Getting Started - Part 5

The minimum to be warm and safe is:
- buoyancy aid
- wetsuit or drysuit
- wetsuit boots

If money were an issue then I would buy a new buoyancy aid and look at secondhand versions of the wet or dry suit with the wetsuit being the cheaper and (financially) safer option. (Some great offers are to be found in the madforsailing shop).

Wet or dry?
It is when we look at the wetsuit or drysuit that we have to make the biggest decisions and can spend the most money. A top-of-the-range drysuit will cost more than £500 and then we will still need to buy the thin thermal clothing to wear under it. I can already hear you all saying "is it worth it?" Well, up until 1995 I had used a wide selection of drysuits and I can safely say that I had never been truly dry. I was always damp, either from small leaks at the wrist or neck seals or simply through sweating. I never knew which was the cause, but I was always damp and because of this could get cold.

Then I worked on a coaching project with a dinghy World Champion who was trying to gain selection for the Olympics in the 470 class. They purchased top-of-the-range breathing drysuits from Musto and when the project came to an end, they very kindly presented me with my own bright yellow breathing drysuit made from Gore-Tex. What a revelation. I was dry for the first time in ten years of sailing dinghies - no sweat, no leaks, but it did come at a price.

So if you are going to sail right into the winter months and start early in the season, then the drysuit gives you the option of putting layers on underneath to take into account the water and air temperature. The layering system really does work with modern materials leaving you dry and snug.

The alternative is the wetsuit which itself has developed in leaps and bounds over the last five years. They are now more flexible, warmer, more resistant to abrasion and are very good value for money. Warmth can be increased by the addition of a spray top, which again - if you pay more money - can be built from the breathable material. The wetsuit will come in all sorts of combinations - shorty, just over the knee, long arms, short arms, detachable arms. In the summer I wear a three mm long-leg suit with short arms and when it's cold or very windy use a breathable spray top.

Finally you need to add a pair of wetsuit boots that are available in any sailing or surf shop. Warm and with a hardwearing grip sole they will keep you on your feet in the dinghy.

If in doubt look around your local club and ask. Sometimes the specific launching facilities at a club will dictate the clothing that one needs to buy. Lake sailing from a jetty is a very dry experience, while launching into the sea from a beach is the exact opposite and the clothing will reflect this.

In the next issue we will be back to the club for our first race, so check out the list of UK clubs at www.rya.org.uk or madforsailing’s club list. See you on the start line in the next issue.