Sailing Etiquette
When the seas are calling your name, are you ready to suit up and take action? I am not talking about a fancy suit, or even a tux, but in fact the proper sailing attire for any conditions out on the water.
No worries if you are an amateur sailor or an American champion, this information will guide you through what it takes to ensure you are ready for those ten-foot waves. Having the proper attire will ensure that you are in fact ready for any condition the waves bring your way.
Suggested Sailing Attire
Many people take sailing as a shorts and t-shirt type of activity, when in reality it’s the opposite. You will need to stay warm, dry, and keep the sun off your skin. Many people wear a raincoat when out on the bay, or even on the lake.
It’s surprising how it is 80 plus degrees inshore, but then you must wear a raincoat once out in the bay. A sun shirt during mid-day might be needed on those super sunny days to keep those damaging rays from burning your skin. These are very breathable and light weight shirts and can be found in almost any outdoor store.
Winter and Fall Sailing Attire
There are basic rules to follow when knowing what to wear when going out to sail. The very bottom layer being thermals and undergarments are in fact the most essential for any kind of sailing weather, but especially for winter outings. This will trap your body heat between you and the thermals keeping you warm.
Your next layer will include a light fleece jacket, which will provide warmth without being too bulky. In dryer conditions you may find that it will be enough, but not so much for harsh waters. It makes a perfect mid-layer for those close to freezing, or colder days out at bay.
Keeping your hands and head warm has proven to help performance whilst sailing in the winter. There is no need to purchase any gloves from big brand sailing companies when they are easily found other places. Sailing jackets, being your top layer, will keep you dry and warm.
This will be a water-resistant and breathable jacket, as being windproof as well. For your shoe choice, it is best to have dry, non-slip shoes to make it easier to walk on the wet deck when in harsh waters.
Spring and Summer Attire
Wearing a plain old t-shirt while drifting through the water on a warm day might sound nice, but in fact could result in being frozen and wet. In the list you will see the 7 things sailors make sure they have before even getting on to the water.
A Technical Shirt
This shirt will regulate your body temperature and pulls your skin’s moisture to the outer layer of the shirt keeping you warmer and drier. This shirt will also keep the harmful sun rays from hitting your skin and damaging it. These shirts come in short sleeve and long sleeve options
Technical Shorts or Pants
You could wear a regular pair of shorts or pants, but they are likely to get wet, and keep you from being warm. The fabric of these shorts, or pants can withstand the roughness of your boat’s deck surface.
The pockets being a bonus for those pesky items you just can not keep off the deck of boat. For your warmer days, shorts can be an exception, but those cooler and windy days the pants will come in handy.
A Skort
I know what you are thinking; “a skort is not proper sailing attire”, but in fact can be very comfortable for the ladies on those warmer days out at sea. The skort offers a skirt with built in shorts underneath with deep pockets.
A Vest
The vest can be your outer layer during those warmer summer and spring days. It will keep your core warm and your arms free to move around as needed. This piece will be worn more often than you notice when out on the waters.
Light Jacket
A light jacket will keep you warm on those drier, less windy, warmer days whilst sailing. A fleece jacket will do the job on drier days, but a softshell is recommended for those damp days out at sea. Your jacket will be your best friend when it comes to staying warm on those windy day outings.
Rain Gear
Lamentably, few out of every odd sail occurs under radiant blue skies, so lightweight downpour gear is basic cruising unit. You’ll need something that packs down effectively so you can toss it in your sail sack in the event of some unforeseen issue.
Search for waterproof (not water-safe) gear that you can pull on over your garments when downpour begins to fall. This is not the same as foul climate gear (which we’ll get to in a moment) – downpour gear is as a rule for hotter climate conditions.
Climate Gear
For colder days or unpleasant climate, you’ll need foul climate gear – the waterproof rigging that most mariners allude to as foulies. Purchasing foulies can be befuddling because there are a wide range of types.
It’s generally isolated into sea or seaward apparatus, beach front and inshore rigging, and dinghy gear. For most day cruising, waterfront and inshore rigging is okay – and extensively more affordable than seaward alternatives.
You’ll require a coat and either jeans or kiddie aprons. Tuckers, additionally called salopettes, are the customary decision since they will in general keep you warmer and drier than pants.
The downside with kiddie aprons is that utilizing the head normally implies removing all your rigging. On the off chance that that appears to be a problem, you might need to consider a drop-seat variant.
