VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

I knew the wind was somewhat seasonal but I was unclear as to how little wind this area actually gets in September.

I moved to Victoria in hope of a good winter season.

Do people wear surfing hats in the winter for warmth?

Gloves too?

TURTLE wrote:
Do people wear surfing hats in the winter for warmth?

Gloves too?

i know i rock the hood it's actually attached

gloves? ... well, i can't stand anything on my hands while sailing, therefore i have to endure the excrutiating pain of the 1st hand thaw(which you should experience when you come off the water for your 1st break), after that it's an ok numbness for the rest of the day ... who knows the longterm affects of that?
... you could wear gloves, but it takes away from your gripping strength ... there are the palmless gloves/mitts, but i found them kind of a hassle.

Hands are definitely the weak link in the winter sailing chain (I don't mean you PH). I usually start with glorified dish gloves and ditch them once the circulation gets going. I'd like to try dakine's beefy cold-water gloves without paying for them. D.

I'm with pimphand, gloves are more hassle than they're worth. It's got to be reeealy cold to force me into palmless gloves; and if it's that cold I'm not interested in sailing anyway. I don't get too excited about the painfully cold NE winds in winter anymore.
As far as "windsurfing hats" are concerned, I prefer a neoprene beany (like the Promotion style). My neck gets too sore trying to rotate in a tight hoody. I don't even notice the bit of cold water on the back of my exposed neck.
Be patient with the wind situation, the big SEs are getting closer! Besides, I thought September had some good wind! Columbia on a 4.0, a few good Kook St. days and Nitinat served up some OK wind too. I've seen worse Septembers!

I've been using the open-palmed mitts for years and never found them to be a problem. You'll never have to go thru the dreaded finger burn and once you're fully warmed up, you can pull them back out of the way. When you come in to shore for a rest you can stay warm on the beach. The water's fricken cold here in the winter so having a hood is a good idea especially if you ever break down and have to swim in. [smilie=rauch06.gif]

No kidding the water's cold and you definitely should have a good warm hood of some kind. I have an attached hood for winter and my summer outfit includes an Ocean Rodeo toque. A small fanny pack can carry the hat if you wish to remove it and also gloves, not to sail with but in case you break down. You can't paddle long with numb hands. Don't go far out to sea and always be prepared to sit out there for a long time if **it happens. Winter is great here, especially if you have a nice spot, but can be fairly serious business.
Oh yeah, over the years I've made four serious pairs of gloves that utilized every design feature I've ever seen and they all suck. I've given up on gloves and that is my cold sailing cutoff point. Hands too numb; stop sailing. In 20-25 knots (5 meter for me) I find 50 degrees farenheit, 10 centigrade, is quite comfortable without gloves. Lots of others are out in the forties but it dosen't look like as much fun. And most southeasterlies bring warming temperatures above 10 so southeasterlies in winter are fine. North winds are bitter.

The best way to have warm hands is to be warm yourself with a good wetsuit. The blood in your hands is warmed by your body. You really want an attached hood and good booties to accomplish that. Hot body; warm hands.

Check out I-view archives..Last winter file# 29 & #30. kiter mike was out @ I-view in his O Rodeo dry suit temp -5'c. wind ~20+ knots..Wind chill scary! Check out the snow!...He's the bravest cold combatant I know!Personally I kite with pogies to about 5'c, after which I use thin rubber gloves as well....Wind surfing I prefer double digit temp. & no gloves. I make one run & come in & thoroughly warm up my hands..Always wear a hood in winter! A 20 liter water jug of HOT water helps! Enjoy those frontal winds Turtle!

Turtle