Raingear that'll keep me alive off boston in November and St Croix in may.

[BucketHead]

Mostly a great lakes sailor and now have a job on alive aboard schooner heading south this winter.

I get one duffel to cover the 6 months I'll be on the boat, which will start in Boston in October and eventually reach St Croix by december and stay there until the spring.

So, as the topic says, what's the best way to keep warm and dry in an Atlantic winter without taking up so much room I won't have the space for the nice light stuff I'll want down in the Caribbean?

[mrohr]

Swimsuit, T shirt maybe a windbreaker hat and sandals will take up 5-10% of total volume in your duffle ,all your GreatLakes gear will take up the rest.Some of the cold gear can( will) be used in the tropics. If you layer your cold wear with lighter items you will be more versatile when in warmer waters. Fair Winds.

[Bash]

Old sailor trick: when you show up the first time, board the boat wearing your foulies, not with them stowed in the duffel.

[BucketHead]

Originally Posted by mrohr

Swimsuit, T shirt maybe a windbreaker hat and sandals will take up 5-10% of total volume in your duffle ,all your GreatLakes gear will take up the rest.Some of the cold gear can( will) be used in the tropics. If you layer your cold wear with lighter items you will be more versatile when in warmer waters. Fair Winds.

Problem is my great lakes gear is mostly half worn out unlined hiking gear that needs to be replaced anyway.

I have my seasonal rain gear or the carhardts I would wear on the decks of barges and **** in the winter when I was working as a diver.

[S/V Alchemy]

Don't cheap out on foulies. Here on the Great Lakes we can get away with bike/hike gear from MEC, etc., but Boston in November? You'll want the real deal: a full bib Henri Lloyd or Musto bottom and a jacket with sealable, high collar, waterproof pockets, and non-wimpy hood. Spending a grand would be easy and probably a good idea. Throw in sea boots THAT FIT and decent gloves (you can get neoprene mitts cheaply, or "recycle" your dive gloves) and a good woolen sweater and toque/watch cap for good measure. For "on the bubble" weather (sunny but cool, for instance), I wear cotton cargo shorts, T-shirt, a heavy sweater, a watch cap and bike gloves for the wheel or lines. I can switch to bare feet or sandals at relatively low temperatures if I keep my head and torso snug.

Safety glasses might be an idea as well, if you can get a strap on them. Salt spray can crud your eyes rapidly. I use silicon, dielectric grease and self-adhering tape to "sea-proof" cheap LED pocket lights ($2.99 ones...consider them expendable) and have worn an ACR PLB when alone on night watch, along with my trusty tether.

Other than that, and the usual woolen socks/thermal underwear, it's pretty straightforward. You might wish to investigate the not-cheap but superior Spinlock DeckVest line of PFDs.

I'm going to assume you know to carry a knife on a lanyard...

And I concur: arrive dressed for the mid-Atlantic at Christmas in order to max out the duffel. Seal clothes in sucked-out ZipLok bags to keep them compact and less damp. If you wear glasses, wear them on a strap, because if you put them with seawater on them on a counter, they will be scratched by the salt crystals.

Sounds like fun, your trip. Have a good time.