New to Cadets? Here's (Nearly) Everything You Need to Know...
Before my children joined the cadets I had very, very little experience of sailing. Everything was alien to me, from the sailing language, the kit they needed to what it meant to spend a day out on the water.
I clearly remember sending my eldest into the changing room on her first days sailing with a shortie wet suite and trainers, only for her to emerge bundled in borrowed kit. That is one of the many wonderful things about the Cadets; we are a friendly bunch; we watch out for the newbies and make sure they are fully kitted out.
That said, I wish I had a bit of an idiots guide to get me started, so this, my dear new sailing parent is what I wish I knew when I first put my child in a cadet.
What is a Day on the water like?
I have to admit, at the beginning, I was surprised by the length of time the sailors were out on the water AND in all sorts of weathers! It is not unusual for them to gone for four hours without coming back in, partially at an event. Making sure they head out with everything they need to keep them warm, fed and watered is essential. It is worth remembering that everyone out on the water with the sailors are parents or ex-cadets or both so no sailor is going to be left to cope on their own. Safety boats are on hand to help older helms look after the younger crews and are happy to bring in sailors who are cold or want a comfort break.
The Kit.
First things first, the sailors don’t care about brands, so don’t panic about having to by the most up to date kit; your new sailor is defiantly not going to have the micky taken out of them for having a second-hand wetsuit. So, hit ebay, ask around the sailing club see if anyone is having a clear out.
You will need:
A descent long wet suite. All my children sail in “Skiff” wet suites– think sleeveless with a dungaree stile top half. Other sailors prefer long sleeves, as your sailor becomes more experience they will have their preference. When there are starting out, any long half decent wetsuit will do.
Base Layers. We have a range of rash vest, and some thermal style, fleece lined layers. On warm days one rash vest under the wetsuit is fine. On really cold days you might want to put 2 maybe even 3 on!
Leggings. If it’s a warm day, or you have gone for a thick wetsuit, then you might not need these. But, if your sailor is crewing and it’s a cold day then a pair of thin thermal leggings are great under the wetsuit!
Splash vest. A good splash vest is a vital bit of kit. Fleece lined ones are a good investment and my sailors tend to wear these all year round. They come in lighter styles too, ideal for summer sailing.
Gloves. I didn’t really take on board at the beginning how import this bit of kit was! There are SO many to choose from, and they can get a bit pricey…partially if your sailor doesn’t always bring them home! Your sailor will work out what style they like best. We tend to go for the slightly more inexpensive, nylon with grippy latex palms. This is because my children are terrible at looking after their gloves and don’t tend to wear them more than five times! If money was not object and my sailors cared for their kit I would go for Rooster Hot Hands; sturdy over gloves with silver lined inners, excellent for cold days on the water!
Boots! Definitely worth asking about for boots, I think I am not alone in having a glut of them that my children have grown out of! We found sailing boots with a zip up the side partially useful and always go for a size up to make room for socks.
Socks, you can choose from swanky silver lined neoprene type socks or, actual socks. My sailors opt for ski socks under their boots.
Hat. A good woolly had is essential!!
Buoyancy aid. I guess this one goes without saying but, a good, newish buoyancy is obviously the most important thing you can put on your sailor!
A buff style scarf or two are a great purchase too!
Other kit you will start collecting along the way. In the summer you might go for wetsuit shorts and if your sailor is a real keen bean and gets into winter sailing a dry suite is a great piece of kit (although a big investment). These are all in one suite that completely hermetically seals in your sailor. A bear suite onesie is warn as a base layer ensuring that they are warm and dry on the water…though toileting is more difficult. Oh, one little tip with dry suites, getting sailing boats of them can be challenging (to say the least) a dog poo bag over the suites feet helps the boot slide on.
Snacks.
Sometimes the sailors spend up to four hours on the water, so as well as keeping warm its important to keep them well fed. I tend to pack high energy, easy to eat food that wont spill around the boat. For my sailors a typical food pack looks like this:
• A wrap rolled into a tube shape – easy to unwrap and hold on a moving -something like ham and cream cheese as the filling
• Dried mango, sweet and high energy
• Cereal bars
• Yogurt in tube form
• Don’t forget to pack a water bottle!
• PS…I do also pack quite a few sweets, things like jelly babies to give them a boost on a long day…shh! don’t tell the others.
Toileting.
The best investment you can make once you have the basic kit is wetsuit cleaner. Not to be too blunt most of the sailors will end up having a wee in their wetsuit at some point. A bit of wetsuit cleaner and a rinse cycle in the washing machine sorts it right out! Bicarbonate of soda also works well.
We aim to have a mothership out in the water at larger events for sailors who feel the need for a No. 2. Where this is not possible sailors will be told in briefing how long they can expect to be out on the water so they can make poop plan. Of course, in an emergency sailors can be bought in on the safety boat, no one should be uncomfortable!
Periods
Handling a period out on the water can be tricky. The UKNCCA are committed to ensuring that no sailor is at a disadvantage if they are out on the water when they on their period. We try our best to make sure there is a mother ship at events with breaks in racing to ensure sailors can change sanitary products. Where it is not possible to have a mothership we make sure sailors are fully informed at briefing on how long we anticipate being out on the water so that they can make a plan at how best to cope with their period. We also do our best to keep a stock of sanitary products in the mothership.
I think the main thing we want to get across to our sailors is there is no taboo around periods; if you need help or advice, we are all approachable and able to assist.
There are many sanitary products available that might be useful for sailors. I have absolutely no medical training, this advice comes from my own research.
Pads are great if used with a dry suite, but obviously tricky with a wetsuit.
Period underwear has been quite a game changer for my sailors. Fitting just like pants but with in built period protection they came in a range of flow types. Period swimwear is also available, this offers an extra layer of protection out on the water.
Its worth thinking about taking a little plastic bag out in the water with you should you need to swop pants over on the mothership.
Tampons are another great solution, although they can be tricky to get use to and to dispose on the mothership. Tampons are a personal choice and may be more suited to older sailors
Menstrual cups are worth a mention though might be more suitable for older sailors. There are many on the market and are THE environmentally friendly choice. Defiantly worth looking into as an alternative to tampons for older sailors
Congratulations on your new job
Getting the kit, sorting out the food, washing pee out of wetsuits are now all part of the job description of “sailing support team”. It can be hard work at times, but it is genuinely brilliant fun! Yes, joining the Cadets has been good for my children; they have flourished, becoming good sailors and made friends from all over the world. They have become more, determined, resilient and confident. But…I have also made some excellent friends too, I have learnt new skills, travelled to new places and enjoyed the support of fellow sailing parents.
Welcome to the UKNCCA family!