Foul Weather Gear

by Capt. Frank Papy

 

     Here are some ideas I passed on to some other young shipmates starting off in the buckaneer game (what we call the charter sailboat business). My crew would see me heading down the hatch and say, ?Where are you going Captain??

     ?Going down below to put on my rain gear so I look like the advertisement on a clam can and to see if I can make that big squall miss us.? As fate would have it, usually, if you prepare yourself and put on all your rain gear, the squall will avoid you. If you don?t it will hit you, and all your crew will be scrambling to put on their foul weather gear, leaving no one to run the boat. My wife calls it ?rain gear.? She says there is nothing foul connected with boating except a plugged up head (I say a line fouled around your prop is a close second).

     Here is what we have come up with which has been passed on to and adopted by many salty souls: I use a Helly Hansen light rubber yellow jacket, priced at about $40, and cut longer than other brands. I take my hooded jacket to the canvas shop or sail maker and get them to sew a couple of soft clear plastic windows in each side of the hood, so when I turn my head, I can see.

Capt. Frank Papy has been a mariner and a charter boat captain for 40 years in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean. When not on a charter he researches new information for his popular book, "Cruising Guide to the Florida Keys," and writes articles and stories about his experiences. Check out his latest collection of tips, advice and memorable experiences, "Sailing: Impressions, Ideas, Deeds" from where this article was excerpted. Click here to order one of Papy's books.

If you would like to book Papy to captain your next charter, email him at fpapy@safari.net or call him at 305-852-2326

     I was lying on the aft deck steering with an emergency tiller one time, when one of my crew pointed over the stern at something. I turned my head to see what it was, and the hood got in my line of vision so I couldn?t see what he was pointing at. A large wave almost washed me overboard. So, that?s when I came up with the little window idea. Also, I ask the sail maker to sew a clear plastic piece over my left wrist so I can see my watch without pulling up the sleeve.

     For rain pants we use the light rubber ones with a drawstring (or elastic) which only come up to the waist and with legs baggy enough to get over your boots or shoes so if you have to go to the head, you don?t have the problem associated with the bib type. For those who sail in cold weather (God help you), just wear a pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt under this rig.

     I use orange pants so that I can be identified as the ?captain.? This I learned from an old friend, Sam Gerring, on the brig Unicorn. He had the combination yellow coat and orange pants and all the crew wore yellow with big numbers in glow tape on the back and smaller numbers on the front. I adapted that when racing at night. ?Hey number five, slack the main halyard!? It?s mighty handy to yell a number over the roar of the wind. Especially with a large crew when you are not able to see a face.

     Everyone on board wears a belt on the outside of their rain coat with a large sheath or rigging knife on it. Call me old fashioned, but a sailor without a knife is like a shark without teeth. In my right pocket I carry one of those flat disposable flashlights and my sailing gloves. In my left pocket I carry a police whistle so someone can hear me if I fall overboard.

     For sea boots we use the old topsiders, black with a white sole or Douglas Gill blue tops with glow tape along the sides. Every 6 months or so we give them a coat of Armorall, it seems to make them last longer. When its blowing and the rain is really coming down hard, I have a pair of old aviator goggles with a coat of Rain-Ex on the lenses. This allows me to look into the eye of the rain or straight up into the rigging. For long stints at the wheel we use the black rubber fisherman?s gloves with inexpensive cotton glove underneath. This keeps the water out and gives a little extra insulation.

     Now, for the last couple of years we have made some long deliveries. Luckily, the vessels were equipped with weather fax aboard. We were able to avoid heavy weather and use the wind to our advantage. So, instead of ?there we were on the bowsprit trying to get the jib down,? I guess the stories we will be telling our grandchildren now will be: ?There I was at the navigation station running out of fax paper with only 4 megabytes of RAM and a glitch in my floppy disk.?