Best (for safety /survival) boating gear

[Capt Popeye]

Humm when looking at a different Clubs advice / recommendation / demands / rules for the wearing suitable gear when out on the Water, it seems that the Dinghy Sailors are recommended to wear Wet Suits whereas Yachtsmen & Motor Boaters are recommended to wear Water Proof suits, preferably breathable.

I suppose its the understanding that a Dinghy Sailor might / will get a ducking and the wearing of a Wet Suit affords best possible protection against the cold water.

I suppose a Yachty is not expected to get a ducking so is protected against spray and wind but will such a suit protect against the cold water effects if ducked into the water ?

Trying to decide which way to jump, or Buy / Wear for own particular circumstances.

 

[rob2]

You seem to have grasped the basics of it! Dinghy sailors (particularly the racing types) will wear either a wetsuit or drysuit - actually some of them look to be a sort of hybrid. This allows them to be as athletic as required without dying of hypothermia after the inevitable dunkings. On a yacht there is little chance of regular dunking, in fact the general rule is to avoid falling in at all. The usual recommendation is to wear layers of wicking clothing with a breathable waterproof outer, although they don't seem to remain breathable for all that long... No, yacht gear will not offer any protection if you were to fall in apart from reducing windchill to a minimum after you get out. Most people will have some spare layers in the cabin in case of a soaking.

If you're planning on both dinghy and yacht sailing, you need two sets of gear I'm afraid. It's easier and cheaper to find substitutes for the yacht - high street bought thermal underwear and waterproofs will suffice in all but the worst conditions.

Rob.

 

[thinwater]

There are drysuits for sailors. Last year I wrote an article for Good Old Boat on just this, comparing performance against the US Coast Guard immersion suit standard through personal testing (the cover shot was me reading Isaac Asimov while floating on my back. The sailing suits include a hood and increase ventilation options. I find it to be more agile and more comfortable than foulies in many cold (below about 12C), nasty conditions (not so good when it is warmer).
* Water can't drip down your neck or up you sleeve.
* Fewer layers and closer fit.
* Better visibility.
* Survival time in the water is LONG. You won't even feel the chill in 0C water for 6 hours. Also adds a lot of flotation.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I can add three comments/anecdotes to this discussion:
1. Standard advice for anyone who has fallen into the water is, not to try to swim, but to maintain a foetal position, thereby retaining within your clothing any water which has been partially heated by your body. (This assumes the use of a lifejacket, compulsory in Ireland), hence your clothing will, to some extent take on the function of a wetsuit and will in fact BE a wet suit!
2. When recovering my first boat to a trailer, on a beach, I found I had to go into the water, up to my armpits, in my oilskins with thermals underneath. Dressed like this I found that I was not particularly bothered by the cold for about the first ten minutes, and I normally detest being in cold water.
3. My only MOB experience (touch wood!), was when I fell over the side of the club punt while recovering racing marks. Fortunately the boat was stationary, and when the lifejacket inflated I was propelled upwards in such a cork-like manner that I was able to throw an arm and a leg over the gunwale of the boat and was immediately hauled aboard by the other two crew. I had two boots full of water, and my lifejacket and the drawstrings etc., on my jacket had been so correctly adjusted that the water had not penetrated any further than the neckline of my teeshirt!

 

[Capt Popeye]

Well thank you to all those with comments, most grateful.

My research also flags up a Divers Suit which appears to be heavier quality than a Wet Suit but no ware as cumbersome as standard Yacht clothing, next step is to research the Immersion Suits etc, many thanks.

Cripes what did we a;; do before these Safety suits came along, oh, I know we wore what was referred to a as gardening Gear' with many layers

 

[Mister E]

Try a search for Drysuit, both for Dinghy and Kayak.

 

[thinwater]

Try a search for Drysuit, both for Dinghy and Kayak.

I have one of these and love it. A dry suits for sailors, kayakers, and the like. The jacket is attached and the neck is designed for ventilation. There are many other good ones. With fleece underlayers, I've spent hours in -1C water with this. (Ocean Rodeo)

http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2015/01/dry-suit-ulimate-in-foul-weather-and.html

[video]https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3uE67QkIikE/VLEr0ZK-4tI/AAAAAAAAHlc/ZJqFO55pVOU/s1600/heat-donning-sequence.gif[/video]

 

[lw395]

I sail Dinghies a lot. I prefer to wear wetsuits, less cumbersome.
But in the late Autumn or early spring we wear drysuits.
The drysuit is also great for use in a RIB, we do safety boat duties and you get colder when there's no physical sailing to do.
Also great when there's a lot of waiting between races, or on boats with a lot of wind chill.
For certain sorts of sailing, like racing Squibs, a dinghy dry top with neck seal, over oily trousers is a good compromise.
For a channel crossing at night in October, you want a proper set of oilies with excellent hood/collar design and some fleece layers.
For RIB work in November in the rain, I'll be wearing drysuit and oily jacket.
People who fish from boats often have insualated flotation suit which are no expensive (compared to Musto) and might be good for some sorts of sailing?