A few things you should look for in your foul climate gear are waterproof taped creases, a high neckline with a delicate covering, cinchable hood, customizable wrist and lower leg sleeves, and a tempest fold over the front zipper.
Layering Sailing Clothes
Sailing attire is some of the world’s most intense weather gear. Proper sailing attire gives the sailor the opportunity to battle against harsh conditions whether its below freezing winds or freezing cold water for hours on end.
The number of layers that’s worn is almost countless. Well-known name brands supply sailors with the best-of-the-best attire without breaking their bank.
Sailing Clothes Manufactured
Big name sailing brands like the ones in the list below are shipped from countries which specialize in athletic wear, exploration, and sailing. These being regions like England, Norway, New Zealand, and the USA. The quality of these garments holds a very high standard of craftsmanship in order to meet the requirements of sailing.
As such, you will often find innovative materials like Gore-Tex used in the outer lining of jackets and pants. These can also be combined with microfleece to neoprene to nylon for the best body heat insulation.
Top Manufactures
The best spot to score cruising brand apparel is at the source itself. This implies shopping straightforwardly from the names and brands that are committed to making cruising gear.
In the rundown beneath we have the large name brands like ZHIK, Musto, North Sails and Slam which all have online customer facing facades for sprouting mariners to peruse through. The rundown underneath shows further top to bottom of which are the best awesome brands.
ZHIK
ZHIK was founded just prior to the 2004 Athens Olympics when it was noticed that sailing apparel could do with a spark of innovation. Since then ZHIK has engineered some of the best performing waterproof clothes for sailors and combined it with a fresh new look that is very modern to the eye, in a world dominated by tradition.
There are a lot of kit choices for both the Australian and New Zealand sailing teams and sponsors the Sail GP and Volvo Ocean Race teams, all of which need very proficient gear that will handle well in any harsh conditions.
North Sails
North Sails was begun by an American Sailor and Olympic Gold Medalist, Lowell North in 1957. He initially centered around making the most in fact propelled sails that were quicker than some other contenders. His image kept on making these ultra-superior sails and has utilized his ethos to make a ‘way of life dress’ line.
Their garments join both capacity and structure, acts in most brutal conditions and looks extraordinary doing it. They offer a scope of specialized, elite rigging just as a progressively conventional way of lifeline, so regardless of your style of cruising, North Sails will have you secured.
Gill Marine
In 1975 a mariner with the name of Nick Gill turned out to be profoundly baffled with the absence of explicit cruising gear. To mitigate the issue, he chose to discover an organization and to begin delivering the apparatus he proposed to have from the earliest starting point.
From that point forward, Gill has advanced and created more noteworthy attire for all parts of cruising and all conditions mariners will and have experienced. Gill is the attire of decision for the present America’s Cup champions, group New Zealand. To supplement their attire, Gill likewise offers footwear and frill for all mariners.
Nautica
Born in 1983, Nautica is a leading lifestyle brand for all men. Which was influenced by the nautical lifestyle and designs, Nautica has begun focusing on making more everyday clothing for men as opposed to other sailing brands.
While Nautica might not offer clothing that is as technically advanced as others, their focus on design has enabled them to lead the industry from a style perspective. They combine both traditional nautical designs with a modern perspective and up-thinking styles.
Henry Lloyd
Henri Lloyd was founded by Mr. Henri Strzelecki, a Polish war hero, and Angus Lloyd in 1964 in Manchester, England. They initiated the use of waterproof fabrics and materials in clothing.
They have also made other modernizations including the first non-corrosive zipper along with the use of Velcro in waterproof attire. To this day, Henri Lloyd continues to be innovative and remain on the leading edge of waterproof clothing.
Henry Lloyd also focuses heavily on design and offers some of the most aesthetically refined waterproof clothing available.
Slam
Born in Genoa, Italy, Slam has developed to be one of the highest sailing clothing manufacturers. All thanks to their collaborations past and present Olympic Sailors. Genoa is a town on Italy’s Ligurian coast, and its history is heavily rooted in fishing, sailing, and its beautiful ports.
One day, a garment maker would come out as a result of the town’s need for clothing that is suitable for life on the coast. Today, the brand offers a range of lifestyle and recreational sailing clothing which exemplifies Italian culture.
They also offer technical clothing for those looking to face the some of the harshest conditions mother nature can bring against them.
Musto
For over 50 years, Musto has been manufacturing cutting edge sailing apparel. Their clothing line has been used by adventurers, America’s Cup racing teams, and couples cruising the world on their family yacht.
