VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Just curious about this winter sailing thing...
What are the typical water temp and air temps in Victoria during Jan/Feb?
I presume a drysuit is mandatory?

hey FISH i thought you were moving out here, now i see in your blog you went to ontario!? you would certainly find our water quite a bit softer than the frozen stuff out east. here you typically see a mix of wetsuits (hooded surfsuits) and drysuits out all winter, and endless debating between the merits of each.

I surf and Kiteboard though the winter using my 5/4/3 wetsuit with hood, gloves and booties. I only get cold changing! expect 0-5 degree air temp with a wind chill. i don't know about the water temp but it dosn't change much from summer to winter. Really it's not that bad. Summer sailing here is awesome but everone still uses wetsuits. CJ

good timing for me to throw my question in...

anyone used an Oneill Mutant 5/4 wetsuit for windsurfing in Winter? just picked one up at Coastline for a wicked price but not sure if I'm gaining much over my old one. Got a few days to decide.

Any input appreciated!

http://www.surfline.com/video/06_wetsuit_preview/ http://www.eyeball-uk.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=640 Seems o.k.

Keen wrote:anyone used an Oneill Mutant 5/4 wetsuit for windsurfing in Winter? just picked one up at Coastline for a wicked price but not sure if I'm gaining much over my old one.

Hi Keen: here are some comments from the messageboard about the Oneill Mutant 5/4/3 suit. Winddoc is away right now but he's been wearing his all winter. I'll likely pick one up for spring/summer sailing. I think you made a good choice:

Winddoctor: O'neill Mutant 5/4 convertible hoody/no hoody also for @ $389 at lots of shops. Very warm.
Winddoctor: The O'neill Mutant is essentially a "dry" wetsuit since it doesn't flush easily. You don't feel any water getting in the suit. This is more of a seam and entry design thing as opposed to having a reinforced drysuit zipper across the chest or shoulders. But it isn't going to be as wind proof or warm as a comparable Pyro or Pyro surf - type suit.
Wingnut: Oh, I think you're talking about the O'neill mutants. That's what I'm gonna get in the spring, 5-4-3 version.
Ba: I love the O'Neill Mutant, couldn't feel any flushing and I was in the water alot and its fairly easy to get into cause it's super stretchy. Kept me toasty at Willows but it was 11 degrees out. Think when it's less than 10 I'll be back in the OR drysuit. $389 plus taxes at Coastal.

Thanks JL and bwd for digging that archived info up.

I guess I need to update my profile...
I was living in NZ when I first joined and started posting, but moved back to my home in Ontario last spring. With a house here in Kingston, it was the logical place to come back to, for starters.
We are still pondering the whole move thing... hence more questions. Unfortunately, the insane real estate prices on the West Coast is a pretty big hurdle to get over, esp. for a one income family. Certainly the sound of full-year round sailing is appealing. We shall see...
Thanks for the feedback.

kook wrote:Just curious about this winter sailing thing...
What are the typical water temp and air temps in Victoria during Jan/Feb?
I presume a drysuit is mandatory?

the water temps don't change a lot between seasons. I've never stuck in a thermometer, but I've heard the temps are around 9 or 10 degC. So, bone chilling cold, all year. I've been windsurfing for 17 years here using a wetsuit. I'm using a Xcel 6-5-4. A drysuit would likely be a good bet for winter. Many people like the Bare (neoprene legs, fabric top). Air temps are typically 6-8 degC when we winter sail. Occasionally we get lucky with a 10 deg day.

check out the sailing guide Wiki for more on the sites and conditions.

For Georgia Strait water temps, I look at the data from the Halibut Bank Buoy. You can download the historical buoy data if you do some digging.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.p ... t=M&tz=PST

edit: wunderground has some data: http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/buoy/46 ... raphtype=1

There used to be a good web site (Institute of Ocean Sciences) that summarized this data graphically, but it doesn't seem to be up to date. Here is the old page with some graphs

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sci/ecobuoys/year146_e.htm

I actually took some unofficial water temps of 5 in winter and 13 peaking in summer at Willows which has a shallow water area so that's probably the only reason it was so high. Likely 5-11 is the range at Kook.

