Gill Marine kit review: Sailing Boots

Welcome to the latest in what will very likely be many kit reviews as I stumble my way through the maze that is finding the right kit for me in my journey from landlubber to an ocean racing sailor who has crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

Tall Yachting Boots

Official Spec

• 100% natural rubber compound.
• Non-slip razor cut soles for grip.
• Quick drying polyester lining.
• Removable ultra light cushioned inner soles with exceptional arch support.
• Reinforced heel, instep and toe.
• Padded tie top
• £45 from Pirates Chandlery

My review

Comfy with no need to wear them in and roomy enough for nice thick socks, these boots were perfect for Level 1 training in the UK in March. Plus, at only £45, these were the perfect combination of quality and a bargain.

They were a little snug on my calves when I had my thermal leggings on, but I do have 'shapely' calves and this does actually mean that there's even less chance of water getting in and down to my feet - which is definitely a good thing! While I didn't have much chance to test out their grip in very wet conditions due to the remarkably fair weather we had, when they did get wet they held up well and I felt that I had pretty secure footing. They weren't good on an icy deck in the morning, but then I don't think any sailing boots would be as they're all designed for liquid water and not solid!

Although not the most fashionable item, they are nonetheless perfectly suitable footwear for any and all marina pubs and bars - I can attest this as I wore them into the Anchor in Cowes and they didn't get a second look from anyone. I did get a few odd looks on the train home after training though, so if you're particularly image-conscious maybe think about wearing deck shoes to get home!

I expect these will be perfectly fine for Leg 1 and any of the hotter legs, although I think if I do manage to go RTW I'll need boots with a warmer lining as although my feet were warm enough with thick socks, I was only in the Solent during a particularly warm spring week - the Southern Ocean and Pacific will be another story. 

My verdict? A respectable 4 out of 5 stars

MUSTO Kit review: Deck Shoes

Welcome to the first in what will very likely be many kit reviews as I stumble my way through the maze that is finding the right kit for me in my journey from landlubber to an ocean racing sailor who has crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

MUSTO's Dynamic Deck Shoes

Official Spec

• UPPER: Premium Suede, OUTSOLE: ROCK Rubber
• Premium suede trainer
• ROCK aquaDX Technology for water drainage
• Water draining, anti-odour treated mesh to keep shoes fresh
• No footbed or midsole in order to maximise feel of the deck
• EVA strobel insole for comfort
• ROCK Rubber with a siped and microsiped tread pattern for maximum wet surface grip
• Clarks and MUSTO, world leaders in high performance sailing wear, have teamed up to deliver the ultimate suede sailing shoe. Dynamic Deck has been designed and engineered to result in underfoot comfort and stability, while a siped ROCK rubber sole gives unrivalled grip and durability in wet conditions. Water quickly drains from the shoes with the aquaDX water drainage system and the anti-odour treatment keeps the shoes fresh. Water resistant eyelets and a superb fit make these premium suede deck shoes a style essential for the yacht and marina

My review

I love these shoes! These are SUPER comfy on deck and have also fast become my go-to shoe for wearing with jeans when I'm stuck on dry(ish) land. 

While they may be incredibly comfortable, they do need wearing in to get to that point. This only takes a couple of wears though, and once they have been worn in, they are the perfect deck shoe - lightweight, flexible, breathable, gives you plenty of arch support while letting you feel the deck properly, and all with a great grip. 

They're not a pair you can slip on with the laces pre-tied though - you need to tie them every time to make sure they're perfectly fitted so that you avoid rubbing on your heel. It might be just me who is that lazy when it comes to footwear, but this is slightly irritating as I can see myself rushing to get up on deck and not being able to pull my shoes on quickly. However, the laces are easy to quickly adjust to your foot unlike some shoes, and there's a handy loop at the heel to help pull them on, which was very useful when leaning over at an angle, stumbling over a sail bag and trying to pull them on.

For the fashionistas out there, I think that they are really stylish and modern. I'm not a fan of 'traditional' deck shoe styles so just love this smart trainer look in a lovely linen coloured suede. They go with all of my sailing kit and look fab with my jeans too so they're the perfect crossover shoe for after you've nipped to the pub and need to stumble back onboard without fear of sliding along the deck.

