Nothing better to do at work than to pick your brain...

anyone got the ultimate shoe, glove, harness suggestions. I'll start with one, Crocs for shoes. So far after 3 sails with a dry suit and the strap pulled around they have been the best grippy sole shoe I have worn They stay tight on my feet with the rubber dry suit booty, but probably wouldnt work too well with bare feet.

Gloves? Havent found a good one for winter wear anyway. I went out saturday in 50 degree F air temp and cool water and my hands were real cold, real fast. Nothing on but Harken Black magic 4 finger gloves.

Harness? No suggestions here, they all hurt at some point, especially after day 6 of the Tybee.

Okay, your turn, tell your boss to wait a minute, you're busy!

boots.... check out jet ski boots. lace up, non marking soles, grippy suction cups. made of neoprene. almost as warm a surf booties but the lace up makes them easier to use. there are several brands. lace up is the key.

Crocks? Really - hadn't considered that.

i've been wearing high-top wrestling shoes to sail in. They're lightweight, extremely flexible, and have gum rubber soles that are very soft and made for gripping a mat. I can get them on ebay for $11 to $15 a pair so I can have a dry warm pair for every day of sailing.

I've always liked the Gil Dinghy boats for shoes, but during the frostbite I resorted to wearing my Tevo sandals over my drysuit rubber booties. I could layer on as many socks as I need to stay warm without having fit problems in the shoes. Worked out great. But, I've seen lots of pics of people doing distance racing in bare feet. Anybody have thoughts on that?

As for harnesses - I've heard the Aquata Worrel XT is the one to get, but does anybody know who's selling them?

I've started to prefer the Ronstan gloves, full fingered (except for index finger) for general sailing. I had neoprene frostbite gloves which I really liked but they disintegrated last year.

I got to like the full finger gloves that leave the tip of the index and thumb open - but I'm really tearing the skin off my index finger when sailing just about anything. I think I'm going to a completely fully fingered glove and hope I don't need to untie any knots.

Keith: the Worrel XT is now the Magic Marine Ultimate.

As for gloves, in the winter I use the gill neoprenes, and in the summer I use the "gardener" blue rubberized gloves. Although I just got a set of new shiney Zhik gloves that I'm dying to try out, or, dying to have my crew try out.

Harken shoes
New Gill Gloves are best ever.

Did I say Harken and Gill again, sorry.

I like Ronstan Racing Boots. For $40 they are nice and warm when needed and great grip. As for gloves, latest are West Marine brand for $18.00 and work great so far.

Doug

Gloves:
I really like the Ronstan Sticky gloves about $25. We have been using them for a couple of years and we both like them the best so far.

Harness:
I make my own based on a design that Metcalf made many years ago. The nice thing is that I do not worry about modifications, small tweeks, because it was my hand that made it in the first place. I admit that I have not used it for 6 days solid like a Tybee, but have many 5-day worlds and nationals events without a care. Custom fits are usually good.

Shoes:
I do not wear shoes, but Eileen likes water aerobic shoes that are like tennis shoes with gummy soles. I think they are Avia, about $60. She sticks very well to the boat.

Dan

Hi Group,
I use the Magic Marine Ultimate harness(Gulfstream Marine in Miami)and have had no issues.
I use Sailing Angles race gloves, but they are not for cold weather, but they do stay grippy.
I have use Sharks and TopSider brand boating shoes with good results-not for cold water, but are comfortable for the day of racing
Regards
Ken
H20

I go barefoot as long as I can. When it gets too cold I wear the next best thing: O'Neill neoprene surf booties
Oh yeah, and Gill gloves

I like the blue latex gloves you get at walmart for 2 dollars, but they don't last more than a day or two and they don't grip very well on the tiller bar.
Full finger gloves are key (except for the thumb,index) otherwise.
Gill sailing booties are really nice... but I think mine are about 1/2 size too small. Work great though.
I have a new Astral Newton vest that looks great but haven't actually tried it out yet.
I would LOVE some sunglasses that solved the problem of becoming really annoying to look through once they get splashed at all.

PTP:

I have some of these. They are treated with something, the water just runs off and they don't fog up. Came with safety case and the strap keeps them from getting knocked off. Friend suggested them and I LOVE them. Polarized and NO glare,

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/15638-405_FOXMN6-1-Clothing-156-Eyewear/Fox-The-Main-MX-Goggles.htm

Doug

The yellow slipproof gloves are the best, they last at least one season and only cost $6.
(When sailing solo, good grip is like having an extra pair of hands).
http://www.plastimo.com/catalogue/1/3070004.html

I'm really enjoying my Keen shoes, bought them to sail and find I wear them all the time. Cold weather gloves I like are O'Neill surfing gloves, good grip and warm. They do wear quickly from sheet abrasion. The black magic gloves are my favorite in warm weather.

Several years ago I ran into Sailing Angles Gloves and have never seen better. Most gloves deteriorate in less than a season, but these last for a year or more.
The best part is the grip part (inner side of the glove) is made of some great material that makes it really easy to grip line. Sticky, but not sticky.
I am presently trying out a new version and they are even better than the old version.
We carry those, DaKine, Gul, Thunderwear and Ronstan gloves here on this site as well.
Click on Store in the masthead, or go to www.OnLineMarineStore.com and click on <Sailing Gear <Gloves in the left index. or here is the link to GLoves:
http://store.catsailor.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&grp=112

Rick

Tad - you mean this one? Looks very different from the Aquata Worrel XT. It looks like it doesn't have the leg support - the bottom of it looks a little cramped around the tender bits. Does anybody use this version of it?

Magic Marine Ultimate on APS site

While talking about gear - I'll expand to eye wear. I bought a Barz set and found that to be the biggest waste of money, went back and forth with them and never even got the polarized lenses I paid for. Fog in an instant, I've never even been able to sail one day using them. I've been using a set of Dirty Dogs (convertible, with the elastic head band strap) and really like them. Anybody else?

Keith: Yeah thats the one. Not sure what the aquata one was but IIRC the ultimate "used to be" the "worrell"


As for the Barz, we couldn't live without them during the tybee on a rough day. If you are getting fog, then you probably have them on too tight and are closing up the holes in the seals. I cried like a baby when I lost my pair during a capsize in 2005.

The times I've wished I had the Barz with me I've left them ashore because they have been generally useless. On rough overcast days I usually wish I had them with my yellow high def lenses. I use the gaskets with the holes, try to have them loose to allow air flow, etc. But unless I'm getting firehosed they are more pain than gain.

On the harness - do you use this version? How's the comfort around the legs and crotch?

My usual harness is a Murray's full race harness. Very good for an evening of racing around the cans, but excruciating for long legs, as the battens in the back dig into my ribs and the leg straps conspire to render me sterile. So I really need an upgrade here for Tybee.

I used the murray's full race harness for the tybee, it was fine. I did use a different spreader bar though.

Trey uses the Ultimate, and I'm pretty sure he likes it. He'll have to comment on it.

As for the barz, they'll fog up if you look up. If you're constantly looking at telltales, they'll fog. They'll fog if you're wearing a big hat that traps heat. You can use the spray that hockey players use on their visors to get rid of the fog. Use rain-ex on the fronts of the lenses. Make sure you have them lanyarded to something on your body during the tyb.