Hi Tom,

You made the right decision. 40/40 is a little chilly without the proper
gear. If you were using a steamer or a 5/3, you probably would have been
ok... providing you have good cold weather gloves, booties, and hood. I
usually have a t-shirt or something under the wetsuit for added warmth. I
have gone out in those conditions with a 3/2, but got cold quickly.
Favorable wind conditions/directions, along with a good launch site/sailing
area makes a huge difference also. Onshore winds, shallow water, makes
having less than idea gear less of an issue. A good rule of thumb is to
think about how long you can afford to be in the water before you start to
get "too" cold. If it's under 1/2 hour, I wouldn't risk it. Remember that
wind chill can be an issue also. It may be 40degrees, but if it's blowing
20, it's going to feel much colder. Sail with a friend whenever you can.

On the plus side, it's supposed to be 75 here today.

Hope you get out soon,

Brian


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom" <magical_yak@...>
To: <bw_windsurfing@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 1:40 PM
Subject: [bw_windsurfing] Re: When can I windsurf?


> Hi Brian,
>
> I decided not to go, the weather dipped into the 40s and the water
> temp was about 40 or less. I saw something about the rule of 100,
> basically you add the water and air temp together and if it's over
> 100, you can go (in a wetsuit). The wetsuit I have is a bit thicker
> than a 4/3, and it's very warm! However, I don't want to push it
> either...I'll post next time I go. I see outside my work window it's
> snowing here in CT. I'm not too happy about that but hopefully the
> good weather (and wind) will return shortly. Till then
>
> -Tom
>
> --- In bw_windsurfing@yahoogroups.com, "Brian Collis" <collisba@h...>
> wrote:
> > Hi Tom,
> >
> > I've been one of those sailors that you see out in January.. Winter
> sailing
> > is usually the best time of year for wind here in the Chesapeake
> area. The
> > guy you saw out a couple of weeks ago was probably wearing a
> steamer or a
> > drysuit. If not, I'm hoping that he was an advanced enough sailor
> to handle
> > anything that came along. If the wind was onshore and there was no
> current
> > or tide, he may have been in the same position that you are.
> >
> > 50's to 60's, with water temps in the 50's wouldn't be bad, as long
> as you
> > don't end up spending lots of time in the water. When the temps are
> that
> > high, I tend to use chemical gloves instead of standard gloves..
> they're
> > really more for keeping the wind off your hands, but are thin
> enough to
> > avoid burning out your arms.
> >
> > If you're on a floaty board, that's even better, because you don't
> have to
> > worry about sinking or waterstarting after a crash.
> >
> > Let us know how it works out,
> >
> > Brian
> >
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> bw_windsurfing-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>