Clothing for a transatlantic passage

[Dreddy]

Greetings fellow Mariners,


I'm on a crew of 5 on a transatlantic passage from the Caribbean to the Med, at the end of the month. The boat is a 55 ft well equipped mono hull. I am unsure what to pack other than 2 sets of foulies and thermals, shorts, hat sunscreen, and dramamine etc.



I've read cotton is the worst material to bring, but what about underwear and t- shirts? Wear synthetic T shirts and underwear? or bring synthetic and cotton and wear when dry? I cannot imagine sunny calm weather sailing north east across the pond



Any help here would be great.

[KompetentKrew]

I would imagine a big boat like that would be relatively dry.

I have been fine with regular t-shirts and cotton pants on a relatively wet 40 boat.

How much offshore experience do you have?

[ChrisJHC]

Here’s what I take for longer off-shore passages:

Waterproof duffle and dry bags
Foulies (jacket, pants & boots)
Clothes for on-shore
Fleece jacket / merino top
Shorts x 2
Long pants
Shirts - long and short sleeved
Undies
Socks - sports & waterproof
Boat Shoes
Thermals
Beanie (& gloves?)
Cap & Sun Hat
Sailing knife
Sun glasses with strap
Micro Towel
Toiletries
Sea Rug
Camping pillow
Drink bottle
Coffee mug
Binoculars
Hand bearing compass
Electronics
• Phone
• iPad
• Charger
• Power bank
• Cables
• Head torch & spare batteries
• PLB & MOB AIS
• Earbuds

I’ve never needed two sets of foulies

[GordMay]

Chris:
What's a "sea rug"?

[boatman61]

I tend to take Chino type trousers, long sleeved shirts, deck shoes, warm socks, a couple of pullovers and a couple of wind/waterproof jackets, one warm, one light.
Thermal underwear can be useful on night watches as you close the Azores and on to the continent.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I tend to take Chino type trousers ...

I never really knew:
Khakis Vs. Chinos: What’s the Difference?
➥ https://hespokestyle.com/mens-style-...os-difference/

[boatman61]

Khaki is a soil coloured cotton twill material used originally by British Indian troops, it is an Urdu word adopted into the English language..
Chino is of Spanish origin alluding to roasted.. now used by the fashion industry as its more chic than Khaki and used for multiple colours..

[ChrisJHC]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Chris:
What's a "sea rug"?

A “Sea Rug” is a quilt that was specifically designed for sailors.
It is claimed that you can go to bed in wet gear and the wicking ability will dry you out before your next watch.
Very popular among the Sydney to Hobart race crews.

https://www.searug.com.au

[goboatingnow]

Cotton is fine. All synthetic material against the skin gets smelly fast. I hate it. On a big boat you will largely avoid sea water dowsing

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

Here’s what I take for longer off-shore passages:

Waterproof duffle and dry bags
Foulies (jacket, pants & boots)
Clothes for on-shore
Fleece jacket / merino top
Shorts x 2
Long pants
Shirts - long and short sleeved
Undies
Socks - sports & waterproof
Boat Shoes
Thermals
Beanie (& gloves?)
Cap & Sun Hat
Sailing knife
Sun glasses with strap
Micro Towel
Toiletries
Sea Rug
Camping pillow
Drink bottle
Coffee mug
Binoculars
Hand bearing compass
Electronics
• Phone
• iPad
• Charger
• Power bank
• Cables
• Head torch & spare batteries
• PLB & MOB AIS
• Earbuds

I’ve never needed two sets of foulies

Every crew man does not need a set of bins!

You need

Normal clothes avoid very heavy denim as it takes an age to dry. But practically everyone brings a few pairs these days

A good, bad weather foulies set , trousers and jacket , Gill , Musto, HH etc.

Shorts, tee shirts , a few thin fleece/polartec layers , and a one heavier fleece jacket

A sailing knife and a toothbrush
a PLB if youre so inclined but it’s basically a dead body recovery system. Better might be the newer DSC mob systems, if the boat has DSC radio

Other stuff should be on board anyway.


Everything else is optional

[ChrisJHC]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Every crew man does not need a set of bins!

You need

Normal clothes avoid very heavy denim as it takes an age to dry. But practically everyone brings a few pairs these days

A good, bad weather foulies set , trousers and jacket , Gill , Musto, HH etc.

Shorts, tee shirts , a few thin fleece/polartec layers , and a one heavier fleece jacket

A sailing knife and a toothbrush
a PLB if youre so inclined but it’s basically a dead body recovery system. Better might be the newer DSC mob systems, if the boat has DSC radio

Other stuff should be on board anyway.


Everything else is optional

Agree that some of the kit on my list is not needed by each crew member.

I’m usually either the skipper or mate so I take a few of my own things that are better than the ones left on the boat.

