Again (?) about your dressing habits and etiquette as Long-Term sailors

[sailorchic34]

I should note that when my dad died, I showed up in what is best called Business Casual. (My clean but unpressed pants, blouse and that pair of non flip flop shoes). I knew My dad would not mind.

Being in massive introvert I avoid social events like the Plague. Really I just ate out by myself for the first time in 10 years just two weeks ago. Probably good for another 8 years or so.

[buzzstar]

Depends in no small part on your boat -size matters. Also depends upon budget, your yacht club, (or not having one as I do not). That said, MarkJ described it fairly well in an earlier post. No matter what, there is no excuse for not being clean and neat in social settings. My "dressy" pants have all rotted, and I no longer even try to have anything that is of natural material, but I am clean, have reasonably unwrinkled clothing, and decent shoes (rarely high end leather anymore since my feet are 5E (that is EEEEE, not size 5) and I really like comfort.

A funny story from via my wife when she was a young girl. Her family had a home on a cove on a small island. Somehow her parents had met an became friendly with a man and his wife who had a large powerboat. They invited them to visit. The kids, including my wife are playing on the breach. The powerboat arrives and either anchors or moors. The man in full yachtie regalia (while pants, blazer, tie, and white cap with gold on its brim (she recalls the hat more than anything she says) proceed toward the beach, in a tender. He is standing at the rear, looking elegant, and presumably operating the tender. His wife is seated (that is all my wife remembers about her). A wave (perhaps from a passing boat) just before the shore, and the man gets dumped. All my wife remembers after that is his hat floating, with him nowhere in sight. She is certain there was no injury or real harm, but she claims to remember nothing more of the event. So be sure to wear your captain's hat with the blazer and (club) tie or you may be forgotten completely.

[AZUS]

We're cruising the Med right now, and dress changes with location, time of day and time of year - as the only reasonable answer is: "It depends", here's my advice.

Look what the locals and tourists in the area are wearing in that location for that time of day. Dress at least as well. We want to represent well other sailors, and our countrymen. So, we are (almost) always clean and well-groomed, with clean clothes.

I tend to like collared long-sleeve shirts all the time, even with shorts and sandals. They can be light, offer good sun-protection when needed, and look a little bit dressier. Also, there are lots of no-iron, wash and wear alternatives out there, so maintenance is a breeze.

[hafa]

This thread makes me think of Saint Raphael, Cote d'Azur, France.

1. On the beach, both men and women wearing no tops and very small bottoms
2. On the promenade, shorts, sandals and t-shirts
3. In the restaurants, formal wear

Each of these zones abuts the other and they are collectively ~12 meters wide. From any one of the zones, you can clearly observe the other, but no one crosses over.

[barnakiel]

Yep.

I poured my wine over my bermuda trousers while partying in Bora-Bora. I was offered a ... pareo to change. It felt very refreshing and I did make some new friends thanks to that. Why these friends are mostly young local men PLS let's not explore this venue! ;-)

Dressing the local way is not just fun for a party but also some kind of insight of what it is like to live locally. Some climates ask for less constraining robes.

Highly recommended!

Cheers,
b.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by zengirl

I'm with you on that beard thing. I just can't wrap my head around the fact that probably 65% of men over 55 start that beard and mustache crap. And yes, they all look 10 to 15yrs older. None of them look better. I don't get it.

It' simple, we just get tired of shaving! I only do it every other day now.

[SV.Maverick]

I never knew how important shaving was until I saw Robert Redford choose to shave over saving his boat from sinking.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by SV.Maverick

I never knew how important shaving was until I saw Robert Redford choose to shave over saving his boat from sinking.

If time is not of the essence something normal can help settle one's mind. A shave, a cup of coffee, cleaning something may help determine a plan.

[danielamartindm]

Here on the Gulf Coast of Florida, tee shirts and shorts are de rigeur, and shoes onboard are optional. Going ashore, of course, requires more dressing up; shoes are mandatory. Ideally, pride in your vessel should extend to yourself and your clothes; keep them all reasonably clean, and unless you're attending a yacht club affair, or dining at a five-star hotel, no one is going to be whispering that you're under-dressed. If you over-dress here in the summer, and try to channel Thurston Howell III, heat stroke is a real possibility.

