What to Wear

The wetsuit works by holding water close to your body, so you need one that is reasonably tight. If it is baggy it won’t work as well. Look for ones that have the cloth covering on the outside particularly on the legs and knees. Swimming wetsuits are smooth rubber on the outside, they are delicate and won’t last long.  Typically, a more expensive wetsuit will have more stretch, and it may have more warmth for a given thickness. This helps for long days on the water in all weathers but isn’t necessary for getting started.

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Underneath the wetsuit you should wear tight swimwear. You can also layer thin thermal tops underneath. They need to be tight, stretchy and quick drying to work. There are watersports specific versions designed to go under a wetsuit but thermals from other sports might work you would need to experiment to make sure it is comfortable.

This isn’t critical but to protect the wetsuit some people like to wear some shorts over the top, board shorts or lycra shorts work.

Sailing in Scotland will mean that there will be a few cooler windier and rainier days so the option of some extra layers is good.

Having a windproof or thin waterproof layer to go over the top of the wetsuit can make a big difference to keeping the heat in. The dinghy sailing term for them is spray top, but any sort of light waterproof will work.

Between the spray top and the wetsuit, you can wear a jumper, avoid anything that will soak up water and become heavy. A thin fleece top will work well; they drain quickly and don’t add much bulk or weight.

Suitable footwear will protect your feet from the cold, stones and sharp objects on the shore and knocks on the boat. They also need to provide some grip when wet.

There are sailing specific dinghy boots and more general water sports wet boots. Be careful about getting ones with a very thin sole, they can be painful to walk in.

Trainers on their own will lead to cold feet but you can get 2-3mm wet socks relatively cheaply to wear under the trainers for warmth

Many sailors use gloves to protect their hands from rope and keep warm. They become more useful for protection as the wind increases so as a beginner, they aren’t critical.

Sailing specific gloves can be very expensive for a beginner. A cheaper option is to buy the knitted plastic dipped builders gloves They are available in a range of thicknesses and warmth’s and last reasonably well.

Sailing gloves are often fingerless or leave the tip of the thumb and forefinger exposed for dexterity and knot tying so you might need to cut the tips of the fingers off the builders’ gloves.

Standard woolly hats on cold days and sun hats or caps to keep the sun off are a good idea. Avoid hats with big bobbles and try and find a way to tie them onto your buoyancy aid. They will get blown or knocked off.

When sailing there is always a small risk of getting a bump on the head. In recent years bump caps or helmets have become more common for performance dinghy sailing, and make some sense for beginners who will be less aware of what is happening on the boat.

The club has helmets that can be borrowed, or many people have started wearing bump cap liners inside baseball caps. These are available from various places online.

• Lomo - great value wetsuits and sailing kit (Glasgow store or online) 

• Decathlon – affordable entry level kit (Glasgow store or online)

• Largs Chandlers - sailing specialists (Largs store) 

• Duncan Yacht Chandlers - sailing specialists (Glasgow store)

If you're unsure what to buy, instructors are always happy to advise.