Booked an early season Voyage? How many jumpers should you pack?
My granny used to say
ne’r cast a clout till May is out”
(rough translation, don’t cast off any clothing until June)….And she never went closer to the ocean than a walk on the seafront in her fur lined boots and Nora Batty tights.
Well, down here in Cornwall we will likely have been swimming in the sea in a bikini by the time the season’s first voyages are underway….but we are rock hard and crazy. Here are Debbie’s top tips on how to keep warm when sailing in the UK springtime.
How to Keep Warm Sailing in Spring
1. Sail a boat with blocks and tackles to pull
You signed up for an activity holiday, so lets move it baby. Go for plenty of moving around being useful and sailor-like to keep you generating heat. You can only keep the heat in with clothing if you are warm to start with.
2. Wear a woollen hat and bring a spare.
Gone are the days when this always meant itchy head. Try merino wool or chunky knits with fleece lining. Make sure they will stay on your head in a strong wind. Baseball hats are for baseball. Save your haircut till you come home or grow a beard.
3. Protect your kidneys.
On a sailing holiday we go looking for the wind. It can whistle around your midriff or lower back if you are wearing low slung jeans. It might be ok for builders to wear jeans, but we can assure you there is no such thing as “fisherman’s bum.” They keep their kidneys covered at sea.
4. Don’t forget the suntan lotion and sunglasses either.
It is very bright on the water, and Northerlies bring crystal clear air and high UV. A bikini moment is not impossible but unlikely. A wind tanned face and brown hands like Captain Poldark beats the beetroot bank holiday look.
5. Cut the windchill with strategic waterproofing.
This is a bit like the ‘cream or jam’ first argument for West Country Scones. Trousers or jacket first? You don’t have to do the full ‘Musto’ look as soon as the mate says prepare for sea. The ships salopettes (armpit high waterproof trousers) keep your core warm and still allow you to let off steam. Leave the jacket part till you have sweated all the sails up or it is actually raining.
6. Take lots of socks and a buff
Boots and thick socks with fleecy leggings are my favourite combination. You will never have time to dry wet socks unless you make friends with the engine room or your vessel has a stove or radiators (and if this is the case you’ll be in competition with everyone else for the precious drying space). A buff is a tubular bit of fabric which acts as a scarf without the bulk of long trailing knitwear. Check out our favourite ships Artist Claudia Myatt’s suitably nautical buffs (we ain’t on commission, we just like them!)
7. How many jumpers then?
Blimey. I don’t know. I can never fit those Norwegian fisherman’s jumpers in my rucksack. Think I’d rather pinch one off a Norwegian fisherman. For voyages 3-30 days I take 3 long sleeved thermals, 2 thin merino wool jumpers and one actually chunky item that might make me look like Shackleton or Bjork, depending on my mood, or the location.
8. Hands are waterproof.
If you handle wet ropes with gloves on they get wet and if you take them off to get into the chocolate biscuit packet then you can’t get them back on. Glowing red hands from pulling ropes is a bit of an acquired taste, so if you are happier wearing gloves then try cheap ski gloves this time of year as leather sailing gloves are freezing. If you have hands hard enough to pull ropes then I personally think you are better off without them. Shove your hands up your sleevies to keep warm between jobs, or stuff them in those lovely fluffy pockets that many sailing jackets have. Keep your dry gloves for holding onto the ships wheel or tiller.
9. Nightime Hottie
Filling 12 hot water bottles from the kettle on a Brixham Trawler is an all night job that is unlikely to be popular, so if you really feel the cold you might need to offer to help with the supper washing up and sneak your hottie into the galley. In bed, baby doll pyjamas might not be your best option. If you see the skipper up in the night they may look fully dressed in an outfit that you remember from yesterday…..Best not to ask if they sleep in their clothes. They may just have check pyjamas.
10. Don’t wear your boots in bed
Its bad manners and it hints that you are seasick and past caring.
Below decks is your home – so the idea is to keep it civilised, warm and dry. This takes effort from everyone not to sit down in wet oilskins, or leave them dripping on a hook by your bed.
