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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935
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 Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:05 am Post subject: |
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| mchaco1 wrote: | | Ive thought about double suiting, Ive heard from some that it doesnt work and some say it does. Ill put them both on today and see if I can still move around. |
I bought mine for that purpose. My cheap full suits are thin, thus very stretchy and flexible, and on the large side, so they fit over a shorty just fine. Similarly, my neoprene dry suit is one or two sizes too big so it slides on and off like sweat pants/shirt and easily fits over fleece or a shorty. I also bought an oversized hooded ProMotion vest with a half-zip in the front, cut off the hood (leaving a comfy high neck), and use it over other suits from shorty to dry suit for a very versatile combo.
While something like a Baja or Corpus trip sounds like a solution, it has three major flaws, IMO:
1. I long ago stopped putting two weeks into a windsurfing trip to any place not guaranteed to blow like hell the whole time.
2. I long ago concluded that there is no such place easy enough to reach.
3. Two weeks, even if successful, is long forgotten in a 6-month winter.
Some winters blow very well out east in the Gorge and/or in the Stephenson/Rooster Rock stretch; others suck, BUT we get to pick and choose both places day by day, forecast by forecast, and if the forecast was wrong, we've blown a few hours, not weeks. My winter brigade buds have scored 25-30 days some winters in westerlies alone, and some years get many great easterly days beginning as early as August. Stay flexible, watch the forecasts (Ch 12, NOAA, iW windbow and models, Temira, current conditions, etc.), and in most winters you will get quite a bit of wind throughout the off-season from Thanksgiving to April with much less commitment and less gamble than a major road trip. The price, comparatively, is cold and some wet weather. Just keep telling yourself that "the only weather that counts is the weather next to your skin". The reward can be a much higher success rate than long trips provide. And don't forget Nehalem Bay; the coast can blow S a lot in the winter, and is often warmer than the Gorge.
Mike \m/
Last edited by isobars on Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:26 am; edited 1 time in total |
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cgoudie1
Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 2599
Location: Killer Sturgeon Cove
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| Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:05 am Post subject: |
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A 7/5 might get you out in cold conditions, but can you even jibe
(or waterstart) with that much rubber on. Visions of the Michelin
Man come to mind.
-Craig
[quote="mchaco1"Hmm.. there is a 7/5 for $120 on amazon. Ill see how far my double wetsuits with my 2mm booties (+ hood and glove) gets me for now, but that 7/5 looks good...[/quote] |
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WMP
Joined: 30 May 2000
Posts: 671
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| Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 11:39 am Post subject: |
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| In the next few weeks, test out what you think will work when things get really cold. Whatever you decide to go with, make sure your body has adjusted to the new setup.... make sure you feel very warm and secure with no loss of circulation. Also, see if you can stay out of the water for long periods of time during your sesh... this is most important for cold winter sailing. |
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WMP
Joined: 30 May 2000
Posts: 671
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| Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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| jamesschmitt wrote: | | i wear a ticket to maui.... |
About the only thing I didn't like about Maui was the windsurfing. Then sailed the Gorge when I got back and had one of my best Stevenson sesh's ever... this was in February.
To each their own? |
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johnl
Joined: 05 Jun 1994
Posts: 1330
Location: Hood River OR
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| Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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I also agree with not going out in bad conditions with low level skills. I can remember back to a New Years day at The Delta in the SF Bay area. Cold day (upper 40's?) with a 24+ mph wind out of the north. I sailed out of Windy Cove. The wind was gusty and up and down. My skills were less then than they are now, and my knowlege much less. I went down on a lot of my gybes and found my waterstarting skills lower when I was cold. After several failed attempts (in the up and down wind) Hypothermia was setting in and I knew if I didn't get up and out of the water soon I was in trouble. Lucky for me I managed to get up and ashore. I spent the next 20 minutes getting out of the 1st stage of Hypothermia so I could derig and get home.
ALL your skills will be less than you are used to when in the cold. So keep than in mind when deciding if you should go out of not.... |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935
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| Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Yup. Even though I stay warm sailing and swimming in April and November, it's at the expense of energy. I last maybe a third as long in cold water as I do in warm water. |
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mchaco1
Joined: 08 Sep 2010
Posts: 645
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| Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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| cgoudie1 wrote: | A 7/5 might get you out in cold conditions, but can you even jibe
(or waterstart) with that much rubber on. Visions of the Michelin
Man come to mind.
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Not a problem, I cant jibe anyway  the double suit seemed fine for movement, ill try on a 7/5 next time im at a store.
As for the being out in bad conditions and underdressed thing... Im from AZ and dont like to be cold, so if im underdressed I probably wont even want to get in the water. I guess that may eventually mean dry suit.
I think ill probably do most of my sailing at nehalem actually, the coast seems much more temperate and the thought of sailing while there is snow around makes me sad |
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mmyers
Joined: 18 Aug 2010
Posts: 52
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cgoudie1
Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 2599
Location: Killer Sturgeon Cove
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| Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 11:21 pm Post subject: |
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I have one, and while the zipper is a dry zip, every neo drysuit I've
owned has really been a damp suit. The Promotion is very warm
none the less. I wore it today at Stevenson, and it was toasty.
-Craig
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935
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| Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 8:38 am Post subject: |
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| westender wrote: | | I don't think winter sailing is a very good idea for a Gorge sailor with limited skills. |
I fully agree. "Shoulder" seasons -- air + water temps > 100 such as Nov (usually) and April (usually) -- are probably OK if dressed for a long swim, but winter? People I know who sail all winter -- and thousands like me who won't (again) -- are expert high wind sailors who can also either slog a mile in next to nothing (everybody else) or swim for a mile (me) in most Gorge conditions. All the winter sailors I know can also sail dry for hours whether it's blowing 2 or 45 mph -- or that entire range every reach.
However, a dry suit will significantly extend your seasons safely except during the really icy months. I sailed barehanded into January of 2000, which had almost no winter out east ... but I've also seen Oct end a season two months early. Use your head, stay near an accessible shore (not always easy out east), and plan and dress for at least an hour of swimming, 'cause you may be on your own. |
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