Sailing Equipment


The first rule of sailing is safety and you must have a buoyancy aid on when on a boat, on a jetty/pontoon or even when working at the water’s edge.


Buoyancy Aid v. Life Jacket


There is a lot of confusion on the difference between a life jacket and a buoyancy aid because both exist to help you float, however most buoyancy aids are simply aids which aid and assist you in the water. Life jackets are life saving devices which fully support you in the water. You can get foam life jackets eg: on planes or cruise ships but in our experience the majority bought from chandleries are buoyancy aids.


Buoyancy aids are an “Aid” intended to help you stay on the surface while treading water; it will not help you under all circumstances. If they are to be officially called a life jacket, foam products have to have 150N (150 Newtons) of buoyancy and a full collar to support your head and neck, they should be able to right an unconscious casualty if they are face down in the water.


If you are unconscious or unable to tread water, a buoyancy aid will keep a conscious person afloat with your help as they tend to only have 50N (50 Newtons) of inherent buoyancy instead of 150N required to support the weight of an adult.


Buoyancy aids cannot be guaranteed to turn an unconscious body over and it will not support your body in the water.


Lifejackets, if properly worn and in good condition, are designed to keep your airways clear of water, even if you are unconscious or injured. When they are inflated to sufficient buoyancy, either manually or automatically, they are able to turn your body over and bring your head and face out of the water, even when you are unconscious, keeping you protected.


If there is a facial splashguard fitted, this can be brought over your face to shield you from sea spray and inhaling the water in this way.


Buoyancy aids are great when worn inland waters when participating in water skiing, tubing or other water sports, when the wearer is in sight of the shoreline and will be continuously in and out of the water.




Sailing can be a wet sport and a change of dry clothing is a good idea. Should you enter the water, you will have something dry and warm waiting for you.


Never under estimate how cold the water can be. When learning to sail, you should wear comfortable clothing suitable for the weather conditions. A wind and water proof jacket is essential and if the weather is adverse, protect your lower body as well. Once more experienced, sailors tend to use a dry suit.


Gloves and a hat are also a popular choice, again, to keep you as warm and as comfortable as possible. It can also be very bright when on the water, consider wearing sun glasses.


Finally, you will be outdoors and as such you may wish to consider using sun screen to protect yourself from UVA and B rays.