Which clothing?

[Daydream believer]

Dubarry deck shoes with ordinary socks but sealskin socks if it is going to be cold & wet. Dickies work wear trousers (surprisingly warm) with Musto base layer trousers if it is going to be really cold. I do have a full on trouser/chest fleece which hardly gets worn.

M&S pants, --sniff tested when single handed, but certainly changed, along with trousers, before venturing ashore to pay harbour dues etc, as mistakes get made often at my age!!! Getting sailing gear off for the " necessaries" can be extremely difficult in F6 in a 31 ft yacht. (Talk about shooting oneself in the foot!!:ambivalence Why cannot manufacturers address the problem of quick accessibility?Even the base layer trousers lack " access holes" so demand partial removal like a mistresse's tights. Then you have to tuck it all back in, just as the AIS CPA alarm goes off

Musto base layer vest- always- Musto padded jacket with collar, add another fleece under that on a few rare occasions. Musto MPX jacket & trousers as soon as temperature drops or any sign of spray or rain- virtually all the time. Woolen hat ( never without it, as essential kit). Spinlock LJ (always from moment I untie, until boat tied up)

 

[grumpy_o_g]

... Merino wool long johns great if they dont make you itch.

Agree with that completely. Keep an eye out in Aldi and Lidl, especially at this time of year as they do some cheap but quite good quality Merino wool base layers as a special occasionally.

 

[lw395]

Wool might be great if it's really cold, like sub zero with low humidity, but for a typical UK week of wind and drizzle, I'd stick to man made fibres which dry more easily.
Particularly for racing I like a dinghy sailor's spray top with a good neck seal, and a waterproof beanie hat.
At night in the cold I want a decent oily jacket with a really good hood, but sometimes it's just too enclosed and shuts you off from other people too much.
Your hood/collar/neckwear are critical. My jacket works best with one roll-neck layer. Sometimes I use a neck cowl sold by motorbike shops.

When it's really cold and wet, a drysuit is the thing to have, but I tend to want a shower after wearing mine for a few hours. It's more for racing.

 

[Daydream believer]

Particularly for racing I like a dinghy sailor's spray top with a good neck seal, and a waterproof beanie hat.
When it's really cold and wet, a drysuit is the thing to have, but I tend to want a shower after wearing mine for a few hours. It's more for racing.

The spray top is only any good for the top half. Plus it is not really warm. What goes with it for the bottom half?

Re the drysuit. After a few hours one is going to have to use the heads, getting it off is going to be a real chore if it is rough weather.

 

[cueball]

I use Musto HPX, and dubarry boots, expensive but worth every penny to not be wet and cold.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Re the drysuit. After a few hours one is going to have to use the heads, getting it off is going to be a real chore if it is rough weather.

After a few hours? Kettle on as we leave mooring, kettle on if nerves need steadying or to pass the time. At my age and bladder prostate condition I am lucky to last 30 minutes after tea and accidentally wetting myself would never add to the glamour. My drysuit is a survival one for abandon-ship use only when damp underwear might be the least of my worries.

On a similar vein, why cant most makers of long-johns and salopettes add flies? I always take a sharp knife to mine - fashion it isn't, I need to pee.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I use Musto HPX, and dubarry boots, expensive but worth every penny to not be wet and cold.

Same and I quite agree.

 

[john_morris_uk]

The one item that’s only been mentioned once yet is ubiquitous amongst professional sailors. (Instructors, delivery crew etc etc) and it’s the snug jacket. I’m on about my sixth Musto Snug (other makes available) . The fact that the design hasn’t changed much in the last umpteen years must mean they’ve got something right. I think they’re brilliant and I wait until Musto have them on offer.

The only advice I give to crew if they ask is NO JEANS (as in denim) because denim gets really wet and takes ages to dry and is cold.

Socks with deck shoes! Ugh!! Get a life. If it’s cold put socks and boots on. The only time I might wear socks is to go ashore.

If the weathers half decent I’m in shorts. Otherwise some chino type trousers or canvas sailing trousers (some cheap make; I’m not fussy) and polo shirts and layers if necessary.
I’ve got various thermals and woolly hats and various sorts of gloves for the winter.

A baseball cap under your foulie hood helps turn the hood in the direction you are trying to look in.

 

[dom]

Several votes for HPX here, my wife has a set but I find HPX cumbersome and heavy when working on the foredeck or generally running around, esp when wet. I prefer a lighter and more flexible breathable drysuit. Best to check before buying.

Re gloves: a friend of mine from Finland advised to keep 2-3 pairs per person in a warm(ish) place and if conditions permit run a 'hotroom' -- basically any wetroom with a heating vent -- where stuff can be dried and warmed. Makes a big difference, transformational I'd say.

Also, while the torso is important, don't forget the often neglected areas of high heat loss such as legs, glutes, face, etc. Full thermal underware + thermal longjohns are a good idea, as is a thermal balaclava beneath one's oily cap. For beating into big winter winds, I find clear spray goggles a significant aid to comfort.

Finally, winter is a great time for tinned soups and stewy things. They even taste quite good when, "the weather outside is frightful....."!

