|
 When
they said the average age of skippers was dropping we didn't realise
they really meant it...young Roxanne Emsley of the 'Black Pig' is only
two but she looks 100% the salty sailor to us! It pays to keep the
elements off the body and that hat is the bees knees! Anyway, we
digress...
Tell us all about what you wear aboard your boat. Yes, we know lots
of you wear nothing at all when away from the public gaze and sailing in
the tropics, but that's not really what we want to talk about here!
Do you buy top-of-the-range sailing togs? What have you found works
best for you? Lots of thin layers of clothing with 'breathing'
lightweight rainwear on top, or specialist padded all-in-one suits with
built-in harnesses? Tell us about the way you keep as comfortable as
possible when sailing in 'weather'.
Your managing editor was given a wonderful all-in-one sailing
suit,
in red Kevlar, by a kind Austrian lady from a neighbouring boat in
southern Spain, a couple of years ago, when she found a new two-piece
outfit more convenient to wear.
The suit had deep pockets with 'Velcro' closers on the flaps, which
doubled over to keep the contents dry. The hood had a drawstring to
create a peak which allowed rain to run off without hitting the face and
there were 'jersey' cuffs at wrists and ankles. The lining was
waterproof and the suit provided total protection from the cold. It was a
treasured possession, until a burly temporary crew tried to fit his bulk
into the suit and tore the lining to shreds, thus rendering the suit
useless. Attempts to repair it were hopeless and my treasured protection had to be
discarded.
In June '98, I searched the sailing shops of London for a waterproof
jacket light enough for the tropics but strong enough for sailing in
heavier weather with something warm beneath it.
At prices between US$300 and 800, those on offer were beyond the budget
I had set aside for the task.
At Marks and Spencers' Oxford Street branch, in the heart of London's
West End, miles from any water, I asked if there were any sailing
jackets to be had, of a sales assistant who happened to be handy in the
ladies wear department. "No, madam, I'm afraid not" she told
me, with a genuine air of regret.
Just then I noticed, not three
feet away, two racks bearing a large quantity of what looked very like
the item I was in search of. Thanking the kind assistant anyway, I
sidled over to the racks and there I found the ideal jacket, with
sailing
included in the suggested uses on the label, a smart navy blue and red,
or red with navy blue or either combination of yellow and navy blue was
available, for the very reasonable sum of £99.00
(about US$158)!
A handsome navy blue and red affair, it sports a zippered inner pocket
as well as two deep side-pockets, is breathable, waterproof and
comfortable too. It has a zipper and a press-stud over-flap and
drawstrings at neck, waist and lower edge with pull-toggles for easy use
and another one on the hood which pulls tight to form a peak if desired.
The label is Marks and Spencers own, although it was a secret they seemed
to have kept from the staff at the time...
Not only have I worn it almost constantly since then,
with only a slight fading as evidence of the tropical sun's effects but
have been able to open it and spread it as a sail, holding the lower
front corners wide apart to catch the breeze, thus propelling our
inflatable dinghy from shore to boat, on more than one occasion
when the outboard motor let us down! Now that's what I call a sailing
jacket!
When the time was almost upon us to cross the Atlantic again and return
to Europe, in Spring 2000, we were facing life without much in the
way of waterproofs between us. I had my M & S jacket but nothing for
my lower half and the captain had no waterproofs at all!
Fortunately, while visiting Cambridge, Massachussetts, home of Harvard
University campus (and also of my sister and her family), in April 2000,
I was able to
purchase a wonderful set of packable, 100% breathable, 100% waterproof
pants and jacket each, for the captain and me, with taped seams, which
make all the difference, so the trip back across the Atlantic
would not have to be wet, cold and miserable after all! At just under US$70 the
set, made by Cedar Key, is very reasonably priced - perhaps because
it came from a sporting
goods shop but one which
wasn't involved in the marine world. It seems the word 'marine' is
often synonymous with 'expensive' although the goods are the same!
Sailing in bleak weather between Caribbean islands, in early June, we
had the opportunity to test out our new togs.
We were both very impressed - the clothing is light and loose enough to
allow for movement and we both stayed bone dry inside our suits in spite
of torrential rain and the captain's usual tendency to perspire when
encased in anything waterproof.
 The jackets have big deep pockets
with generous flaps to keep rain out of them. Each item comes with
a built in storage pocket - you simply stuff the garment into a pocket
in its own lining and hang it up somewhere handy. The skipper grabs the
blue ones and ends up dressed in green and the mate does the reverse.
Wet, cold feet are not our idea of fun and my old Hunter
'wellies' (rubber boots), beloved companions for almost nine years, finally
disintegrated after contact with tropical conditions so I replaced them
with a pair of very fancy fleece-lined canvas, rubber and leather boots,
at a cost of US$4, from a Cambridge thrift shop! They kept my tootsies
warm on the stormy crossing from Bermuda to the Azores, where we arrived
in early October 2000.
Unfortunately, the captain's boots had also disintegrated by the time we
reached Faial and we were delighted to find a pair of plain, sturdy,
black wellies at the local dairymen's supply co-operative store, for the
equivalent of about US$10.
The Cedar Keys clothing not only worked brilliantly to keep us dry over
our warm winter togs at sea but also looks perfectly presentable when
worn ashore. Only one little snag - the zippers were sticking a bit after
all that contact with salt but a little drop of vinegar did the trick...
Tell us about your favoured sailing attire - where it came from, how
long you have had it and why you prefer it to the alternatives.
Click here to
view our favourite sailing DVDs - if you decide to buy any you'll be
helping to keep MarineZine online and to finance future editions...
|
