[quote=rattlenhum]As Tim says, we get plenty of sailable winter days in our clime (I try to sail at least once each month), but you have to gear up for the water (not air) temps.
A shorty doesn't always cut it for me, but a 3/2 full suit will get you through a lot. They aren't really comfortable, and the cheap ones are borderline miserable, so buy as much quality as you can afford. (I got a reasonably priced farmer jane/jacket combo from NRS last year for my daughter, and she loves it.) The thing about wetsuits is that, when wet but out of the water in the wind, you still get a lot of evaporative cooling. I have a light windstopper top from Kokotat that works wonders in that regard. A rash guard type layer underneath will add comfort as well.
A better but much more expensive option is a dry suit. I got lucky and found an old military surplus anti-exposure suit on Ebay years ago for $50....it even has a relief zipper! It keeps me mostly dry, so I don't have to wear much under it to stay warm....way less bulky/more comfortable than a wetsuit.
You'll need neoprene booties also....the cheap ones from Academy or whatever have served me well.
If it's really cold, I wear some cheap neoprene gloves, but I hate the way the sheets feel with those on.
Keep in mind that you really don't want to go in the water for any length or time, and there usually won't be many other boats out, so prepare and use caution accordingly. If you're going solo, you'll need a righting aid. Also, I usually try to stay close to shore if it's really windy....but not the leeward shore since most of our lake is lined with rip rap. If I go over, I want to have plenty of drifting distance/time to right the boat before hitting the rocks.<!-- editby --><em>Edited by rattlenhum on Oct 05, 2016 - 09:23 AM.</em><!-- end editby --> [/quote]
No HTML tags allowed (except inside [code][/code] tags)
