Bare feet on board

[Paul Carey]

When we had a boat 'in charter' the operators insisted on classy glass's & crockery ,, when ever we were on board Knowing that children of all ages like to go bare foot we boxed all the dangerous stuff & got out the acrylic & melamine ,, as soon as we escaped from charter we disposed of the hurtfull stuff...

[grube]

Always shoes. I don’t want anyone going overboard because they act or overreact to a bad break or even a stubbed toe. Yes it is more work to clean up but how many professional mariners wear no shoes on their vessels. Very few. Most wear them as they would wear other protective gear.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

Nah, Crocs get that award.

Actually, that would probably be socks.

[CyKlop]

On my boat the rule is no street shoes to avoid the whole dirt/pebbles scuffing up my all-grip decks.

However, given the cold nature of our waters, everyone opts to wear shoes. Also, we do a lot of racing and given the hurry-up nature of moving about a racing boat, it's a really really good idea to wear a good pair of shoes.

During the delivery from Panama to Hawaii, none of us wore shoes.

[parkstone bay]

If you go barefoot on board, and hurt your feet as a consequence, don't come to me for sympathy. (And, you'll owe me for when I stand the watch you missed!). BTW I might accept "flip-flops" (Australian = "thongs", (which in English is a different item of clothing)) when the boat's at anchor/in dock, but never at sea.

[piloto]

Originally Posted by Chotu

My opinion:

No shoes.

If you spend a lot of time on the boat traveling, it ends up being that it’s just more comfortable and you feel more sure footed without shoes between you and the deck. Your feet also “spread out” a bit and become much more relaxed and happy compared to spending all their time in foot prisons

As for breaking toes, I’ve done it countless times, but not from the deck. It’s always from playing games with a cat or a carelessly placed suitcase unseen.

I’m at around 8+ breaks now. My toes are mangled, internally, but still working just fine.

Never needed a doctor.

Once you have broken them enough, you know the second it happens just from the hollow snapping sound. Later the swelling and discoloration

Shoes are probably a good idea on unfamiliar boats though.

I’ve stubbed mine a few times, though now usually wear water shoes. They’re light, comfortable and dry quickly. I have ask Chotu, what part of that feels comfortable?

[NewOrca]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

Nah, Crocs get that award.

As a longtime cruising sailor, I respectfully disagree about Crocs. They’ve been my go to footwear for all warm weather cruising, both aboard and ashore. They protect the toes very well, grip the deck much better than bare feet and arguably better than “deck shoes”, allow the foot space to spread out and breath, and have no deep tread so they don’t track dirt from shore—a quick rinse is all it takes. Crocs have many other fine attributes: they come in several sizes and many colors (so each crew can identify their own), and most of all are very stylish 😉

[JordanH]

There's no one-size fits all answer. Each situation means you need to pick footwear for the situation... And for every situation, there's footwear that fits it like a glove.

High heels < Work boots < flip-flops < street shows < deck shoes < bare feet < laced boat shoes/dinghy booties < foulie boots

For sailing, I usually tell people to take their street shoes off as soon as they board. Barefeet are preferable to them for grip. I have Sperry deck shoes that I wear everywhere, but they are better street & dock shoes than actually good for sailing. I like running shoe style boat shoes as "best", but I love my foulie boots most of all. Nothing better than warm dry feet when it's cold and wet out. They provide deck protection, weather protection, warmth and grip.

[jalmberg]

Love all the macho, ‘broken toes are no big deal’ comments! Goofy!

[Cheechako]

I have broken my little toe twice, maybe 3 times, on board. I'm talking it being bent out 90 degrees to my foot! Wear something! The whole toe end of the foot turns black and blue. I like having some lightweight loafer types I can just slip on easy with no socks.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by jalmberg

Love all the macho, ‘broken toes are no big deal’ comments! Goofy!

They really aren’t. You hear the bone snap and you favor it and/or buddy tape it. How much of a whimp do you have to be to get sidelined by a broken toe. I’ve broken them soooo many times. You get used to it. Only one that counts is the big toe as it’s important for balance.

[Nicholson58]

Barefoot at anchor which is most of the time, Caribbean. Sport sandals under way if outside the cockpit. Under way, nice weather, center cockpit and all lines easy reach from the cockpit- barefoot

[landsend]

Originally Posted by jalmberg View Post
Love all the macho, ‘broken toes are no big deal’ comments! Goofy!
Chotu says:
They really aren’t. You hear the bone snap and you favor it and/or buddy tape it. How much of a whimp do you have to be to get sidelined by a broken toe. I’ve broken them soooo many times. You get used to it. Only one that counts is the big toe as it’s important for balance.

Lol. You are right Chotu, after the seventeen waves of pain secure the toe and carry on!

[OneBoatman]

I ask my guests to please wear boating shoes if they have them or sneakers preferably with non-marking soles when onboard. Am I being a mean captain? Once I had two warm body guests, three counting my wife (all basically passengers) yet willing to sail on 4 day passage from Portsmouth RI to Annapolis MD. Day or night, the only thing I asked before leaving was to please wear their shoes when onboard during the trip. After <24 hrs aboard my two guests were barefoot seemingly to flaunt that they manage just fine without incident. Silly me. Fortunately, I don't recall either of them ever having left the cockpit when underway and so it was that I chose not to repeat myself in order to keep the trip pleasant. My thinking is twofold, based in safety recognizing I'm responsible for all where I might actually need their assistance and be reduced to nurse mode and be without help or otherwise take course for a hospital should they get hurt when moving about. Bare feet, darkness, deck hardware, and wet slippery decks to often spell trouble.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by HeinSdL

When I was young I was always instructed to wear shoes on board mainly to prevent broken toes. There are after all enough places to catch a small toe behind and... break it.

These days I still wear shoes but the other day I had a lapse and hit my toe on the traveller. It hurt and now it's blue and it reminded me how easy it is to be injured like this.

But looking at other boats, especially the more posh examples, shoes come off before stepping on board. And these are often people on a one-off charter with possibly less awareness of deck fittings.

I am curious to hear of standards/rules applied on other boats, being genuinely surprised by the number of bare feet I see.

I have enough problems walking around the house in socks and still stubbing my toes so I wear slippers. On the boat it is sneakers, preferably tennis soled shoes rather than running, hiking, cross-training, etc. No street shoes or heels, God forbid. I carry a backup pair for when one pair gets wet. The one thing I dislike about sneakers are the ugly colors and designs they come in today...just give me a white Fila tennis shoe.