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The
Second Decision
what to wear under the waterproofs to keep you warm?
Question:
Are you expecting to fall in the water ! ?
If no – you need
various
layers of thermals, depending on the temperature of the wind and your comfort
– more about this later
If yes- and you wearing waterproofs
you have a choice:-
i)
wear a
fleece thermal suit,
it will give you no thermal protection while you are in the water, when you climb
out of the water it will drain quite fast and not retain a lot of moisture.
ii) wear a
wetsuit, you will become wet when
you fall in, the water that enters your wetsuit, your body will heat the water up and you will
feel warm. When you climb out, the
water may slowly drain out, if it does and you fall in again the process will be
repeated. In the summer when the water is warmer this tends not to
be a problem.
.If yes and you are wearing
a drysuit
i) we suggest you wear thermals,
depending on temperature and your comfort.
More points
to take into account
i)
your body may lose a
substantial amount of energy when in the water depending on the water
temperature, and if the water is
cold may cause quite a shock to your body system, ie when wearing a wetsuit, polar suit or just normal clothes.
ii)
a wetsuit is not as expensive
as a Drysuit
for further details see
Wetsuits - What to Wear
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Thermals
The basic principle is to wear
layers.
Air is a good insulator and the idea that the more layers of clothing you
wear the more air you can trap around your body and the warmer you will be.
Clothing next to the skin
should be capable of efficiently absorbing and transporting (wicking) moisture
away. This will prevent the clammy
feeling often experienced with a cotton T shirt. They should offer adequate thermal insulation with a minimum
of bulk and weight.
The Trident
fleece suit works
exceptionally well as a inner or mid layer.
When worn next to the skin, the
“fluff” traps a lot of air which works well, it also wicks moisture away.
Other layers can be worn under or over the top, depending on the
conditions.
Having
identified the various benefits of the different systems that can be worn other
points of advice are listed below.
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Head,
Hands and Feet - The Extremities.
Head
As most people know your head loses a substantial amount of body heat, up to
40% of body heat lost escapes through the head, if it is cold it is definitely
worthwhile wearing a snug fleece hat or balaclava.
If it is hot, you should be
protected from the sun to help reduce against dehydration and sunburn.
Hands suffer from ropes as well as
the weather
during
the winter we can supply you with a pair of gloves that has a neoprene
material over the back of the hand, protecting from the elements, and has an
nash/leather type palm, which means you still have flexibility and grip for the
ropes.
during the warmer weather, short or long
fingered gloves give excellent protection from the ropes and heat loss tends not
to be a problem,
Feet
since these are usually rather a long way from your heart the blood will tend to
cool, especially if the weather is cold.
It would imply for comfort sake you should try and keep you feet well
insulated if it is cold.
Keeping
your feet dry is the best way to do this –
-
wellies
if there is no chance of falling in
-
drysuit
with sock rather than ankle seal and a dinghy boot to protect
the sock. A neoprene dinghy
boot will add an extra layer of insulation, (and a thermal sock worn inside the
drysuit usually keeps the toes warm)
-
Dinghy
boots worn with wet suits will keep the feet warm, although heat will
be lost initially when the boot fills with water
-
Gym
shoes and trainers, will not provide thermal protection and will tend
to soak up the water which will tend to cool your feet
-
We have some excellent Beach
Slippers which are ideal for summer sailing and general messing
around on the beach.
-
If you feel your feet cooling,
foot exercises can help to get the blood moving
and help warm them up, this applies to fingers and hand exercises.
Would
you like any further advice or help ? Either
Email
or call +44 (0)191 490 1736
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