[quote=rattlenhum][quote=bacho]...What is the best gear to stay warm on the water. ..... About the worst conditions I plan to even try to sail in would be about 50 degrees air and 55-60 water. The winds should be pretty high keeping us plenty wet both with spray and capsizing.[/quote]
Watching the forecast closely and being selective, I sail all year in a clime similar to yours. A drysuit is the only way to go for the conditions you describe. A full wetsuit/spray top/booties/gloves will definitely extend your season, but not down to 50 deg. air. At that temperature with wind and spray, you might survive, but you will be very cold. A sunny day will be more bearable, but you'll still be cold. While some may consider wetsuits "windproof," the problem is evaporative cooling. Most people I know go with the wetsuit and pick days where we're getting 60-65 rather than 50, and that works. Otherwise, it's a drysuit. In my opinion, they are MUCH more comfortable than wetsuits, and as mentioned above you can vary what you wear underneath to the expected conditions. They are expensive, though. I actually bought a military surplus anti-exposure suit, complete with all seals and relief zipper, off Ebay many years ago. It ain't pretty, but it works really well for the price (somewhere between $50 and $100 as I recall).[/quote]
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