How to dress right and inexpensive for sailing in fall and w

Hi, I live in GA and sailed my Wave through this summer in Lake Lanier Golf of Mexico and Atlantic ocean. My dressing goal was to keep me from the sun and not too loose to allow movment in water in many cases of flipping over.
Last weekend was super great - lots of wind but Fall demands new aproach. Even though on the shore people were in swim suits and some were swimming in very warm water, it was unpleasantly cold in the midlle of the lake being wet from splashes and a flip especially when I was going close hauled.is there a solution , preferably inexpensive?
Like skiers have 3 layer clothes and I understand the concept but how sailor shoud be dressed if there is a chance to get in water all the way?

My progression on Lake Michigan is drysuit, shorty wetsuit, long sleeve rashguard and shorts, short sleeve rashgaurd and shorts, then the reverse this time of year. I used to use a big black wakeboard PFD in the spring, but that was in the way too much and I now just use a high cut Stohlquist PFD all the time. The drysuit is expensive, and maybe overkill in GA. I have bought shorty wetsuits at Sam's Club for $26 and on Leisure Pro for maybe $30. My friend wears spray suit top and bottom, but I think they are more expensive. I wear board shorts and rash guard under the wetsuit so I can take it off on the beach, or even on the boat if overheating.

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1989 H16
2009 H16 squaretop

We have stayed away from dry suits because if we take a tumble, and there is a rip, and we fall in, life may become very interesting.
We use Costco equivalent wetsuits for cooler days. Cheap and convenient.

For cold days, we use thicker farmer John wetsuits (Kokotat) plus a pure wool T-Shirt, rashie, plus a spray top.
We also move from open hole water shoes to kayak style booties.
That takes us into October and Canadian Thanksgiving, which is usually my last race and sail of the season.

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2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

I am in eastern PA and I am going through the same process after my first summer sailing. Years ago I kayaked and used a farmer john, wetsuit booties, and paddling jacket with various polypro shirts to get through colder months. I am hoping the same works for the Wave, though it is less physical.

So far I bought a Stohlquist Rapid John 3mm ($110) and I have a Gill basic spray top ($50 - closeout) and Neosport 3mm booties ($25 - sale) coming. I still have a variety of old polypro that looks awful but hopefully still insulates.

I am not sure if I will need neoprene gloves and beanie yet.


I am interested in what southern Lake Michigan will be like 2nd weekend of Oct. We are traveling up there and a friend is offering to take me out. Will my setup above be OK?

A 3/2 Jacket & John style wetsuit will give you the most versatility and bang for your buck. You can substitute a spray top for the neoprene jacket if you want a little more freedom of movement. Include a decent pair of booties (5+mm) and a warm hat and you're pretty much covered for all but the coldest weather. The next step would be a 5/4 steamer style wetsuit or a drysuit for extreme cold conditions.

sm

Stohlquist Waterware has a whole line of dry suits available that are breathable hi quality and don't break the bank. I use the shift suit and comes with a hood for wet winter weather
http://www.stohlquist.com/apparel/drysuits/shift.html


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I probably have the same Neosport 3mm booties, which are great though I wish I had some stiffer soles on days out on the wire for long stretches. One great thing about Lake Michigan is when that east wind sets up (on western shore) you can sail miles and miles along shore. The arches of my feet get tired and sore standing on the rail. I also don't like full finger gloves no matter how cold, but that's just me.

Conditions on southern Lake Michigan depend on where you are. So I am going to tell you more than you wanted to know about figuring that out.

Generally middle of October is the end of my season, though it can go to Halloween occasionally. Last Halloween we had a gale here like nothing I've ever seen - a big surge and huge waves. Usually if the wind is onshore the air temp out on the water can be about 60 or so, water temp can be high 60's and winds might be typically anywhere from 10 to 20. October can see some good wind here, we get our wildest rides this time of year. If the wind is offshore it will blow the warm surface water away and the water temp can get down to the mid 50's in a matter of days. Waves depend on wind direction. Full fetch winds - from the north or northeast going the length of the lake - can produce 5-8'++ waves. Winds from the south or the opposite shore generally produce anything from 1' waves to 3'. Winds blowing away from shore make the water flat with little chop until you get out 2 miles or so, but it will be gusty close in. Waves can be steeper than on the ocean. There will be small craft advisory when waves are much over 3'.

Here are the references I check:

Buoys (wind, waves, water temp): http://greatlakesbuoys.org/station_page.php?station=45174, http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=45170, http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=45007
NOAA nearshore forecast: http://weather.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/fmtbltn.pl?file=forecasts/marine/near_shore/lm/lmz741.txt
Chicago Crib (wind speed, direction - keep in mind the telemetry is 60' above surface so different than surface): http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/metdata/chi/
NOAA wind/wave forecasts: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/glcfs.php?lake=m&ext=wv&type=N&hr=01
Shoreline water temps: http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=lot&issuedby=lot&product=omr

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1989 H16
2009 H16 squaretop

I sail year 'round, provided the lake surfaces don't freeze over. That rarely happens here anymore. I gave up trying to stay dry and simply dress to stay warm. That involves fleece and neoprene - wet suit type stuff.

Always dress for submersion. Any time the water + air temps combine for a total of less than 120F, you're in the danger zone. At less than 100F, you're in the death zone.