Must have equipment

PFD, rubber sailing shoes, cap, big grin, wetsuit optional...... 😀

If it's cold a wool caps always great. A whistle is a good idea too. I always have my phone (in a waterproof case) or a marine radio. (Comes in handy when not expected happens if it gets really bad). Always wear a lifejacket as well. And a bottle of water can never hurt. Also a oar can be a very very useful thing if the wind dies. Really just depends where your sailing

So You sail in the cold too ?
Here's what I carry in the cold;
PFD with pockets, in there 1 flare,1 smoke-signal, 1 waterproof cellphone
in dry bag, 1 waterproof handheld gps

On the P18-2 catamaran;
1 flare, 1 smoke-signal, 1 waterproof VHF in dry bag, 1 extra gps.
On my crew's PFD; 1 smoke-signal, a whistle.

Clothing;
Dry-suit with latex socks and neoprene wrist and neck seals.
Underneath thermal under-ware and enough layers of fleece, eq
jogging-pants and sweaters NO cotton !! Thermal socks from
mountaineers shop.
3 mm Neoprene diving-mask or my mom's woolen hat (tailor-made).
5 mm Neoprene gloves and 8 mm Boots from kite surf shop.

Sometimes I sail with water-temp 4 to 9 degr C and air temp 5 to 12 C,
tested the dry-suit setup in 6 degr C water temp and was happy for
35 minutes, then it became cold.... but managed 45 minutes.

The lake has cellphone coverage everywhere, so vhf is just a backup,
but its a big lake!

Check out a video I made, its cold-wheater sailing for some parts;
https://vimeo.com/86071961

Have fun sailing in the cold, but sail safe!

André

or, you could just wait for the wetsuit season 🙂

André

mmcquade,

Where do you plan on sailing, and what kind of temperature conditions?

I plan on sailing in Maine on the coast, and the water usually isn't that warm but not freezing either..

people can get hypothermia in 70* water
A water temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) can lead to death in as little as one hour,

you will need a wet suit for summer and probably better off w a dry suit
i would recommend telling people when and where you are sailing (in case you donj't come back, they know where to look) sail with a buddy, carry a VHF (much better service than most cell phones off shore)

maybe take a boater safety course

mmcquade wrote: I plan on sailing in Maine on the coast, and the water usually isn't that warm but not freezing either..

I already have a boating license and have a lot of experience in off-shore boating, so that will definitely help!!

MN3 wrote: people can get hypothermia in 70* water
A water temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) can lead to death in as little as one hour,

you will need a wet suit for summer and probably better off w a dry suit
i would recommend telling people when and where you are sailing (in case you donj't come back, they know where to look) sail with a buddy, carry a VHF (much better service than most cell phones off shore)

maybe take a boater safety course

[quote=mmcquade]I plan on sailing in Maine on the coast, and the water usually isn't that warm but not freezing either..

I'd rather be a little hot, then cold, and be prepared for the unexpected. That being said I've experienced hypothermia first hand and almost died of it, It's not pleasant neither is the hospital. Always be prepared for the unexpected, especially if your planning on sailing in the ocean. Being stranded 2-3 miles out isn't very fun.

thanks for the tip!!

If you never have righted a cat before I would intentionally tip it over and practice righting it in a controlled situation before you need to do this in conditions that are less controlled. If you plan on righting the boat solo I would initially practice this with crew then move on to trying this solo. Depending on your weight and size of the cat you may neeed a righting pole or righting bag. Righting is much easier when you have done it a few times.

people can get hypothermia in 70* water
A water temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) can lead to death in as little as one hour,

you will need a wet suit for summer and probably better off w a dry suit
i would recommend telling people when and where you are sailing (in case you donj't come back, they know where to look) sail with a buddy, carry a VHF (much better service than most cell phones off shore)

MN3 is right about this, maybe my first commend was a bit of a punch in the nose, but please filter out your
absolutely minimum safety-equipment requirements. I do a lot of cold-weather sailing the past 3 years, and
a wetsuit is not gonna help you much when you're in 10 c or 50 f water, waiting for assistance.

I already have a boating license and have a lot of experience in off-shore boating, so that will definitely help!!

A license is just theoretical, I suggest you flip your cat a few times in the cold. Let's say a 100 yards from
the dock or wherever you launch the cat. Then try to right it solo in various wind-conditions.
Have some-one monitoring you.

Happy cold weather sailing !

André