What Is Your Lower Limit Temp-Wise ?

Forecast at the Jersey shore today is 61 F w/winds in the twenties.

Thought I'd go down for one last day on the water.

Then I stepped outside on to the back patio and had a sudden change of mind....

Must be getting old....

What's your minimum temperature for enjoyable sailing in decent winds?

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2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

I routinely sail when the air and water temps are both in the 40's. However, I have invested in clothing that allows me to do this semi-comfortably and would allow me to survive a good while should I capsize. Low water temps, particularly when combined with low air temps, becomes dangerous without the proper gear. The shock alone, from falling in or capsizing can quickly kill. But I'm sure most everyone here knows this.

I gave up on drysuits - if you submerge water will get in somewhere and it's not fun. A quality wetsuit is better for sailing small boats, in my opinion, as you get wet but stay reasonably warm.

Generally, if the combined air and water temperature is below 120, you need to take serious precautions before going out. Always dress for immersion.

Well said, the decision to go out should depend more on the water temperature than the air temperature.



Unless you have invested in well designed, professional immersion survival gear, then use this chart.

Dry suits are the standard way to survive both cold air and cold water. Layer underneath to what your temps require.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

What do you do about your hands in heavy air?

I've got the whole nine yards: dry suit, wet suits, and so-forth.

My current preferred dry suit setup includes a loose-fitting 2mm farmer john under the dry suit.

Head's no problem - I use a PolarTech trooper hat with a neo hood in my life vest pocket for backup.

But the hands in heavy air....

Paddling my surf ski, I'm good down into the low forties with neo mitts with cutout palms and not too much wind.

Also, I would re-iterate *enjoy*.... not just survive.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

I wear open fingered sun gloves. They are light-weight and protect against sun. Warm, they are not. So, for cold windy days here in FL, I have purchased an x-large size PVC-coated work gloves. I pull on the PVC coated gloves over my sun gloves. The PVC-coated gloves keep the wind from wicking away your heat--from your hands. The PVC gloves are big enough that they can be pulled off quickly for a job requiring finer finger control. The PVC-coated gloves are cheap at Home Depot.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Open fingered fleece gloves with a leather patch on the palm for good wear. Fleece or merino wool (thin) socks inside neoprene socks inside Zihk boots. Your hands and feet will get wet, but they stay fairly manageable.

You won't find clothing to keep you dry if you sail in any kind of wind, and if you submerge you're up against the same thing. So you need to wear products that don't lose insulating ability when they're wet.

I also am getting old. I don't go out unless air temp is in the 50s anymore.

Just a word about cumulative effects of air temp. Sails/races that last 6 hours or more while sailing with wind chill considering your boat speed ... can be significantly hazardous=even if you don't capsize or get spray. I used many layers (polar fleece) and changed occasionally (usually at the transition from upwind to downwind). I found heated socks to be beneficial and a balaclava to weather. Snowmobile gloves were good. If you start shivering--you messed up...find shelter, head for home...

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

This cold weather is foreign to me these days, but I remember learning to sail in Melbourne's winter, on a 22 foot trailer sailer. Full wet weather clothing, 3 pairs of socks, two jumpers, woollen gloves under waterproof ones, scarf to catch the drips from the hood (beanie on head as well), and still cold!

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

I like my dry suit for the freedom of motion, ease of on-off, general comfort, and ability to vary the insulation to suit conditions. ... I even have the built-in socks and accept the obvious added hazard in the event of the suit flooding.

Having said that....

I would offer two cautions vis-a-vis dry suits in general:

• * After a sailing or paddling session, try fooling around in the water immersed neck deep until your body starts getting the message.....
  .
  This will keep you calibrated as to what is appropriate thermal-insulation-wise - against the temptation to dress for comfort out of the water, especially when working hard.
  .
• * Try to be prepared for a dry suit ceasing to be dry...... Not just torn seals.... With your dry suit on, try making the hardest fist you can. .... Now look at the inside of your wrist: see those little channels around the tendons? ..... Same deal with the neck..... Sounds trivial, but I read an account of a couple of Hobie 16 sailors who survived only because a power boat came along and rescued them...... In attempting to right the boat over-and-over, they accumulated enough water to soak the PolarTech under their suits to the point where they were too heavy and too chilled to re-mount the hulls.
  .
  After reading that, my love affair with PolarTech cooled.... I still use it but, conditions permitting, prefer a loose-fitting 2-mm farmer john for the lower bod.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

The wife an I are getting ready for another Everglades Challenge and training time gets short here in VT. We were out sailing in Lake Champlain the other week (been twice in November). Air temp was 41 F and water was @50 F. We were both wearing dry suits. It was a gusty southwest wind at 15-20. Waves built to a very surf-able 2 feet +. However the real cold sailing I did was back in RI. Frostbite racing Sunfish all winter long. There was a 20-20 rule. No sailing over 20 knots or under 20 degrees. We did sail once when we really shouldn't have. Air temp was around 22 F and wind was @18. Ice was forming on the bow after the second race. By race 5 I had icicles on the boom, the bow had a noticeable coating of ice that was making the boat harder to sail off the wind, and the cockpit was full of frozen slush. Thankfully we always stayed close to the club and had emergency crash boats out. My secret weapon was hot cider with rum. My wife would sit on the dock and between races I would have a cup. By the end of racing I was usually warmer than when I started!

It certainly feels good to have an alcoholic drink while camping in cold weather but please don't do it while boating. Alcohol decreases your body's protective mechanisms against hypothermia.

I was going to ask the question about wearing a shorty or farmer john under a dry suit but Pete commented about doing this above. I just found one of each in a second hand store for $10 and to my delight they are my size. I also found a long sleeve neoprene shirt that I think is 1mm. It's one of those shirts people use to sweat off water weight in the gym and seems like an excellent layer for kayaking that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

Chris

A good rule of thumb to follow for safe sailing is the "100 degree rule."

This means the air temperature plus the water temperature should be greater than or equal to 100 degrees F to be sailed comfortably.

This is usually the case in South Texas!

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2012 Hobie Kona
2014 Hobie Tandem Island

What's all this talk about weather...?
We have two seasons here in So Cal...hot summer and cool summer...Lets' go sailing...!
Jim / Saba Slayer

in SF bay area, the water temp is 50 and the air temp is 60. On top, i wear thermals and a ski jacket. On bottom, just shorts and booties. As long as the sun is shining, it was pretty comfortable (especially if you are pedalling). My swim trunks get wet and my butt gets cold but since I am pedalling, it's not bad. It would be nice to have neoprene shorts. I have a 5/3 wetsuit but only wear that when I go out to the coast.

I have an old drysuit that i thought about wearing but when a friend with a drysuit turtled his kayak, the drysuit filled with water and he was also miserable for the rest of the trip.