Sailing gear question

[Steve_D]

I'm planning a tall ship sail on Tenacious after a taster at the PH Sunday Service.

The notes say heavy weather gear is provided but I should have waterproof top etc.
What would be my best choice make/model of general wet weather gear?
Also best place to buy...will there be deals at the Southampton boat show?

Many thanks
Steve

[Ayahuasca]

Avoid anything made by Dubarry and you will be fine!

[ALawson]

Last time I did some serious sailing I has Henri Lloyd ocean goretex circa 97 vintage and others were wearing the boats henri l TP2000 stuff. It really wasn't that good. others wearing equivalent must fared a bit better. To be honest unless you are going on the fore deck of a Volvo 60, 70 or sitting on the rail of something else reasonable wet you should be ok. Depending on the seasons make sure you have the correct layers. We were wearing thermals and mid layers and inwas pretty warm. Before spending a load of money check which make the clothing is and what fabric.

[ALawson]

Ayahuasca said:

Avoid anything made by Dubarry and you will be fine!

I have a pair of there boots which did 2 transatlantics and they were ok. Did you have problems?

[Ayahuasca]

ALawson said:

I have a pair of there boots which did 2 transatlantics and they were ok. Did you have problems?

Yep - soles fell off - they are almost unused too. Not a happy bunny!

[db]

as i recall, the wet weather gear on tenacious seemed to be quite adequate. i don't remember seeing footwear though, might want to look at that first.
i say "seemed" adequate, the weather between antigua and bermuda was quite pleasant
you'll love it, no matter what the weather is

[Searider]

Steve,

Always deals at Southampton - it's a good opportunity for manufacturers to dump last years (2011) range and the 2012 range will be out soon.

Andark always seem to have quite a lot.

I have Gill stuff as its a bit cheaper than Henri Lloyd and I don't give it hard use.
I would suggest that if you're only going for a couple of weeks there's no need to spend too much.

[Fittster]

If this is a one off and they are providing heavy weather gear I'd just along anorak.

Although this is a type of sailor who likes to wear thousands of pounds worth of Henri Lloyd or Musto gear it's not really necessary (expect at certain bars around the solent).

Look at what fishermen wear and the go out in far more extreme weather than your going to be sailing in.

[Huntsman]

An outfit called andark Diving usually have deals on at Southampton.

If its for occasional use then one of the more cost efficient brands such as Gill or XM Yachting would be fine.

I've been using HL for 30 years and to be honest the current jacket is not so good as previous ones.

[louiebaby]

There is a Musto outlet at Bicester Village too. The staff are very helpful on the phone if you know what you want.

I have a Musto BR2 jacket, which I think is their non-Goretex ocean jacket. I've never done any ocean sailing, but it is the nuts for keeping warm and dry in the wind and the rain.

For £150 from the outlet it is cheaper than a lot of alternatives, and I don't give a stuff if people think I'm a plonker for wearing it. It works.

[Steve_D]

Many thanks guys.
Has confirmed my thoughts that I don't need to splash out on the most expensive.
Will look for a deal at the show.

Steve

Edited by Steve_D on Thursday 8th September 23:51

[Searider]

Steve,

Make sure you get breathable trousers.

[BMWBen]

brickwall said:

I've found Henri Lloyd and Musto to be the best, and Gill stuff to be a bit inadequate.

There are likely to be deals at the Southampton boat show.

Though if you're being provided with heavy weather gear (and you have no need for your own stuff for other trips etc.) then there's no need to spend large sums of money.

I dunno, I bought a £120 gill coastal jacket in 2002, used it for coastal racing, a transatlantic, several channel crossings etc etc. Was absolutely fine. Should say IS absolutely fine because it's still my jacket Nearly 10 years! Although I'm a dinghy sailor so it only gets occasional use.

It's a bit like bike gear - just because you can get something that does the job for £30 doesn't stop people spending £500 even though it will make absolutely no functional difference to them

[Legmaster]

Hi Steve,

Glad you enjoyed the day sail so much you booked a voyage, which trip are you on?

The oilskins on board are good enough to keep you dry but with about a 100 sets to buy, they are very much the cheapy end of the market and not breathable. They would be OK if you don't want to buy anything.

[Hard-Drive]

I've got the Musto MPX goretex suit and it's great. Standng up very well compared to my mate's BR2 that was bought at the same time and used a fair bit less. Agreed, Southampton show is the place to get them!

However in terms of toughness, Guy Cotton is probably the best. I sailed with Steve White on Toe in the Water (Open 60) and he said down south they are the best. I'm not going to argue with a guy who's done the Vendee.

However, for a weekend on a tall ship, more or less anything will do!

[DamienB]

The PH day sail prompted me to take one of the autumn offer slots on TNS325. Was going to just take my usual waterproof jacket but 30 minutes in a downpour on a Welsh hillside has illustrated its lack of actual waterproofness... burgered if I'm going to blow 150 quid on a jacket though!

Andy - seen some people saying gloves are a no-no when working with ropes - what say you?

[Tyre Smoke]

Apologies for the hijack, but when I was young we all used to wear Javelin Jackets/boots and stuff. It was brilliant for us dinghy racers.

I was browsing a chandlers the other day and couldn't find it anywhere, whatever happened to 'Jav Jackets'?

They were fleecy lined in blue/green/red and most popularly blue with a fleecy collar and zip up front.

[Legmaster]

Hi Damien,

Glad you've booked up too, you'll have a great time.

Personally, I don't think gloves on our ships are needed as our ropes are mostly 3 strand and fairly large. Gloves would more be needed for yachts and their skinny multibraids.

However, if you've got soft girlie office hands you will get blisters

[DamienB]

I used to have soft girly office hands. Then I bought an Alfa.

[Steve_D]

Legmaster said:

Hi Steve,

Glad you enjoyed the day sail so much you booked a voyage, which trip are you on?

The oilskins on board are good enough to keep you dry but with about a 100 sets to buy, they are very much the cheapy end of the market and not breathable. They would be OK if you don't want to buy anything.

Hi Andy
Booked on the TNS327 so 6 days. If I have no issues with seasickness etc then may book a longer voyage.
Range of gear seems to divide into Ocean, Offshore & Coastal with associated price breaks. Which level should I aim for?
Also what should I get... jacket, trousers, what footwear?, Gloves.

Cheers
Steve

PS Any idea where the trip will go and what the race between Tenacious and Lord Nelson will consist of?