 

[john_morris_uk]

The OP will be back in a minute to say he only sails in the summer.

 

[capnsensible]

The OP will be back in a minute to say he only sails in the summer.

Oh I thought the posters were getting dressed for UK summers. Was wondering what they do in winter?

 

[dom]

The OP will be back in a minute to say he only sails in the summer.

...or in the Carrib

 

[lw395]

The spray top is only any good for the top half. Plus it is not really warm. What goes with it for the bottom half?

Re the drysuit. After a few hours one is going to have to use the heads, getting it off is going to be a real chore if it is rough weather.

I wear a spray top over a wetsuit for dinghy racing. For other boats, it's good over oilskin trousers.
These tops are available fleece lined these days, from Rooster and other brands.

I don't find a drysuit is that hard to get on and off, it's all a faff, drysuit only slightly worse than oilskins, LJ etc.
Modern neoprene seals help.

 

[dom]

I wear a spray top over a wetsuit for dinghy racing. For other boats, it's good over oilskin trousers.

+1 I often wear a buoyancy aid over a wetsuit, followed by a waterproof smock over the lot. Makes for a nice smooth exterior and a helps reduce windchill.

 

[Sgeir]

Personally, I try to avoid yachtie purchases. Stuff like HPX is very good, but has its limitations, is very expensive and eventually degrades.

The answer in part depends on your type of sailing and whether or not you expect to be constantly grinding the winches (perspiration).

For cold weather cruising a decent base layer is needed - merino wool vest and long johns from climbing shops are generally good value, artificial fibre for folk with sensitive skins but not so good imho.

In between is personal choice. I sometimes wear fibre pile salopettes, but jeans, thin cotton shirt with woollen pullover usually suffice. Over that, a fibre pile jacket can be worn. Again avoid yachtie gear if cash is tight. Nitrile gloves with fibre pile lining from a builders' merchant or fishermen's chandlers generally cost between £3 and £7 - more effective than yachtie gear several times the cost.

Top layer - see what the local fishermen are wearing. Guy Cotten gear comes in (at least) two different materials. I used Guy Cotten oilie and leggings on this year's trip to Shetland and Norway which was very wet and cold (for July), about 7 degrees or less for several days. Bone dry throughout apart from slight perspiration.

Boots: if we're likely to take a lot of salt water over the side I'll wear wellies, but for normal cold weather and rain I wear my Blundstone 584s, pricey but hard wearing, waterproof, warm, and will outlast me in all probability.

 

[westhinder]

The one item that’s only been mentioned once yet is ubiquitous amongst professional sailors. (Instructors, delivery crew etc etc) and it’s the snug jacket. I’m on about my sixth Musto Snug (other makes available) . The fact that the design hasn’t changed much in the last umpteen years must mean they’ve got something right. I think they’re brilliant and I wait until Musto have them on offer.

Both my wife and I have long been fans of the Musto snugs, until a couple of years ago we discovered something even better: Henri Lloyd midlayer jacket with Primaloft insulation, lighter than the snugs and a lot warmer. Now even my wife never feels cold and that is an achievement. Trouble is with the partial demise of Henri Lloyd, I do not know whether this product will be continued.

For base layers I have also switched to merino wool as it is warm and does not have the odour problem that synthetics have.

Another tip: under my salopette I only wear long johns, more comfortable than any sort of trousers, as they donot restrict movement or absorb moisture.

 

[Kukri]

Correction to earlier post:

Musto HPX outer layer, salopettes and jacket.

Musto Goretex mid layer, salopettes and jacket.

Musto base layer either high activity or merino.

Musto socks

Dubarry boots.

Posh Backtow lifejacket

If it’s really nasty, Henri-Lloyd offshore drysuit and teddy, with decent socks in the socks and a pair of short deck boots (prefer to wetsuit boots as warmer).

Yes it cost a fortune, when I had kitted out my sons as well, but sailing costs a fortune anyway; one might as well be comfortable.

 

[LadyInBed]

The one item that’s only been mentioned once yet is ubiquitous amongst professional sailors. (Instructors, delivery crew etc etc) and it’s the snug jacket.

I bought my Musto 'bomber' jacket several years ago, now long out of production, half price sale from the Musto outlet in Clarks Village, nr Bridgwater.
It's not dissimilar to this not Musto) (see yachting world article HERE)

 

[LadyInBed]

On a similar vein, why cant most makers of long-johns and salopettes add flies? I always take a sharp knife to mine - fashion it isn't, I need to pee.

My all-in-one flotation suit has a two way zip. It has one major issue, in that if you are sat down in it in the rain, the water puddles in your lap and seeps through the bottom of the zip, so you have to wear waterproof trousers underneath!

 

[Blue Sunray]

Both my wife and I have long been fans of the Musto snugs, until a couple of years ago we discovered something even better: Henri Lloyd midlayer jacket with Primaloft insulation, lighter than the snugs and a lot warmer. Now even my wife never feels cold and that is an achievement. Trouble is with the partial demise of Henri Lloyd, I do not know whether this product will be continued.

if you can no longer get them have a look at the Keela range, a military/mountain clothing company that has a very good record with this sort of item.