Michigan Windsurfing

Windsurfing & Stand-Up Paddleboarding in Michigan

Anybody experimented with gear for late late fall and early spring?  I've been finding that 35 deg. water, 35 deg. air, and big wind chill are a combination I can't beat yet.

What I've tried:
1) 5mm wetsuit with hood, gloves, booties
(didn't work due to cold air)

2) 3mm wetsuit, hood, gloves, booties, wind-break ski parka, wind-break jogging pants
(worked well, but pants ballooned with water, feet got cold, hands got tired in gloves)




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What kind of 5 mil wetsuit were you using? If it was made for surfing or diving the evaporation can be killer. You need a slick skin that sheds the water. For years I used an O’Neill 'Oasis' 5-4mil awesome wetsuit. On really cold days I'd add a long sleeved polypro top and tights. 5 mil boots and ‘daKine’ mittens or glacier gloves.
I can sail just over an hour no matter what the conditions but my hands are always cold.
When I quit my hands hurt like a “mother ****er) for @45 seconds as the circulation returns. (I’ve actually timed it) It’s horrible pain; as bad as anything I’ve ever felt. I’ve tried several things to reduce it: waving them wildly, swearing, dipping them in hot water (works to some degree), drying them by holding them in the dry towel tightly between my thighs, sticking them in my arm-pits. Now I just sit in my car and cry for a minute, once the circulation returns I’m fine and can often de-rig with bare hands.
I have a new excel wetsuit that I haven’t had out yet; it’s way more flexible than anything I’ve ever worn and was very warm the time I surfed in it. Had to work all day today but might get a chance to try it tomorrow; I’ll let you know how it goes.
I usually need a water temp of at least 40 degrees, but Promotion makes a great wet suit...I call it a layer of whale blubber.,..and their customer service is great. Their wetsuits are specifically designed for windsurfing and they let you exchange it for a different size even after you have tessted it in the water. I also have a thick O'neil hood... not sure 3mm or 5mm but it is warm... you almost break your jaw or get a vertebral compression injury putting it on but it is worth it... I have mittens with smooth skin on the back and neoprene on the palm. I wear them backwards so the smooth skin is on the palm so I can grip the boom to jibe or uphaul...it's awkward, but i haven't found an alternative. One thing that really helps is bring a thermos of warm water...every once in a while get off the water run like crazy to your vehicle pour the warm water into your gloves and boots then run like crazy back to the water...the adrenaline from the run helps so you have to run not saunter... this helps me get at least an extra hour of sailing in over what I would be able to tolerate otherwise. I have had plenty of times when i felt like if I sailed for one more minute i would lose a hand or foot to frostbite... So in cold weather 1-2 hours is about all i can handle... one blown jibe with trouble water starting usually does me in in the end. The alternative is just take a trip to Bonaire or Margarita to help pass the time until it gets warm again. ;)
The 5mm wetsuit is multipurpose and the gloves are for diving. Both have terrible evaporation. I tried to look around for some windsurfing-specific wetsuits but didn't find any. I think the suggestions y'all have posted here will help with that a lot.

I get the same problem with my hands- I won't quit sailing for cold hands, so when I do quit I get that nasty blood returning pain. I don't think mine is as bad as yours. When they are cold, it is said that dipping them in COLD water helps- cold feels hot when you have mild hypothermia. In my experience the cold water helps ease the pain quite a bit.

I have that same Oneil hood. Works like a charm, but you wonder about neck injury every time you use it.

Where did you get the mittens with the smooth skin back? lately I've been thinking about using a tropical glove, like 2 mm, and covering it with some wind-proof yellow dish-washing gloves, or something like that.
here is the link for the Pro Motion wet suits, they are windsurfing specific, and I never get cold in them
http://www.wetsuit.com/ It is smoothskin, and like i said...feels like a layer of whale blubber...Also very comfortable and a lot easier to get on and off than my O'neill wetsuit.

here is the link to the mittens: http://www.isthmussailboards.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NW01223 they are Neilpryde closed palm...Like i said, I wear them backwards ( on the wrong hands) so the smooth skin ends up on the a palm it is awkward because they don't fit right, but i still feel i get a better grip that way...definitely not a great solution, but so far the best i have been able to do.

A lot of the people I sail with at metro use various kinds of dry suits... i haven't tried one yet.

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