their overland travels, Scott and Sandy filmed Sea Moon settled into her final spot among the 1,200 vessels in the yard, with open space on one side and another boat parked on the other. Rather than hanging from high stands, the Seawind 1160 Lite rests directly on raised wooden blocks placed beneath her structural mini keels, with timber chocks wedged at the front and back to prevent any forward or backward tipping—much like chocking a caravan.

“She’s designed to take her entire weight very stable on these beautiful mini keels that we have.”

Scott, Sailing Sea Moon

Sea Moon Winter Haul-Out and Storm Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions