With the lack of wind over last month, It will be a shock to get back in cold water!

Plan:
Would a swimming cap under a gath helmet keep my head a bit warmer?

There are guys using washing up gloves on hands, so this is the same principle on the head.

I wear a 0.5mm balaclava under helmet which makes quite a difference. Also overlaps top of wetsuit and stops water entering. Tried many things for hands without much success. I sail with 0.5mm neoprene socks inside round toe booties. Works well temperature wise but is a cumbersome arrangement which I consider marginally better than sailing with icy no-feel feet.

what is temperature of water and air?

at gath helmet is quite warm on it's own, in 10C water and 10C air (20Factor, 10+10), a gath helmet itself is plenty, but yes I think it's a great idea!

When I go Under the 15 factor, I wear 5/4 with integreted Hood, don't wear the helmet, but I'm curious about your idea!

Southern Tasmania winter water temp around 12-14C, lower in Derwent due to snow melt. Ocean temp sems to be increasing a little although modern wetsuit which is pretty good might be giving a false measure. Wind chill biggest factor as our W to S wind direction passes large areas of snow which knocks the pee out of any warmth molecules. Well below 10C some days so wind chill down around zero can occur. Getting in and out of wetsuit is a fun time and hands passing between plurry cold and numb and back again after sail is a wonderful experience everyone further north should go through. Mind you with a DoB beyond memory I may have a more wimpish take on this than most. So far this year it has been balmy with your actual sun out - no wind though!! Today????

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robdddd said..
With the lack of wind over last month, It will be a shock to get back in cold water!

Plan:
Would a swimming cap under a gath helmet keep my head a bit warmer?

There are guys using washing up gloves on hands, so this is the same principle on the head.

Don't be a woss Rob

Hey Rob, I've gone for nothing more than the Gath on the noggin. Have you heard about distance swimmers coating themselves in lard? Well, you could try coating your head in lard and then stuffing your helmet on?? And nobody would laugh at you mate! Damo was selling palmless mits which are great for tactility and not getting wrist pump (which I get when wearing gloves), and they do a pretty good job of keeping the wind chill away. Have tried washing up gloves and they are better for reducing wind chill (and also good for tactility) but found they get trashed a fair bit. Once there's a leak, they're useless.

Gath only for me too - they seem to keep the wind off and the warmth in.

I have a 5/4 Patagonia R4, with the hood cut off (because they just get in the way and stop you wearing a Gath). It seems to me that if you can keep enough temperature in your body, and the R4 does, your hands tend to take care of themselves. Booties are essential though, mainly to stop you breaking your feet on rocks up our way.

We did sail one day with an apparent temperature of minus 5, and there was not a lot you could do to not shiver in that.

Also, the worst thing that you can do is STOP - just keep sailing and you keep warm. A good trick if you do tend to stop for breaks is to make sure that you have a wind-proof and warm jacket (that covers your bum) to put over your wetsuit - it makes a HUGE difference.

I have used the neoprene hats before and they do keep the warmth in your nut (singular).

Oh the joys.....