Winter Sailing

captainJack987

New Member
I just got a laser its early December and I've been itching to try it out but, i don't have not dry suit and only a full whet suit any ideas?:confused:
 
Depends, where do you sail? In San Francisco, usually a wetsuit is plenty, but the water you're swimming in may be colder...
 
Google says you're lake-sailing in Kansas. Don't know what your water temps are like, but it will come down to how bad you want to try that Laser out.

Take a towel, dry clothes, something hot to drink, and go for it.
 
I sail in a 3mm long john through the British Winter topped with a thick fleece and a spray top. I allways find it fine on the windy days but perversley get cold in light winds. I have always figured that your working so hard on windy days it compensates for the lack of thick insulation. On a still bright day you are sitting so still that the heat just seems to seep out of you and takes hours to restore to normality. So just pick a windy day and have a blast!
 
I sail in a 3mm long john through the British Winter topped with a thick fleece and a spray top.

Kansas winters don't compare to British winters.

How cold is the water in Kansas now? Upper 30's or lower 40's? Last year here in Ohio we sailed into December. I have a dry suit, but some of the guys sailed with heavy wetsuits, not sure how thick, but I think 3mm is too thin for Ohio or Kansas in winter.
 
Kansas winters don't compare to British winters.

Ago so I should have figured that but I've never understood how you can sail in colder climates as we used to miss the odd w/end when the ice in the lake was too thick to launch safely - always duting a prolonged windless period!
 
Ago so I should have figured that but I've never understood how you can sail in colder climates as we used to miss the odd w/end when the ice in the lake was too thick to launch safely - always duting a prolonged windless period!


Well, it freezes and thaws here in Ohio in December. Usually in January and February there will be ice that we can't break through to sail a Laser. Unfortunately, even then recently it hasn't been freezing for long enough for people to get their ice boats out. You need several inches of ice for that and I think it has to be below freezing for 2 weeks straight to get what they need.

Right now we have 6 inches of snow that fell through the night and this morning, but I'll bet that our reservoir isn't iced over yet. It just hasn't been freezing, only close to it.

I'm too big of a wimp to sail in near freezing water with any wetsuit. It doesn't seem to be a problem for others though.
 
we're still surfing here in SoCal! In only 3mm suits. I'll be out every day over Holiday!
 
yea i have a buddy to go out with but i dont think the lakes around were i live will kick up enough wind this time of year to capsize my , boat, enven if there strong wind ill just reef my sail
 

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