Winter is approaching,How long are you going to keep sailing

[ghost1]

For the past few years I have ended my season in late October. However this year I purchased a 6/5/4 wetsuit to extend my season. I was out today in it and I was so warm and comfortable in near freezing air temperature and 46F water. A few fluries and then heavy rain today left me un-phased and completely comfortable.

I am going to see how far I can push it this year while keeping safety as my top priority. I'm only sailing in conditions where if I experienced equipment failure I would be blown back onto my launch. When I feel fatigued I am heading back in right away. Also I am thoroughly reviewing the forecast to avoid unexpected weather.

How long do you sail and does anyone sail right through the winter? Just curious how many other people do this. The launches that I usually sail from are pretty much emptying out now, with only the occasional sailor showing up.

[rigitrite]

Most guys around here go with a loose rule of "90", that is, the air temp and water temp add up to 90. So if the water is 40 F then the air should be 50 or higher. I just find that when I have to wear my thick wet suit, gloves, & booties, that I can't sail as long, so it better be pretty windy. I also find that as I get older I'm not very excited to sail when it's freezing cold.
Last thing: when the water temp is below 35 F, then I usually don't go, because there's been ice formation in the coves, or the lake is just breaking up from freeze-over. I don't like sailing when there's ice floating around, because it's hard to see, and it'll rip fins out of finboxes & wreck your expensive gear.

[rswabsin]

I'm a bit further south but I enjoy sailing through the winter as long the temps are above freezing, the water is unfrozen and there is solid wind. When it drops below freezing, ice forms on the sail - esp. the window imparing vision on jibes so it's not worth it on those days. A good warm wet suit like you purchased with 7 mil boots and good mitts make all the difference. Adding a rash guard underneath can also add a little warmth. I too usually limit my sailing to coastal bays where you usually get blown towards shore or shallow water if something happens. Frequent brakes are also key to maintain strength/warmth and I'm content if I get a solid hour or two of sailing in. Always make sure your gear is in top shape too.

Rob

[justall]

I've sailed into November, here in the DC/Annapolis area. I very roughly look at having both the water and air temperatures at 50 degrees or more. But my real sensors are my hands. If it is too painful to windsurf without gloves, I'm out and refocus decision making on when to hit the ice rink for stick & shoot or plan a trip to a location where the above conditions are met.

[boardsurfr]

My wife and I have been sailing through the winter since 2010. The forecast has to promise temperatures above freezing; there have been only a few days were it was below freezing, but those were sunny. Usually, sessions until early January are frequent and great. But sessions in late January and February are not as frequent, since Cape Cod Bay and even Kalmus can freeze over, and the prevailing north winds can be too cold (20s and below) that time of the year.

For the past two winters, we have had a high-roof van, which makes changing a lot easier. Warm boots (5-7 mm) and a good hood (one with double-flaps that completely eliminates water entry at the neck) are also important. It's easy to find a suit that's warm enough.

Hands used to be the limiting factor. Very good windsurfers can use thicker gloves or mittens, but if I use them, my forearms start hurting quickly, and sessions are short. Open-palm mittens are much better, but for me, they are limited to temperatures in the 40s for air and water. Also, the open-palm mittens you find in stores still have some neoprene between finger tips and the boom, which can easily lead to gripping harder than necessary.

For us, winter windsurfing has become a lot more fun when we discovered the Ianovated wetsuit with the hand warming tubes. I can now sail with open-palm mitts through the entire winter, even though I have mild Raynaud's (my fingers get cold much quicker than normal). Besides the hand warming tubes, the Ianovated wetsuit has several other great features. It is cut wide so that getting in and out is easy, and adding a second neoprene layer underneath for really cold days is no problem. The wide cut at the arms that was needed to make space for the tubes also means that blood flow to the hands is unrestricted; the thick neoprene keeps your arms warm, even if it's 30ºF and blowing 30. Because of that, my wife can sail with open palm mittens most of the year, without even needing the tubes. That was not possible before in other semidry or drysuits.

Iain, the guy behind Ianovated (and another Raynaud's sufferer), has recently also developed better open-palm mittens to go with the suit. They are designed so that there is absolutely no neoprene between your palms and fingers and the boom. I have used them several times (without the tubes so far), and they work amazingly well. The feeling is exactly the same as sailing without gloves, but the neoprene keeps the finger tips warm, and the hand and fingers are shielded from wind and water. Pretty amazing!

[mrgybe]

A number of people sail through the winter on the Outer Banks. The wind can be strong for days and the temps are often in the 40s or 50s. The sounds are shallow enough to generally avoid total immersion after a fall, and provide the safety of being able to more easily repair a minor breakdown..........or even to walk back to the launch in the event of a major problem. That safety factor reduces the need for really heavy rubber. I wear a 3/2 wetsuit with a Promotion sleeveless, hooded vest, 4mm boots and Dakine mitts. With frequent breaks, that works fine down to freezing or below, but as was mentioned earlier, the sail freezing makes jibing tricky, and you start to question whether it is worth it. There are a few hardy specimens that sail the ocean in freezing temps. You have to pretty confident of your abilities and equipment to do that.......and you have to have the skill to fit those big gonads into a tight wetsuit!

[KGB-NP]

ghost,

The Sherkston crew and us Durham boys seem to be the die hards of Ontario sailing. I usually sail until the snow flies and then I'm done. I find, with age, I'm less willing to do the glove thing as it quickly diminishes the enjoyment.

I have the 6/5/4 Neil Pryde Zealot suit and I've never been cold in that thing.

[d0uglass]

Southwest Florida. I have a 3/2 for those "arctic blast" days where it gets below 70, but I expect to do most of the winter with trunks and a neoprene top.

[zeppy]

Here in Massachusetts and Rhode Island there's a small group of us who sail through the winter when conditions are right, which is usually measured (at least for me) by when the air temperature is about 40 and above (without windchill factored in). I use a 5/4 O'neill mutant, 7mm Xcel booties, and either Mystic open palm mits or Glacier Gloves.

[jingebritsen]

florida has its misery months in the summer. june, july august september are brutally hot and thunder showery. may and october are transition months. may is typically the end of the dry season with the highest probability of hot thermals that result in strong sea breezes.

want some not so life threatening conditions? come to florida in november, april and/or may. light wet suits work fine on the colder events.