Well the title says it all, the drysuit has gone back in the cupboard, so has the long john wetsuit and I didn’t have anything else to wear, I needed some new sailing clothing!
I decided on a Zhik short sleeve UV50+ rash guard (They call it a spandex top, sounds a bit wierd over here but that’s obviously a cool name for it in Australia where Zhik is from) I went for the blue which is a really nice colour, it was comfortable and did the job. Maybe I should have gone for a long sleeve one though as my forearms got a bit burnt and are now peeling!
Having not sailed for the previous 10 years the rest of my sailing gear is a bit dated so I tried out some hiking pants. I prefer the original style ones that just have a seat in them rather that the new style wetsuit bottom type. I tried on the Gul Kinetic Pro Shorts but the fit wasn’t right and to get the right waist the legs were too big.. maybe that says something about my waist! So I tried the Magic Marine Freedom Hiking Shorts which were just right. The picture provided by MM is a bit weird in that it only shows them from the back, but they are similar in style to the Gul ones on the front. I’ve worn them a few times now and they are comfortable, stay in place and spread the load of the gunnel well. The only issue I found with them is that if the velcro straps on top of the legs are done up too tight and the ends stick out past the velcro underneath then the mainsheet tended to get caught under them and undo them. So as long as the velcro doesn’t extend out too far they are great!
So thats it for the moment, I’ve done a couple of races now in this kit and its great, I just need to find a new shorty wetsuit now!
