I used to sail Lasers in the Chicago area over 10 years ago, and now live on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. I decided to get back into sailing and bought a Laser over the winter, and with the weather warming up I'm about ready to get on the water for the first time. I've been reading this forum to get prepared but I'm not sure about the water temperatures here compared to the midwest.
The averages for the season I plan to sail here are 50-55 degrees water temperature, 65-70 degrees air temperature. I'm sure I'm going to end up in the water, especially as I get used to the boat again, but I'm hoping I can right it pretty quickly and not stay in the water too long. I have a 3/2 full wetsuit and some questions:
- Do you think a 3/2 full wetsuit is ok, given the temperatures above and the occasional capsize?
- If not, can I wear anything else under/over the wetsuit to increase the warmth (for example, polypropylene underwear underneath, or a .5mm neoprene top over the wetsuit) ?
- Do I need to wear some kind of shorts over the wetsuit in any case, since it seems like the rough surface on the deck will damage the seat of the wetsuit pretty quickly?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
The averages for the season I plan to sail here are 50-55 degrees water temperature, 65-70 degrees air temperature. I'm sure I'm going to end up in the water, especially as I get used to the boat again, but I'm hoping I can right it pretty quickly and not stay in the water too long. I have a 3/2 full wetsuit and some questions:
- Do you think a 3/2 full wetsuit is ok, given the temperatures above and the occasional capsize?
- If not, can I wear anything else under/over the wetsuit to increase the warmth (for example, polypropylene underwear underneath, or a .5mm neoprene top over the wetsuit) ?
- Do I need to wear some kind of shorts over the wetsuit in any case, since it seems like the rough surface on the deck will damage the seat of the wetsuit pretty quickly?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.