Carpe Diem Sailingvideo
Ep 31: How to Dress for Sailing in Any Weather
March 10, 2021 · 30 min · 54K views
Marco adjusts red Helly Hansen hood against choppy sea
What this video covers
A Sail Canada cruising instructor named Marco covers sun protection, clothing layers, and foul weather gear for sailing across warm and cold conditions.Watch For summer, he prioritizes shade, reef-safe sunscreens (flagging oxybenzone and octinoxate as coral-damaging chemicals banned in Hawaii), UV-blocking sunglasses, a Tilly hat, closed-toe shoes — specifically Keen sandals over open-toed flip-flops — and a lightweight packable Gore-Tex windbreaker instead of full foul weather gear.3:00 For cold and wet conditions, he argues against cotton in any layer, illustrating the risk with a crew member who became hypothermic during an overnight race out of Victoria while wearing jeans and a cotton sweatshirt under non-breathable foul weather gear.17:15 The cold-weather system runs four layers: a synthetic, silk, or merino wool base layer; a mid-layer such as a Helly Hansen Lefa or Lefa-merino blend; a wool or fleece insulating layer; and a breathable waterproof outer shell.14:21 He demonstrates Helly Hansen Agir Offshore three-layer Gore-Tex bib pants and a jacket with neoprene cuffs, waterproof zippers, a high-visibility hood, and SOLAS reflective patches.23:26 For hand warmth in cold conditions, he finds only wetsuit gloves effective.27:03 Cotton's complete loss of insulation when wet is the central lesson.
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