[Leo Ticheli]

I like to keep things simple, so I wear the same thing both aboard and on land. I have a dozen or so white linen long sleeve shirts from Land's End and several pairs of pants from Craghoppers. That's my uniform and they way I dress 95% of the time.
The linen shirts are cool and comfortable and also look dressy enough for going to a nice restaurant; the Craghoppers pants are perfect because they are quick dry, most of them convertible to shorts, and, best of all, all the pockets have zippers, so fewer valuable get donated to King Neptune. They should market them as sailor's pants.
I used to keep a white linen jacket and a pair of dress loafers on the boat, but never wore them, so I took them off. I've never had a second look at my canvas boat shoes, even in upscale places.
When sailing off shore or working below, I'm usually in boxer shorts, but the most "native" I've felt was wearing only a sarong while crossing the Gulf Stream.

Fair winds,
Leo

[JPA Cate]

What one "needs" varies considerably with location, and the passage of time, if your shape changes.

Females should have at least one dress, and fairly long, to about mid-shin or ankle, as preferred. Places you visit will expect you to be covered from your shoulders to there, and any less cover makes you appear "slutty" to them. I used to solve this by adding a wraparound skirt over my shorts, usually as we left the boat and got into the dinghy. After I learned mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors, all the wraparounds became lighter prints, so as not to show dirt so much--because sometimes one winds up sitting on the ground. (By the way, it takes me about one morning, after morning chores, to cut out and sew one.) I used to have a full length skirt, which I had soaked in pyrethrins, for wearing ashore at night (where dresses were required for women) in malarial mosquito areas, the coverage was protection against unseen mozzies. (Also, long sleeved blouse, similarly treated, then only exposed skin requires bug juice. [It is better to risk being too warm than malaria, in my book). These are not stylish places, not like Europe, where I think clothes matter quite a lot more.

Some people enjoy "dressing up". To me, you need clothing to protect your body, from stares, and from UV, and sharp things out walking in the bush. But for those who do, enjoy it, they should do it whenever it fits for them. You can buy tiny travel irons that will work off the ship's inverter. You don't need an ironing board, just somewhere flat to iron, and a thick terry towel.

As hinted numerous times above, always when dealing with formalities, dress respectfully for your age according to the tenets of the place visited.

Ann

[zboss]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I'm in that boat too, never wore a tie, rarely anyway as the Military requires it from time to time, but never learned to tie one.

However you do need decent clothes, to check in and possibly for other things, for me that means Kaki pants a collared shirt and shoes, that is as far as I'm willing to go.
We have left Funeral clothes at her relatives, she thought of that, I never would have.

Agreed - and as I still work I have several suits on board. However, when I finally shut down, I want to avoid suits as much as possible.

There may be a time when a suit is required but I have found things like leather shoes and belts mold and heavy suits get "that smell" no matter how you keep them up.

I really nice shirt and trousers I will probably always keep on board for checking in to new countries but unless I get an invite from the Queen for my knighthood, you can forget a blazer with brass buttons!

[hafa]

Originally Posted by zboss

...unless I get an invite from the Queen for my knighthood, you can forget a blazer with brass buttons!

A knighthood from the Queen might even see me wearing... (god forbid...) shoes...

[redhead]

You know how some people like sail and some like power? Some like the Euro look and some can't see themselves in anything other than a 1930's America's Cup contender? Plastic vs steel vs ferro vs wood? Race vs 3 kts?

It's exactly the same once you live aboard. You will decide what's fun and that will dictate your clothes.

The only thing that has surprised me is my own values changing. Things I thought important when I moved aboard are being reshuffled on my priority lists. I still have the clothes and jewelry but rarely wear them. Things I thought only marginally "nice" have now become my going out clothes.

I guess what I'm saying is that being on a boat will change you and your choices, so whatever you think you want now - it may be different in a couple of years.

I'm prepared for the Embassy dinners, just really don't care to be invited anymore.

[GafferMate]

Though I'm in agreement about beards making men look older (with goatees--sad to say--even more clearly stating 'old goat', while shaggy ones just adding 'homeless' to first impressions), but I can understand and appreciate not wanting to shave every day. I no longer shave my legs--but then, there's hardly enough to even see, muchless shave.

However, how much more trouble than any other daily cleanliness routine is there for a neatly trimmed beard? It can be attractive, even distinguished. When i see one, my impression is of someone who is attentive to details, willing to put forth extra effort to achieve a distinctive result. I may not care much for beards but I appreciate those qualities I associate with the effort to trim such a beard, and thus am more inclined to get to know this person.

I wonder how many other women might feel this way, too...their answers might reveal why so many single handers have a difficult time finding partners.

What do I wear on or off my boat? Loose dresses, or skirts and blouses. Scraggy old paint-splattered ones when I'm working, faded but clean ones for casual, with nicer when going to town for provisions, and dressier for going out to dinner. When making passages, I wore Bill's V-necked undershirts and panties. He wore boxer shorts with light, long-sleeved shirts. Both kept sunburns from tender skin parts, and doing laundry to a minimum.