Boat Shoes ...

[jesperrosenberg]

Ahoy!

I have never thought about getting cold feet since I have only cruised in the tropical Caribbean Sea. Now I'm crossing the Atlantic Ocean in late May 2012 and will not back out because of cold feet...

What to wear at the end of my legs?
Which is good, warm, breathable and dry?

ARGH

[Dockhead]

No Argh. It's no big deal. I wear a pair of Musto Goretex sea boots. Comfortable and warm and totally waterproof. There are many other good types. Par for the course where I sail, even in the summer.

[Hud3]

And some good thermal socks!

[reiner]

Originally Posted by jesperrosenberg

Ahoy!

I have never thought about getting cold feet since I have only cruised in the tropical Caribbean Sea. Now I'm crossing the Atlantic Ocean in late May 2012 and will not back out because of cold feet...

What to wear at the end of my legs?
Which is good, warm, breathable and dry?

ARGH

Here in Australia I wear Ugg boots in winter. Best thing ever. Very computable but not good getting wet.

UGG® Classic Short for Men | Warm Sheepskin Boots at UGGAustralia.com

Reiner

[SaucySailoress]

Wellies with white soles. They have good but soft soles with good grip, and are designed to keep your feet dry. Plus they're cheap.

With good, thermal socks.

[Cruising Couple]

And .... wool socks:

SmartWool Socks up to 45% off at Sierra Trading Post

Good Prices at Sierra Trading Post (above) and on QVC.


Darby

[jesperrosenberg]

Thanks guys for your input, I really appreciate it!
Happy sailing with dry feet!

[bobconnie]

White Shrimp Boots with GOOD Socks (wool if ya can take it) no slip and cheap as all get out !! everybody wears em in the south !! LOL no kidding they do work well

[sushirama]

surplus mickey mouse boots with mutli layer socks cotton then wool. total setup about 60 bucks. I have worn them in the north sea and above and out side of getting antifreeze bladder boots they rock.

[Kettlewell]

I would skip the white Mickey Mouse surplus boots. Yes they are warm, yes they are incredibly heavy, no they do not have non-slip soles like real yachty boots. This is one place where it pays to go yachty--there is nothing better than a razor-siped sole on wet slippery decks--like what is on the bottom of traditional Sperry Topsiders. I've got an ancient pair of Sperry boots that still keep my feet warm and dry on the occasion when I need them. Another thing you might find is the Mickey Mouse boots might not fit down your pants legs. The foul weather bottoms must go over your boots to keep the water out. That's one reason I really prefer heavy fishing type weather gear">foul weather gear, like Grundens Hercules stuff. It will totally keep your butt dry when you have to sit in six inches of water for an entire four-hour shift, and it will go over the top of any boot you would care to wear. A +1 on SmartWool or other Merino wool socks inside.

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

+1 for Smart Wool socks, a life changing experience in the Atlantic in November.

[mattaz]

I'm sailing the same route this May. By "mickey mouse boots" are we talking about the $30 walmart house brand? Also, I've never done the Atlantic--are boots all you need, or would a pair of top-siders be a welcome addition?
cheers

[Kettlewell]

It might be hard to believe, but I highly recommend going to full winter gear for the North Atlantic route. That to me means Patagonia or other high-tech backpacking type polyester long underwear (don't cheap out), tops and bottoms, full heavy Polartec fleece uppers and bottoms (heavyweight), Merino wool socks, a ski hat lined with Polartec and wool on the outside, heavy gloves and/or mittens and multiple pairs because they will get wet. I like polar fleece with the windblocking feature for gloves, but on a hard night sometimes leather ski gloves are better for the grip. Duluth Trading makes some good waterproof and warm fleece lined work gloves that also have rubbery gripping areas. Skip anything cotton because it doesn't keep you warm when it gets wet. Go the backpacking route for warm gear and then have heavy foul weather gear and heavy boots over. I've needed all this stuff for offshore as far south as between Bermuda and St. Thomas, and north of Bermuda even in the summer is much, much colder. Absolutely bring a SS thermos for hot middle of the night beverages.