Fashion and sailing don’t mix however there is still nothing as exhilarating as stepping back on the dock drenched in full wet weather gear, hair in knots and a wind swept face. Sallapets and the full get up, May be bulky but will keep those boys guessing. If you can hit the water in force 5 winds, blinding rain and spinnaker up! The girls in heels have nothing on you!
Here we will present to you our wet weather gear tips that we have built over the years, if it be your first time buying off shore gear or just need better waterproofs for harbour racing (these hints are for you!).
Tips:
Wear a Hat! (might sound silly when pouring with rain but it will be the only thing protecting your vision)
Put your long sleeve top and fleece underneath your salopettes so that only the sleeves are exposed
Make sure on your jacket that your wrist Velcro is done up tight, as well as your ankles (these are the main entry points that water is looking to invade)
If you have boots put the slapet pants over the top
layers are key!
Top sailing rule - IT IS ALWAYS COLDER ON THE WATER
These tips may be simple but the dryer you stay, the warmer you stay and intern don’t expel wasted energy! Yacht racing is a marathon, you got to be good to go all the time and when that sail needs changing, it needs changing quick.
Good quality wet weather gear is expensive so make sure you are buying the right stuff, if your small like me and struggle to find off shore salopette options here is a highly recomended pair by Gill - Click this link for more information
Keep in mind that sailing is a dangerous sport, when purchasing wet weather gear make sure they have sufficient pockets for knifes and location devices, stick to bright colours as they are easier to see (especially if someone falls overboard) and the more handles the better (as per the link above the new range of womens salopettes by Gill feature a yellow handle on the back, can be very useful to save someone from falling).
"Only in Australia do we rock thongs with our full wet weather gear!" - Jessica (figure far right)
By Jessica L (Founder Wind Riders)
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