Went out yesterday & froze .[}:)]
Vowed I'd never sail in winter again but now I am looking at ways to get warm.( short memory)
I dont recall being so cold before so I think maybe my new wetsuit isnt as good as the old one.Also the wind was so gusty i spent most of my time lying in the water holding the sail up waiting for a passing gust 
or standing in freezing waist deep water copping windchill to my arms waiting for the next bit of wind.
Can you put thermals under the wetsuit to help? I wear a 2 x 3mm wetsuit + buoyancy vest so the body wasnt TOO bad but my arms froze & I wouldnt mind being a bit warmer on the body.Im after a cheap fix at the moment but eventually will buy something so longterm so what do people think about those Metalite 'shirts'.I havent seen them, Ive just been told they can be used under your wetsuit.
like all sailing gear get the best wetsuit you can afford, it is worth it. I put it on at home as well so not standing around putting it on. not that it gets that cold up here but a helmet seems to make a big difference too and I take sips of warm water to keep core warm. then if really cold will drive home in it and walk straight into the shower. sh!t I just realised, I better htfu !
1. smear vaseline over your body
2. tight fitting full body wetsuit
3. 2 x tins baked beans
4. go sailing!!!
guaranteed to keep the warmth insulated around you!
Vowed I'd never sail in winter again but now I am looking at ways to get warm.( short memory) I dont recall being so cold before so I think maybe my new wetsuit isnt as good as the old one.Also the wind was so gusty i spent most of my time lying in the water holding the sail up waiting for a passing gust or standing in freezing waist deep water copping windchill to my arms waiting for the next bit of wind.
Vowed I'd never sail in winter again but now I am looking at ways to get warm.( short memory) I dont recall being so cold before so I think maybe my new wetsuit isnt as good as the old one.Also the wind was so gusty i spent most of my time lying in the water holding the sail up waiting for a passing gust or standing in freezing waist deep water copping windchill to my arms waiting for the next bit of wind.
(medical) and found the blast shield the best thing out there
I can, except for a few weeks of the year sail in a spring suit without any issues. I hate steamers
Piss in a dry suit...should keep you warm for about 10 mins or so.
Or just hang out in front of a fireplace, drinking schnaps, and... Oh yeah thats what we do at the snow.
When I went on a surfing trip to NZ I used a titanium lined wetsuit vest under my steamer (billabong) which kept my torso toasty. Helps if your wetty has glued/taped seams.
As Timford suggests, a helmet helps retain the heat. Helmets make a fair bit of difference on cold days. With hands when I used to sail in winter down at Wollongong I tried washing up gloves for the hands. They worked quite well. Not sure if there are windsurfing gloves around now that are better than washing up gloves.
I hate wearing booties when windsurfing but when it gets really cold booties are the go. Besides that I don't think a 3 by 2 wetsuit is going to be adequate in cold conditions, ie when the air temperature gets below 15 degrees and the water temp is below 10. Unless neoprene technology has advanced an incredible amount in the last 10 years.
I find that a 4/3 wetsuit when combined with the buoyancy vest, boots and helmet keep me relatively warm all trhough winter. Was sailing in 13 degrees last weekend and was out for 2 hrs. Could have stayed out quite a bit longer without a problem.
Did resort to sailing gloves last year when it got around 10 degrees.
3/2 wetty + 1mm thermal lined rashie & helmet...I must get one of those hoodies one day too!
As for cold fingers & feet, I find that after a short run, get out, let them thaw, then get back into it...for some reason they don't get cold again, although the initial thaw hurts like hell!
A properly fitting sealed seam wetsuit is hard to beat. I upgraded my steamer from a 3:2 which was a bit loose around the lower back to a 4:3 stretchy neoprene one with sealed and taped seams.
Coupled with a helmet and booties I've only had a cold face and hands once even sailing through winter, and that was during a spring hailstorm that turned the beach completely white. If I'm planning a long session and it's cold already, I'll add a longsleeve polyprop shirt under the wetsuit.
I also found that changing from seat to waist harness helped keep my core warm.
20 minutes used to be all I could manage before getting too cold, now I don't even think about the temperature once on the water.
Russh said
A big mug of HTFU
Pardon my ignorance but what is HTFU?
Vando said Move North
Ive always said I like the cold as its better for cycling , bushwalking etc etc but as far as sailboarding goes ..1st time i have considered it!
Kato said -I use a thermal top under my wettie when it gets a little cooler and it works quite well. A cheep heat pack placed inside the wettie near your kidneys helps too.
Sounds Ok.
Staying on the water instead of in it works best though I know ! Next time im going to try another location that they say has more consistent wind & hopefully that will help..Or I will give it away for winter!
Mineral 1 said -[Get yourself a "blast shield"/b]
Might chase that up..what do they look like & you wear them under your wetsuit?
Muzza 12 Get yourself one of these -
www.ripcurl.com/hbomb/
Wow way to go! If I win lotto I will!
timford said...
I have found my helmet to be a massive help in keeping me warm, along with my NP PFD.
I was out yesterday and only got cold hands towards the end of the session at 4.45pm.
I wear a helmet ,PDF , diving gloves on & booties.The main problem was the windchill going through my arms.When Im sailing I keep warmer , it was just a s..t session where I spent a lot of time in the water or waiting for wind so I wasnt generating any heat ( + I had plenty of time to think how B cold i was!)..
I know it is warmer here but I have found wearing a kayak jacket effective in reducing windchill. Choose one with taped (sealed) seams and with neoprene seals at waist wrist and neck and you will find it takes a while for cold water to get in. Cost varies on the quality.http://www.ausseakayak.com.au/index.php?mod=Shop&file=Product&cat=65&pid=118 as an example
I think my partner might have one..I wonder if i can borrow it on the sly...
Im regretting buying the cheapest 2x 3mm wetsuit I could find..
There are a couple of errors here. They were officially debunked by Mythbusters so they are the purest truth.
1) Rum. It doesn't make you warm it just makes feel good. When you are cold your bod shuts down your peripheral circulation. This serves to keep your core temp up and your vital organs (like your brain) functioning. Alcahol dilates your blood vessels allowing nice warm blood to get to your arms and toes and fingers making you feel nice and toasty while pouring your body heat away. Your core temp drops faster with alcahol and you die sooner than otherwise.
2) Pissing in your wetsuit does much the same thing. You're pissing away your body heat.
One of the symptoms of hypothermia is stupidity. If the weather is cold and you feel unusually (unusual for you) stupid then go and warm up.
Actually just wearing a cheapo Kmart version of a Rainman over your wetty makes quite a bit of difference. It stops the wind chill and wind chill on wet neoprene is considerable.
WT
Re HTFU..when i was younger i might have taken that on but i reckon I'm old enough to be a whimp!I used to be called a girls blouse in my younger days ..that's Ok , I was a girl!
Re pissing in the wetsuit..be Ok if it lasted for a few hours...
I thought about wearing my goretex raincoat over to keep windchill off but its knee length so the seat harness would kill it & it would probably get all caught up with harness hooks etc.Probably makes sense to buy an elcheapo wind/rain proof but at the moment I'm erring towards buying a metalite shirt which i'm told you wear under your wetsuit & it reduces windchill + reflects your body heat back in..
Should have bought a decent wetsuit to start with !
Hang on !
Elmo said - http://www.hotsuits.com.au/
I'll get one of these!
SB I wear a Neil Pryde long sleeve titanium(?) backed top under my steamer and I love it. A few weeks ago I was wearing it and I actually got so hot I purposely dunked myself to cool down. One of the best investments I've made. It's awesome as a rashie in summer too to stop wind chill.