Summer temps are of course not the main issue. Pipers and CB get considerably warmer, I'd say 17 in summer, with less flushing going on. nitinat must be close to 19-20 at peak summer times some years depending on snow pack, you can sail in shorts

Gordon's and esp JR with the river emptying must be the coldest in winter

Jellyfish: I seem to remember a thread on wetsuit reviews. Is there a shortcut to find this or does one have to search the forum topic lines?? - Wednesday February 17, 10:52PM

http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3582
http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2805
http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1700
http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1606
http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1510
http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1507
http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=450
http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=150
http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=642

And just so it doesn't get lost:

Winddoctor: Jellyfish, the O'neil Mutant is by far the best wetsuit I've owned. Definitely worth a look. Long-wearing, warm, and versatile with the convertable hood/collar combo. Lots of others here with Mutants as well. - Thursday February 18, 9:52AM

Nanmoo: I'll second the mutant, Melodie and I both own them. Only complaint is for surfing they sometimes flush down the back more than you'd like due to the interchangable hoods. But for windsurfing where you are out of the water more often than not its not an issue. - Thursday February 18, 10:29AM

Geoffy: Have a Mutant, hardly ever wear it now - discovered the O'Neill Smoothskin FLX 5/4/3 Full, Soooooo much more flexible than the Mutant, lighter weight, much higher stretch on the arms and legs, the BigWinds version has mostly all smoothskin so less evaporative cooling. Used it with no other layers in Oregon, Gordons, winter add a kayak wind-breaker top on for some added surface protection. Mutant biggest drawback (for me) is the hugely uncomfortable neck/back/hood connection which I was promised would soften up over time and hasn't. Used the Mutant once only this "winter". For sale soon. I don't surf though, FLX no attached hood. - Thursday February 18, 12:34PM

Nanmoo: I agree with Geoffy, but that suit also costs more. The removable hood makes the mutant great for multi season and sport use, that is it's biggest strength. Hood off in summer, hood on in Winter and Surfing. - Thursday February 18, 1:10PM

Geoffy: Nanmoo - other way round, the Mutant is about $100 more expensive than FLX (or was in Spring when I bought). Mutant does not have the great arm/shoulder stretch of the FLX, which I appreciated during swims in Florence!! What helmet can you use with your Mutant? Sparklies don't work. FLXs will flush a lot more than Mutant with hood, and the semi-dry kayak top takes care of that with either, considering I didn't notice the flushing water in Oregon, or last weekend ... - Thursday February 18, 2:06PM

Nanmoo: Hmm when I got my Mutant I tried on both and I could have sworn the Mutant was cheaper, this was a year and a half ago. Maybe the names have changed or I am thinking of a different model. At any rate, it is WAY flexier, that was very evident. If I pull the pads I can get my protec over my hood, but for the most part I just go hoodless if I wear the Lid. As far as flushing down your back goes, I find conventional hooded suits let in less than the mutant as the water seems to come in from the sides of the zippered flap then down the chute. Not a huge difference though. - Thursday February 18, 2:24PM

Funny, I think the Mutant is super stretchy. I have near zero flush with the hood on even while surfing. It always comes down to body type and fit for a particular suit. That's why it's a good idea to try a bunch of different suits on and have a pose-down in the shop.

Trying on more than one suit is a great idea in theory, but once you sweat in the first, getting it off, let alone another one on, is nearly impossible. After enduring the experience on more than one occasion, I say pick one, try it on, wear it out of the store and hope for the best!

I agree, body type makes a huge difference even when comparing the same suit. This explains why my mutant flushes and yours doesn't: Slender, chiseled, model-Like frame versus wetsuit filling ghetto bootay!

well now that i read nanmoos been out in the shops getting the suits all sweaty i think i'll take my chances online.
good discussion dudes. can i add that smoothskin is nice but it dings real easy. if you surf near barnacle covered boulders you might want something a little more durable. dont ask me how i learned this lesson.