This brand was started by Mr. Keith Musto, a British Olympic sailor who realized in order to win, he had to be lighter, fitter and, stronger than all his competitors. After starting his fitness regimen, he soon realized that traditional sailing clothing restricted his ability to sail at his best, so he set out to make clothing that would allow him to perform better.
As a result, Musto ended up winning the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in his own gear. Till this day, Musto continues to engineer fabrics and materials that will allow owners of his apparel to be comfortable in most conditions.
Helly Hansen
In 1877, Mr. Helly Hansen sought a need for clothing that would protect him from the harsh Norweigan elements while he was working on his boat. His wife then started soaking his linens in linseed oil to create a waterproof material that would protect Mr. Hansen and his workers when they were out on their boats. They soon started to offer this clothing to others and Helly Hansen had begun.
To this day, Hansen has continued to engineer clothes that can handle some of the harshest of conditions, enabling their wearers to work, perform and survive just about anywhere.
Not only are Helly Hansen garments weather resistant, but the brand’s Norwegian heritage has heavily influenced their minimalistic and timeless, typically Scandinavian design.
Sailing Equipment
The list of equipment below offers the safety of you and your crew’s life. As we go through these needed items, we will see how valuable these items are. These requirements will dictate the life or death of your crew, so grab your pan and paper and make that check list.
PYI Clamps
Although they may be easy to forget or neglect, hose clamps are one of the most important necessities of kit aboard any boat with through-hulls. For the simple reason that all it takes is for just one to fail to send your boat to the bottom of the ocean.
With that in mind, PYI Inc. has now released a new line of 316L stainless steel, nonperforated worm-gear clamps to ensure all those hose connections stay connected as intended.
These clamps are designed to be both gentle on most hose types and provide a long-lasting stable retention force. It features a smooth inside surface, a raised edge on the engraved heavy-duty band and a durable one-piece double-locked screw cage. Available in sizes from 1/3in to 15in, they are also highly corrosion resistant.
Waterproof Handhelds
Standard Horizon’s HX890 handheld packs a great deal of innovation into a little bundle. This incorporates a DSC and 66-channel WAAS GPS. It is likewise accessible in dark or navy-blue buoys as well as is outfitted with a water-enacted strobe, giving that additional proportion of wellbeing, particularly when out in a RIB after dark.
A greater amount of the highlights remember a couple of worked for scrambler frameworks for secure interchanges; an inherent FM collector for tuning in to music, or getting a game while unwinding on the snare; daytime or lit evening time modes; waypoint and course route; and a gathering screen work using the framework’s DSC Group position call.
The framework’s speck grid show estimates 1.7in-by-1.7in creation it simple to work with. A 1,800mAh Li-particle battery gives up to 11 hours of activity. It prices at $199.99. Many sailors ranging from experienced to amateur have suggested the standard Horizon HX870.
Raymarine Chartplotter
Expanding on the FLIR’s Raymarine Element HV Series with HyperVision sonar, the Element S line offers a choice all-climate show, top tier speed and basic activity, all at a sensible cost.
The chartplotters are accessible with a 7, 9 or 12in screen and incorporate a 64-piece quad-center processor that conveys special speed, bringing about smooth page and menu changes and direct outline redraws.
The framework likewise presents a 10Hz GPS sensor and supports diagrams from a few driving mapmakers, including Raymarine’s new LightHouse NC2 graphs, Navionics and C-MAP. Notwithstanding radar and AIS support, the Element S arrangement likewise gives the important NMEA 2000 availability for consolidating of wide scope of peripherals, including an autopilot, cruising instruments and motor information and fuel tank level data.
This machine can put away 5,000 waypoints in 200 unique gatherings, in addition to 50 courses and 15 tracks. Many have purchased their chartplotters from various brands, but one has remained one of the top-notch brands; the Lowrance HDS-Live.
Scanstrut ROKK Charger
In all honesty, advanced mobile phones are an unavoidable truth seaward. This prompts an issue of keeping said telephones charged. This regularly results in yet more wires going around your vessel’s already jumbled navigation station.
To unravel this issue, Scanstrut is offering its own ROKK Wireless framework, which is depicted to be the world’s first IPX6 waterproof 12/24-volt remote charging station.
Made for the spirit reason for marine condition, the ROKK is accessible in a few unique plans relying upon where the framework is to be introduced. A “covered up” alternative, for instance, mirrors the wood or fiberglass surface into which the charging head is introduced, ideal for use in the proprietor’s stateroom.
