I've been feeling the cold and it's cutting my session times. I want a windproof jacket to wear over my wetsuit while I sail..any suggestions?
Grr stupid phone..sorry about the title. I wish you could edit it after it's posted..??

Dezza said..
Either a dingy spray top, or I got one of these mystic ones, caters for a harness hook if you want to wear it over a harness

Thanks.
You'd need it at Primbee..brr

WindmanV said..
Hi, Sue,

I've had something similar to this for over 10 years. www.qualitymarineclothing.com.au/store/p697/SLAM_SAILING_WINTER_JACKET_2.1.html. Similar items should be available from a sailing shop, where you can try it on for size.

No internal lining, zip front (plastic), side zip pockets (handy when having a rest in cold air temps), elastic waist and wrists. Harness worn on top of the jacket.

Only trouble I ever found was that, during a water start, sometimes it would take on water although it drained pretty quickly.

Hope this helps.

By the way, how's the VW going?

Thanks. Pity our local sailing equipment shop has closed...
VW is getting worn out with me sailboarding too much..??
It's going well. I still haven't taken the top shelf layer off and used it as a camper but there's room for just me to sleep on the LHS top shelf as is.

I invested in sharkskin pants,long sleeve shirt, hood, gloves and socks. It's designed for when your in and out of the water unlike a wetsuit which needs to be mostly submerged to keep you warm. You can wear it underneath a wetsuit or by itself. I Reckon a loose fitting jacket could be a pain while sailing I haven't used the sharkskin sailing yet but I've been out whale watching on the jet ski several times with it in cold weather and it's pretty good

Maybe you need to upgrade your wetsuit? Sometime back someone posted a link to this site in New Zealand. www.seventhwave.co.nz/

Their wetsuits are thinner warmer and better fitting. Why wear all the extra layers if you dont have too?

It does sound like just need a new wetsuit. In the UK winters, in 2 or 3 degrees, I use 6/4 suit with this new fleece lining. Nothing else under or on top of it, chest zip so no cold water flush, super stretchy and no bulky feeling. It's made winter sailing way more bearable and fun. Maybe in Australia you'd get away with a fleece lined 4/3??

On really cold days I wear a second (short arms and legs) wetsuit on top of the first, guaranteed you won't feel anything, makes it a bit harder to move.

I've got a good wetsuit 5-4 -3mm Neil Pryde. It's just after I have lunch and the body diverts the blood to digestion and it's mainly my arms.
I didn't fall in yesterday but got hot early on so I jumped off into chest deep water and got wet. That was ok until 2 hrs later and I'd had lunch and then went back out..
I might put a 1mm overshirt wettie on top after lunch ( if it will fit over the wettie).
I can also try a rashie under but I'll be hot for the first hour or so.
This is for Lake Macquarie not Budgy. Budgy I can stay pretty dry.

powersloshin said..
On really cold days I wear a second (short arms and legs) wetsuit on top of the first, guaranteed you won't feel anything, makes it a bit harder to move.

That's another idea.. I have a cheap oversized Aldi steamer I could try..It might be hard to get in and out of it over the existing one..

Used a kayak jacket, nearly made my suit fully dry!

As others have said you need a better wetsuit. Neil Pryde Top no of the line wet suits have a bamboo lining which keeps you super warm. To provide protection from wind you need a slick skin outer layer which is different to wetsuits designed for surfing.

overall thought wetsuit selection For windsurfing in Australia is pretty poor.

while standing around on the beach try one of those Neopren jacket companies like Mystic make. They include a hood.
To stay warm you need to cut wind chill and keep the areas where you loose most heat covered. Eg head, feet and to some extend hands.

You will haVe to keep you body moving. Standing around on the beach doesn't help.

With the right gear you can push the weather quite a bit. When I lived in Europe I would pretty much sail all year... rain, snow or sunshine.

Pacey said..
Depends on whether the problem is water temperature or windchill. In Australia the water temperature is seldom as cold as you can get in the northern hemisphere, but sailing on protected waters we can sail in some fairly strong winds in winter. Thats where a windproof top can be very effectIve in reducing heat loss

A slick skin wetsuit will fix the evaporative cooling problem. Insulation in a wetsuit comes from the thickness of the rubber as well as what type of lining it uses to create a small layer of air between the outer skin and the body skin.

But I guess it's personal preference.

sboardcrazy said..
Thanks for the help everyone. I ended up buying one of these..
marineoutlet.com.au/collections/gill/products/dinghy-pro-top-4310?utm_source=seabreeze.com.au

I think that's a record Sue, less than one day deliberation

stehsegler said..

Pacey said..
Depends on whether the problem is water temperature or windchill. In Australia the water temperature is seldom as cold as you can get in the northern hemisphere, but sailing on protected waters we can sail in some fairly strong winds in winter. Thats where a windproof top can be very effectIve in reducing heat loss

A slick skin wetsuit will fix the evaporative cooling problem. Insulation in a wetsuit comes from the thickness of the rubber as well as what type of lining it uses to create a small layer of air between the outer skin and the body skin.

But I guess it's personal preference.

Mine has bamboo lining and the windbreaking outer..it's mainly my arms get cold..
www.kiteworldshop.com/en/winter-wetsuits-woman/4192-neilpryde-serene-fullsuit-5-4-3-bz-2020.html

sboardcrazy said..
Thanks for the help everyone. I ended up buying one of these..
marineoutlet.com.au/collections/gill/products/dinghy-pro-top-4310?utm_source=seabreeze.com.au

I have the same top. It's great, Keeps me a lot warmer

mob dog said..
............. It's designed for when your in and out of the water unlike a wetsuit which needs to be mostly submerged to keep you warm.

That is a total myth.

A wetsuit does NOT need to be 'mostly submerged' to work. The very best wetsuits are sealed to allow lttle or no water ingress at all. The drier they keep you, the better they keep ypu warm. It is the insulation of the closed cell neoprene foam that keeps you warm.

A spray jacket has almost no inherent insulation. It works by reducing chill factor caused by air movement and evaporation.

Loose fitting jackets are not ideal in the windsurfing situation where thay may trap water or catch on equipment. Better to have a more effective wetsuit.

One of the biggest things to keep warm is to cover and insulate you extremities. Hands (more difficult for windsurfing), Feet (easy) and especially your head with a neoprene hat or a helmet.