I bought my pair for £36 in the MUSTO sale, and think they were an absolute steal compared to the £90 RRP - worth waiting for their next sale and stocking up!

My verdict? An impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars

Level 1 training Part Two: Highlights, Good to Knows, and Learning Curves

This is the second of two blogs talking about my Level 1 Clipper training, and looks at my highlights of the week, learning curves, and list of Things That Are Good To Know. For the super keen, I've also included the syllabus at the bottom as well. Part One covered Top Tips and Kit Chat.

We were pretty lucky with the weather - light airs for most of the week, but much better than Storm Katie which the guys after us had to deal with! Despite the sunburn and Force 0 wind for a few days, at least we managed to get out on the water every day. It did make taking the forecast pretty predictable though  - "force zero, variable, smooth, fair..."



Massive thanks go out to my Skipper Paul Hopkins and First Mate Emily Caruso - these guys were incredible teachers and really made the whole week a fun experience and a great intro to sailing and Clipper. Emily dancing around to Danger Zone to warn of the dangers of the Cockpit Cautionary Zone will stay with me for a long time!

Skipper Paul

First Mate Emily

Highlights of the week

• Shaking out a reef - on my own! Crazy hard (really need to work on my core strength) and I thought I'd fall over at one point while grinding the main up, but a totally amazing experience that helped prove to me that I really can do this sailing malarky
• Cooking tasty porridge for 11 (so tasty in fact, that everyone had seconds, and one person even had thirds!)
• Clambering around the bow hanking on and off the Yankee sails like a monkey - definitely one of my favourite jobs on board
• Being watch leader for putting the boat to bed after our second day out on the water
• Making friends with such an amazing group of crewmates - the Wincanton Over-60s have nothing on us! (crew in-joke - it made sense on the boat!)

Photo of the week!

Blue Steel

Team Porridge

Learning curves

• I'm definitely a fan of bow work - I felt totally at home in the pulpit
• Factor 30 is absolutely useless at sea
• Putting your hand up for everything may end up being hard work, but it is totally worth it as you often get first shot at trying new things (even if you don't realise that that thing is shaking out a reef on your own...)
• Even if you're fun sized and not super strong, you can still do everything on board if you take your time, use the tools around you and work with your crewmates
• I'm even more competitive then I realised!
• Land Sickness is a real thing and can last quite a while after getting back on dry land. Hint - avoid alcohol while recovering. However fun it is at the time, it'll just make it a hundred times worse the next day (especially if you're camping in the middle of Storm Katie)
• Clipper bunks are surprisingly comfortable and are way better than my camping mat
• Lightbulb moments may take a while (the running backstay for me was particularly tricky) but they do come eventually - just keep working at them
• New mainsails are very hard to flake
• I'm actually a competent sailor! Hurrah!

Good to know

• The most useful knots to practice in advance:
• Bowline - used for practically everything. Practice this upside down, back to front, blindfold, and most definitely tie it around things otherwise your brain will get confused when suddenly its perfect bowline routine is muddled by the massive sail attached to it!
• Round turn and two half hitches - useful for keeping your leecloth upright and securing open hatches
• Admiralty - stops lines and sheets running through jammers or through your hands too quickly!
• It's worth buying a RYA logbook to track your sailing time and miles - £5.84 from the Marina shop in Gosport with the Clipper Crew discount, and your Skipper will talk you through filling it out and signing it off for you at the end of your course
• Carry your wet notes with you at all times. They will become your bible. I cannot stress this enough
• You'll have to row a dinghy at some point in order to pass your RYA competent crew certificate. If your Skipper has you do this in pairs, try to pick someone roughly the same height so you're not leaning at strange angles trying to avoid capsizing while doing a handbrake turn with an oar
• Your last day will be the Deep Clean - if your crew is efficient and works hard, you can leave after lunch rather than at 4pm. Hint - blast the radio and provide plenty of sweet treats and you'll get through it faster and in good spirits
• You'll probably go to The Castle pub for a quick drink on your first night to get to know each other. The Castle is basically the Clipper local and you'll spend a lot of time here over the course of your training in Gosport. Likewise for The Anchor in Cowes
• It's traditional on Level 1 for the crew to take their Skipper and Mate out for dinner on the last night. Unless your Skipper/Mate really want to go somewhere else, you'll likely be going to the 'Clipper Clubhouse' that is Hardy's (http://www.hardys-catering.co.uk/) - great food, but a little pricey so if you're not planning on going all out for three courses with wine, maybe have a word with your crewmates before you go so there's no awkwardness at the end of the night about splitting the bill 100% evenly when your portion is a fraction of the cost of everyone elses
• Last but not least, it's an AMAZING experience

