what clothing do people use for sailing in winter, is a 5mm wetsuit the usual

Drysuit, absolutely. My experience Trident are small enough to tailor to your requirements and not expensive, i.e. short broad, to extra large feet, what ever. Worth while investment in my opinion.

Real wimps, like me won't be seen dead without a dry suit these days.  I did my apprenticeship wearing wetsuits with holes sailing at Weir Wood Reservoir on fresh water that froze with monotonous regularity requiring the safety boats to break the ice before starting the races.

I don't feel the need for the pain of thawing out these days.  In the vernacular, 'I don't do cold'.

GGGGGGG

You had a wetsuit?  You were lucky.  I only ever had wetsocks in the early seventies, and once capsized on a reservoir in the hills above Leeds in a University race, when the mainsheet froze in a lump at the bottom of the boat on a single leg.

But I have to agree that I would never do it again.

(Ancient Geek - your turn to top that......)

Well I recall: some people wearing shorts all winter at Ranelgh in the 60's (Even girls Sue Vines (Now Harris especially.) and I think it was Berry Ritchie boiling a kettle at Burnham on New Years Day (Burnham Icicle Races) to thaw out his mainsheet, personally I did not and still do not sail much in the winter what with Hunting,Stalking and Skiing. It needed a warm spell and steady wind to get me out, these days I fly south like the birds!

If you tell that to the young people today - they just won't believe you!!  When I started sailing wetsuits hadn't been invented and my first weather protection was an oilskin jacket which stuck to itself at every opportunity - I can still remember the smaell and that's 40 years ago!!

PS Did you lick the bottom of the hull clean after every race!!

Same memories regarding the smell of oilskins, it's like the smell of school (Boiled cabbage floor polish and jays fluid!)oh the memories, whatever happened to Stockholm Tar had to treat a horses hoof the other day and the vet & farrier put a pad under the shoe sealing it off with warm stockholm tar oh the smell got me quite excited, Jeckells in Lowestoft used to smell fantastic, no I got my crew to do that!(Lick the bottom of the boat that is.) I licked her but that is another story and not for this forum.

The changing rooms are not the same without those big tins of perfumed talc to shake over the inside of the wetsuit socks. Thank God for Javlin and their double lined wetsuits!!
Once sailed the Burnham Icicle in shorts and a guernsey sweater in 25 knots. Must have been mad.

My olfactory school memory was of Lifeboy soap - it was  pink slimy mass at the side of the sink and had been cut off a much larger block.  The toilets were blocks at the side of the school and the memory is that they were extremely cold and the soap stung like hell.  (I am beginning to sound like my 84 year old Dad so I think I will stop)

Not Merlin related, but sailing in the cold related. A few years ago, when I was doing the Southampton Winter Series one January in our Sigma 33, my brother decided to start the engine after the race without checking the lines were all aboard - result spinnaker sheet wrapped around the prop. Muggins here had to go over the side to cut it free, in just his thermal undies. It was rather cold - took a long time to get warm again. Dont recommend Southampton Water for swimming in January.
Rich

We didn't have soap at school just cold water once a week.

I do recall a certain Merlin Sailor going swimming in January (You can't libel the dead it was the late Les Ward.)Saying it was such a relief I could have a pee! The warmth was wonderfull, but then Les drove an SS100 (Original Jaguar sports car!)which he'd had from new, legend had it he'd never put the hood up, his wife Daphne used to ice rinks said it was a bit cold going to evening do's and demanded a fur coat.

In the 50s I crewed for David Mayne, Barrie Perry and others in National 12s during several winter seasons at Ranelagh S. C. Shorts over trousers and plimsolls (forerunners of trainers) with a variety of ex-military tops were the usual garb. Cliff Norbury crewed by his wife June always sailed in white shorts even when the cotton sheets were frozen stiff, foredecks were covered in ice and icy slush covered the floorboards.

Cliff Norbury was the winning crew in the 1952 M/R Championships, it was good  to see him and June at Ranelagh last Friday for John Stokes 80th.

