Sailing Gear and Buying Tips

Required

 

    • Personal Flotation Device (PFD): You will need a sailing life jacket/PFD. The PFD must have a legible label that says US Coast Guard Approved Type III. Kayaking PFDs sold at outdoor sports centers like REI, Dick’s or purchased through Amazon will work. Some brands the sailors use include Onyx, Stohlquist, and Zhik (available at sailing stores and online). Sailing PFDs have big arm holes and smaller profile shape to allow for a lot of movement. It should be tight enough that it will stay on should you go overboard. If your hands are raised above your head, it should not not slip off. New sailors may arrange to borrow a PFD for practice until one can be purchased.
    • Close-toed Shoes: Neoprene boots are more desirable for cool weather, although some sailors may wear them all the time. REI has good options for boots, and you will see sailors wearing similar boots at practice and regattas. Feel free to shop around for other options; ideally try these on as sizes may vary by brand. In warmer weather, some sailors wear tennis shoes, although they tend to get wet and messy.  Closed toed shoes like Keens can work well for warm weather sailing.
    • Water Bottle
    • Proper clothing for weather conditions: Swimsuits, non-cotton clothing. foul weather gear as needed. As the weather starts to get colder, the coaches will say, “no more cotton.” You may have tech clothing already – basically wear base layers that are made of something that will dry more quickly than cotton.

Nice to Have

    • Sailing Bag: We recommend packing a “sailing bag” to bring to practice with the essentials: a lifejacket, clothes to layer up or dress down, a towel, a water bottle, sunscreen, and appropriate footwear.
    • Polarized Sunglasses: Don’t go out and buy anything terribly expensive as there is a good chance you will lose them if you go in the water.
    • Wet Suit: Some kids borrow wet suits, others own them. Depending on winter water/air temperatures, the race committee reserves the right to require wet suits for racing in certain conditions.
    • Waterproof Watch: Used for marking time at the start of a race.
    • Sailing Gloves: Wearing gloves not only adds a layer of insulation, but can also help prevent blisters and calluses as well as provide grip on wet lines.
      • Affordable options: Atlas Grip gloves (~$3-12 depending on if you buy in bulk or not… maybe someone wants to start a group order? Multipacks of these gloves are sold on Amazon) or similar gardening-style gloves
      • Higher-end options: West Marine sailing gloves (short fingers or long fingers; men’s & women’s sizing; ~$25), Gill Deckhand gloves (short fingers or long fingers; unisex; ~$30), Harken makes youth gloves (~$30), Zhik and Rooster (youth options) also have some good options at a range of prices. Sticky Race Gloves by Ronstan (~$40) is another popular option to the Gill gloves.
    • Dinghy Smock & Trousers: Spray tops or dinghy smocks are foul weather gear and used when sailing in cold weather. Note that you don’t want too much of a zipper on the dinghy smock; the goal is to keep water away from your skin and you’ll stay more dry without a zipper. Most sailors wear also wear trousers/salopettes which are like bibbed overalls. A lot of our sailors wear Gill brand gear similar to Pro Dinghy by Gill.
      • Affordable options: an old raincoat or windbreaker, rain pants or wind-resistant track pants (thrift stores, Walmart, Amazon would all be good places to look)
      • High-end options: there are a huge range of options from the big sailing brands, prices range from $40 to over $200. Ronstan has the most affordable option for a top, Rooster has many options in both adult and youth sizes for tops and bottoms, Gill, Zhik, Musto, and Helly Hansen are also brands to check out.
    • Sunscreen: The sun can be especially brutal while sailing because the light reflects off the water. We recommend you put on sunscreen with a high SPF rating when sailing for long periods of time.
    • Towel
    • Wool or Polar Fleece Hat: You will want to keep your head warm when sailing in cold temperatures—avoid cotton. Wear a wool or polar fleece hat.

Buying Tips

    • There are a lot of online sailing gear companies, so shop around and look in the closeouts. They will often have limited quantities of last years model at 50% off.
    • You get what you pay for with waterproof clothing. Coated fabrics don’t last as long as a waterproof fabric like Gore-tex. Gore-tex went off patent a few years ago, so manufacturers have their own proprietary fabric. With Gill they have a dot system, with 2 dot being a coated fabric up to 5 dot, which has multiple layers of waterproof fabric.
    • If you are pretty sure you have quit growing and are going to sail in the winter, and want to buy a wet suit, you can get one for under $100 at local dive shops, and if you keep your eyes open, you can usually get one pretty cheap off Craig’s list. Get a fairly thin wetsuit as you will still need to be able to move freely and it will not be as hot if the air is warmer, but water is cooler. Some sailors buy wetsuit bottoms and tops separately (Amazon), but this is only if weather is cold and are sailing frequently in colder weather.