I did say that this was the list of what I take, not what everyone should take

[Snore]

Rule #1 of adventure racing is "cotton kills". My Rule #2 is "wool saves".

My packing includes 3 pairs long underwear top and bottom (I'm a FLA guy), heavy wool sweater, polar tec 200 jacket, foul weather tops and bottoms, 3 pairs of heavy hiking socks to go under my boats and for cabin clothing (see below), 3 caps, 4 sets reading glasses, if you need distance glasses at least 2 pair (3?) of sunglasses, 10 shirts, 10 or more underwear 3-4 pairs of shorts. Since I am a delivery captain, I always pack a wool blanket. Why wool? Wool is one of the few fabrics that even wet will insulate you. Also the 100% wool blanket can be used as a fire blanket.

I have two special groups of clothing. The first is my "going home clothes" a clean shirt, underwear, jeans and socks are in a ziplock bag. When I fly home I don't want to smell like a transat.

The second set is something I learned at www.WaterTribe.com. WaterTribe preaches having sacrosanct camping clothing. Now, I have my sacrosanct cabin clothes. This clothing never sees the deck. The sole purpose of this clothing is to give me something dry to put on if I get doused with sea water. This really comes into play if you get a few days of foul weather. Being able to strip off you cold wet clothing and put on clean, dry stuff is a treat.

Having air pods or Bose noise cancelling headphones together with a collection of music and old radio shows is a nice escape...... Also a collection of books to read on your tablet is handy.

For the love all that is blessed and sacred- as well as your crewmates- pack a toothbrush, tooth paste, deodorant and baby wipes. For the 2-3 times that it is shower day, have your OWN towel and a bar of Ivory soap. Why Ivory? I found it works well on hair and body.

FWIW- your captain should have started a dialog with the crew regarding this

[goboatingnow]

I hate wool

Secondly on a decent boat , you don’t generally get wet if you have good gear

If it’s hot , less clothes getting wet is often bettter then heavier clothes getting wet , so I wear shorts , no underwear and let then get wet and dry , this is from rainwater , lightweight rain jacket

If it’s cold , a few cotton layers and good quality fleece followed by heavy weather foulies

Polyester directly on the body is uncomfortable and I simply can’t bear the touch of wool on the skin.

For me it’s cotton against the skin and then light layers of fleece.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I hate wool

Secondly, on a decent boat, you don’t generally get wet if you have good gear.

Spoken like a person who has been cruising in Greece for years...

This is a transatlantic, remember, Guys!

I'm with ChrisJHC and Snore. With the exception of all Chris' safety gear (AIS and PLB - but as you say, you're the skip), his list is super as is Snore's. I, too, always segregate some "non-salt" clothes below decks - especially what I sleep in. I basically live in under-armour synthetic layers (no. cotton.) under my fleece layer and full foulies (one pair) and sea boots on deck for the entire trip + ALWAYS my auto-inflate PFD with integral harness (Spinlock).

Then a couple of changes of shore clothes. (Chinos are much classier than jeans - just sayin - and collared shirts - like golf shirts maybe? Remember, Europeans are generally better-dressed than North Americans. You don't want to stand out as a bunch of scruffy Americans.)

For me, also a couple of sundresses for the shore party on arrival! But guess that wouldn't be so appropriate for you, eh, Dreddy?

Here's another recent thread with a similar discussion. Skip to Post #28 where Luke got a ride on a Sydney Hobart observing boat at Christmas this year and discussion of offshore clothing and tips starts:

Next Step?
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-247825-2.html

Have a great time!
Meanwhile think of me writing exams and commissioning boats and engines... I'm sure your option will be waaay more fun.

Fair winds,
LittleWing77

Oh yeah, and I always take one heavy-duty wool sweater that was my dad's. A little good luck as well as a bit of Irish legacy.

[Snore]

Why is cotton bad? Why do adventure racers, and former adventure racers despise cotton? Why do race sites like Yukon River Quest and Water Tribe preach against cotton?

Simple, imagine it is 0100 air is 5C or high 30’sF. You are snuggled in standing watch and there is a wind shift. Being a competent watch keeper you go about the business of trimming the sails, or setting a reef. During the exertion you perspire.

If you have a cotton teeshirt on, that cotton will get wet. When you are done working, your body will cool, the shirt will remain wet and your body will need to use energy to offset the heat lost to the cotton. The cotton tee shirt will remain wet until you get below and take it off.

If you use a performance fabric as a base layer, when you stop working- the perspiration will be wicked away and dry. Granted the performance fabric will smell rancid after a few days if wearing, that is why you need to rinse it out. Or carry a few spares if doing a shorter run.

Don’t get me wrong, I have some very nice cotton dress shirts. Ironed, with some light starch, look great——around town. Just not on the water.

PS- masochists aside, most folks wear long sleeve shirts, or polar tech under their wool sweaters.