Do You Wear Shoes While Sailing ?

[SaltyMonkey]

This came up in another thread, and I was surprised at the number of responses.

The question is:

Do you wear shoes when sailing, or do you find them to be a hindrance?

For example, I never wear shoes. My reasoning and intuition leads me to want to be more careful and wearing shoes impedes that premise. By not wearing shoes I am inclined to be more aware when walking on deck, and also more in contact with what the environment is telling me w/ information. I have never had a problem with grip. In fact, I have more traction since my foot is more flexible to grip on items etc.

OTOH, by not wearing shoes, my feet act like radiators and loose heat, and if I am not careful I might hurt myself.

What do you do? And if you wear shoes, what kind appeals to you?