A dim conditioned flush head with an emphatic enemy of slide surface, then again, works best either in a pilothouse or even out at hand nearby the steerage on a cockpit coaming. Regardless of the style, simply lay your telephone on the charging head to top off the charge of your telephone’s battery.
A Rokk remote “beneficiary fix” can be added to any telephone that isn’t now empowered for remote charging frameworks.
Zen Watermarker
Made with an eye toward giving a caring freshwater nirvana seaward, Zen Watermarker from Italy’s Schenker endeavors to take the entanglement of introducing these scary frameworks.
Available with limits of either 8 gph (gallons per hour) or 13 gph, every Watermarker isn’t just totally independent, however qualified of being mounted on a level plane, vertically or in practically some other demeanor you can consider.
The Watermakers are additionally conservative, with the littler limit “30” model, being exactly at 22lbs and estimating over 2ft long and 1ft high. Force draw for the littler model is 110 watts.
The bigger model “50” draws 240 watts. Coming in around 6 major ones. Sailors mostly choose to purchase the Raymarine brand for their Watermaker.
Winch and Ratcheting Foot
New vessels regularly incite new kinds of equipment. For example, the amazing failure profile SnubbAir blend censuring winch and tightening foot, or cheek, obstruct from Harken, initially made for the J/70 class.
In light of that, the most up to date of the SnubbAir weighs about half as much as a standard winch and similarly significant, presents an astounding 30 percent lower profile.
A couple of Delrin metal rollers guarantees next to no grating, while a connector permits you to likewise utilize snubber in regular winch mode. Harken has been one of top brands for sailor’s choice when it comes to durability and endurance.
Utility Case
One of the main problems for small-boat sailors has been taking care of their wallets, keys and other valuables while, fooling around the harbor. A main issue that has only become more urgent in this age of cell phones and other digital products.
Now, one needs to look no further than the RUCK Personal Utility Case from Pelican Products to keep these and other items safe and sound, Each case services the same waterproofing and shock-proofing technologies found in the cases Pelican builds to protect everything from electronics to medical kits for the military.
Available in three sizes measuring from 6.7in to 8.3in long, each RUCK case is also IP68 rated to protect it from dirt and snow and remain waterproof for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 6ft.
Along these same lines, a rubberized “exo-skeleton” provides added shock protection while a strong dual pivot latch makes sure the case remains closed no matter what the condition.
Vakaros Atlas
The compact Vakaros Atlas offers a real-time, on-the-water performance data as well as off-the-water analytics aboard smaller race boats. Amongst the parameters measured are GPS speed, magnetic heading, time-to-line, VMG, pitch and leeway.
The system weighs just in at 6 oz, and the 4.4in screen is easy to read even while wearing polarized sunglasses. It also offers a litany of display options and comes ready with an 18 Hz multi-constellation GNSS receiver, 9-axis IMU and even an ambient light and temperature sensor.
This being capable of storing up to 500 hours of performance data and can be wirelessly connected to either a tablet or even a smartphone. Vakaros being one of the top brands offered.
Proper Sailing Weather
Pick a day with smooth conditions and dress properly. Depending on your area, good conditions come in many shapes and forms. Generally, you want calm seas and rather lighter winds over stronger winds. Sunshine and 0% chance of rain is a plus! Remember that it is often windier and cooler out on the water than it is on shore, so dress appropriately.
Have the right boat. When you’re learning, a smaller, more sensitive boat will make it much easier to withhold the dynamics of sailing. ASA 101 courses can be taught on 22′ keelboats, which are bigger and sturdier than a dinghy, but small enough so you can really feel the pull of wind and water acting on the boat.
Be aware of the boom. The boom is the big, heavy bar at the foot of the mainsail. It swings around the boat whenever you tack or gybe, and you really do not want it to hit you. It can severely injure you and even knock you overboard, but it is easy to avoid if you are paying close attention.
Whenever you hear talk of tacking or jibing, make sure you are down in the cockpit. Experienced sailors also know how to control the movement of the boom, mainly by “sheeting in” when readying yourself for a tack or gybe, as allowing it to move freely can cause unnecessary wear on your boat.
With a mixture of common sense, safety, and good sail-handling, you can guarantee that there is no danger or conflict between you and the additional crew. Now that you know all the equipment and clothing needed for your voyage, you can now invite the family on your next big journey. Do not forget to dress warm in those harsh conditions and stay safe out on the waters.