Level 1 Syllabus

For the super keen/interested, here's a detailed outline of the Clipper Level 1 syllabus:

Day 1

• Introduction to Clipper and familiarisation to Gosport Marina and facilities
• Comprehensive down below safety brief
• To include detailed explanation of use of bunks and lee cloths
• Moving down below and use of grab rails
• Actions to be taken in event of fire, flooding and gas leak
• Knot practice
• Figure of eight
• Admiralty stopper knot
• Clove hitch
• Round turn and two half hitches
• Single and double sheet bend
• Reef knot
• Rolling hitch
• Bowline

Day 2

• Comprehensive above deck brief
• Action to be taken in the event of abandoning ship
• Set a Clipper Training Yacht for sailing
• On water training
• Hoisting Mainsail
• Hoisting Yankee
• Hoisting Staysail and use of running backstays
• Upwind helming and tacking
• Man overboard under power including recovery and use of harness
• Evening lecture
• Points of sail
• Rules of the road

Day 3

• Reefing Mainsail
• Racing headsail change (changing up to bigger sails only)
• Downwind sailing
• Use of preventers
• Gybing
• MOB downwind including recovery and use of harness
• Evening lectures
• Flares and their use
• SART
• VHF and Mayday call
• Basic meteorology including weather forecast, and how to read a synoptic chart

Day 4

• Refresh
• Reefing
• Headsail change (changin up to bigger sails only)
• Long triangular course
• Sail trim
• A flappy sail is an unhappy sail
• If in doubt let it out
• Use of tell tales by the helm and trimmers
• Introduction of car positioning to create twist/different headsails
• Interaction between traveller/vang/mainsheet/preventer
• MOB under sail with recovery
• Evening lectures
• Proper use of log book
• Plotting GPS position on to a chart
• Manners and customs (as per RYA competent crew syllabus)

Day 5 and 6

• Refresh and strengthen any weak areas of above syllabus
• Offshore challenge
• Overnight passage to include an early morning arrival at anchor
• Introduction to the watch system
• Preparing the anchor to drop
• Dropping and setting the anchor
• Importance of anchor watch
• Safe recovery and stowage of anchor
• Storm sail drill
• Emergency steering drill
• Rig climb (if conditions allow, at anchor or alongside)
• Use of dingy
• Evening meal

Day 7

• Deep clean
• Individual crew debriefs

Thanks to Fran Baker for being resident Pap on board and taking such great photos!

Team GREAT Britain charity t-shirts

The amazing Debbie Porter (remember her jammed-packed with hot tips and kit advice guest post from back in February? http://caitlinsclipperchallenge.blogspot.com/2016/02/debbie-porter-15-16-legs-1-2.html) is spearheading the Team GREAT Britain t-shirt effort to raise money for Official Race Charity Unicef and asked me to share this message:

Sailing is GREAT t shirt. Just £15 to help children in danger. www.justgiving.com/SailingisGREAT

Team GREAT Britain, are asking for a minimum donation of £15 to UNICEF in return for a fantastic limited edition Sailing is GREAT T-shirt.

The t-shirts are navy blue and come in four sizes - XL, Large, Medium and Small.

Please make a donation in your name and then contact Debbie Porter (debsyporter@outlook.com) to either arrange for your T-shirt to be posted or collected. Postage costs (£2.50) will need to be covered in addition to your donation, or alternatively there are several free pick up points across London.

Thank you so much for your support, and enabling UNICEF to carry on their vital work For Every Child in Danger around the world.

- Debbie Porter