Sean

I work for Rooster Sailing, a small company which is at the cutting edge of Sailing Kit Technology. (these days there are no excuses for wearing worn out spray tops and withered wetsuits!!) We combine comfort with flexibility using fleecy, warm, waterproof and windchill resistant materials.

I personally think that the kit is perfect for Merlin sailors especially the Raceskin, Hot Top, Polyamide Top, Hikers, Boots, Buoyancy Aid - all of it!! Especially the Aquafleece - you may have seen quite a few around the track this year! Its a Polyurathane coated thin fleece top that acts as a warm waterproof/windproof layer, thats fitted, with no zips or tassles!! It is super warm and comfy and can be thrown in the wash at 40deg, and the tumble dryer even!

Have a look under sailing gear and break out of the mould.

Last year before I went to New Zealand I sent out a flyer in the Mag for a discount for merlin sailors who wanted to buy a Raceskin and an Aquafleece for �100 (saving �20)  I'm sure I could organise that again if I had enough interest.....

I sail my Merlin and Dart18 all year round on the Clyde and swear by the race-skin and aquafleece alongside my normal 2/3mm wetsuit.
this also lets you just wear the raceskin in the warmer weather!

The first company in the world to use fleece as we know it now was Patagnia from the US. Javlin were the first company in Europe to use Maldon fleece and Gortex. They also were responsible for the double sided wetsuits that we now know.We all remember the Javlin fibre pile jackets that became quite fashionable even though they went quite hairy! annd their smelly but warm J. Boots. Alas, no more but responsible for making sailors and mountaineers far more comfortable.

My kit guide these days says if there is an 'R' in the month then I wear a dry suit.

Max you're a right wuss unless you sail at the North pole!

However, I do reckon drysuits are the best thing since sails.  My only issue is that some people think they can double as a BA.  Yes you can trap enough air for plenty of buoyancy but you've got no control over where that air goes and if it ends up in your legs you could get stuck upside down!

I was almost too hot in a drysuit at Parkstone in October, and have been perishing cold in a shortie wetsuit in May - the r in a month doesn't work, particularly on open water, coldest time is probably March.  The great thing about a drysuit is you can vary the amount you put on underneath it to suit the temperature, wouldn't wear anything else when it's cold

Breathable drysuits are THE way forward.  I tend to wear mine from september to may inclusive!  Also in the summer if it's raining but warm you wear less stuff under it and the whole thing weighs much less than wet wetsuits/spray kit etc.  Not very good for the tan though.  Wonder if that material they make tan through bikinis from could be incorporated...

I sail all winter on the river in nothing more than a pair of jeans and a cashmere jumper.  I thank-you....

Cashmere even if it gets cold an under wrapping of medicated Izal Toilet Paper helps, it's indestuctable and waterproof.

all slip and no grip though!

I assume that Bronco toilet tissue does the same job?  There was a guy at the Institute where I did my PhD who screwed up badly on a toilet tissue order (30years ago).  Instead of ordering a gross there was a gross of gross boxes (a gross is 144 for the young 'uns) so there were toilet rolls stored everywhere.  They were the wonderful non-absorbent type beloved of public schools but the joy was that every sheet was printed with the logo "Britain's No 1".  At the satirical Christmas revue the programme was duly printed with the said words at the bottom and each sheet trimmed top and bottom with pinking shears!!  It took years to shift them but am sure they were a bargain - the guy (now dead sadly) went on to be the Head of Procurement at the old Agricultural and Food Research Council.

Same thing really my Grandmother who lived and farmed in the Cotswolds could not get Bog roll (Toilet Paper.) of any desciption in the last war. So, she wrote to Winston, and ahortly afterwards an Army Lorry turned up stacked to the canvas with Army Issue, (Officers - Soft- For the use of) When she died we tried to burn what was left (1971 by now! and it was fire resistant too! In the end we left it and doubtless the new owners are still  trying to use it up.