7 Tips for Choosing Foul Weather Gear
For
northern sailors it's nearly time to start
thinking about foul weather gear
1.
daysailing, coastal or offshore?
Basically, foul
weather gear comes in three different grades, day-sailing, coastal
and offshore. Forget about the day-sailing gear. While it may keep
the rain off, it’s not going to keep you warm - or dry. It sweats,
making you clammy, and ultimately cold.
I think coastal
gear is the minimum you should consider on any boat - and then only
for day sailing or bay and estuary sailing.
If you go coastal
cruising, please get good offshore foul weather gear. You can be
in a serious storm just 5 miles offshore, and being so close to
shore with all its dangers, you need to be warm and dry. If you’re
cold, wet and miserable, you could make a bad error of judgement
just when it matters most.
2.
material, colour and such
All of the major
brands use a breathable waterproof fabric in their offshore gear.
Gortex is one of the better known ones. Buy a yellow or red jacket
with reflector tape on the hood, shoulders and arms.
You can’t see
dark colours against the sea, especially at night.
3.
foul weather pants
I’ve always
used pants with a bib and suspenders. I find they’re easier to get
on and off and keep the water out very well. The pants should have
Velcro closures at the cuff so you can seal them around your sea
boots.
There should
be reinforced patches at your knees and bottom. If you’re blessed
with short legs like me, check whether you can get the pants altered
to fit by the manufacturer. Pockets should be cargo type with flaps
and Velcro closures.
4.
foul weather jackets
Your offshore
jacket is the key to your comfort in a storm, so spend some time
selecting it. The jacket should be roomy enough to accommodate several
under layers and long enough to come well down below your bottom
and extend well up under your chin to protect your neck.
The closure
at the neck is critical. Ideally there will be an outer Velcro or
zipper closure and an inner neoprene closure to keep out any water
that gets past the outer closure. There should be some form of inner
closure at the bottom such as a drawstring to let you seal out the
wind.
Pockets should
be cargo type with flaps and Velcro closures. The main zipper should
be strong and easy to grasp with sailing gloves on and there should
be a flap with a Velcro closure covering the zipper. There should
be a mesh inner liner to the jacket to keep it off your inner layers
and promote air flow.
The hood should
stow in a zippered pocket behind your neck. It should be red, yellow
or a fluorescent green with reflector patches.
5.
sea boots
Buy a good pair
of sea boots two sizes too big. You’ll be wearing a thick pair of
woollen socks underneath and the boots should still be loose.
The reason?
- if you go overboard, you’ll want to get rid of those boots really
fast. Snug fitting sea boots will drown you.
And don’t wear
your boots around on land. The soles are very soft and they’ll get
cut about walking on hard surfaces.
6.
under layers
You can buy
a full series of under layers from the major manufacturers if you’re
prepared to spend the money.
I’ve always
used Damart thermal underwear as my first layer. They’re very reasonably
priced and work very well. You don’t look too elegant when dressing
to go on deck, but then after a couple of days at sea, no-one looks
elegant.
On top of the
thermals I usually wear a synthetic sweater, usually a cheap one,
followed by a good polartech sweater. I’ve also had good results
with synthetic track suit pants.
Avoid any cotton
garments such as jeans as they absorb moisture and quickly become
uncomfortable. Thick woollen or polartech socks are the answer for
your feet.
7.
things I’ve learnt
- Don’t buy
a jacket with an internal harness. You can’t inspect the harness
for wear. Get loops sewn onto the outside of your jacket (by the
manufacturer if possible) to attach your harness to.
- Always take
you foul weather gear off the boat and wash and dry it carefully.
Check the pockets – I’ve found very old Mars bars in the pockets
before now and I’ve had several good torches die in my jacket
pockets.
- Buy a couple
of polartech “beanies”. You lose about 10% of your body heat through
your head.
- Wear a baseball
cap over your beanie when wearing your hood up. If you don’t have
a cap on, when you turn your head, the hood doesn’t turn, and
you can’t see properly. A cap is especially useful if you’re steering
with a tiller.
- In heavy
weather keep your harness permanently attached to your jacket
so you can put both on at once in an emergency.
- A good sailor
takes staying warm and dry very seriously.
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