Point Loma Outfitting - sailing clothing, outdoor performance wear, foul weather gear in San Diego

Well I did not quite follow through as promised; mostly due to technical issues with my lap-top, and somewhat due to the rather interesting weather pattern of the past week. Mondays racing was canceled due to high winds, Tuesday they got three races off in a medium breeze; Wednesday was canceled due to no wind, and then they got fives races off Thursday and Friday. Gear sales in the SLAM booth continued at a rather torrid pace, and by now they are packed up and headed back up the highway towards Miami.

When we arrived at the Key West airport over a week ago I commented on how many bags per person all of the sailors were carrying; then on race day I was amazed how big a bag the crews were bringing on board. With todays materials, and proper use of base layers a crew member should be able to fit all of there gear in a small bag (except boots if they wear them). Last year for the Cabo race (6-8 days) I managed everything; Racing Evolution Jacket and Lohn Johns, Capilene 4 Zip, Cap 3 bottoms, Cap1 Crew and T, shorts and underwear in just a small bag. At no point was I uncomfortable and wished I had brought more gear. If everyone had packed as light we would have saved almost 250 pounds!

I say all of this because last week the racers saw a wide range of conditions, but if they had layered up well they would have been able to save a lot of weight on board each day. I still remember back in the IOR days, if you were racing around the bouys the saying was: “If it fits in a baseball cap you can bring it.” Or if you were racing offshore you brought what you wore. Both of these statements were to emphasize keeping things light; but were also promoting unsafe preparation. Using today’s synthetic materials you can easily take enough gear to stay warm, get adequete sunprotection and not overload the boat with gear weight.

So next time you are going out for a day race and the breeze ia up, ask yourself if you really are taking the right gear. You do not need a 3-Layer jacket that is good for offshore sailing, when a 2-layer spray top will keep you just as dry and warm. In the end it the crew that has the fewest distractions that perform the best.