As we approach the UK's winter, it's worth noting that Clipper Yachts are not heated! Some will have a small oil-filled heater & dehumidifier which is aimed, largely, at trying to keep the crew area and sail bags (in the same place on a Clipper 68 training yacht) as dry as possible when alongside and between courses.

However, overnight and when at sea, Winter on a Clipper Training Yacht is cold. When there are lots of people below, it can also get wet, with lots of warm breath and a cold deck making for a chilly rainforest in some conditions.

​The best way to plan for this is to invest in a specialist marine sleeping bag. Ocean Sleepwear do one which is Goretex ™  lined and has dual fleece interiors. These are great bags, but not cheap. The basic mummy-shaped bag comes in at over £250 and the square 'Volvo' bag is over £300. Our pre-used classified ads also have Ocean Bags from time to time.

The Sutherland Sleeping Bag is perfect for fishing trips into the wild. Designed in durable ripstop polyester fabric, it is fleece lined for better insulation and extra warmth when out camping on cold winter evenings.

SPECIFICATION

• 3/4 Season - Cold nights early Winter
• Left Hand Zip - The zip is located on the left hand side, perfect for right handed people
• Two Way Zip - A two-way zip is useful for easy opening when ventilation is required. Zips can be full length or just half way.
• Envelope Shape - Envelope shaped bags are essentially rectangular, offering you more space to move around in your sleep
• Rip Stop Fabric - Stop rips in their tracks with this heavy duty fabric
• Insulation - Insulated with hollow fibre stuffing
• Personal Preference - Please remember that everyone feels the hot and cold differently. Always go with your personal preference
• Great For Outdoor Adventures - Perfect for outdoor activities like fishing trips in the wild
• Extreme Rating - Can be used for extreme temperature of -18°C. This is a survival temperature only. The bag is not intended for regular use at this temperature
• Comfort Temperature - The comfort temperature for this sleeping bag is 3°C to -2°C. This is the minimum temperature that the sleeping bag is designed for
• Weight - 3.7kg
• Dimensions - 220cm x 98cm
• Packed Dimensions - 32cm x 45cm

If you are training in the UK between October and April, I seriously suggest you consider buying one of these warm, fleece-lined sleeping bags. The Volvo Ocean bag is brilliant, but about 5 x the price of this bag.

The Sutherland bag can be ordered on Amazon and delivered in the UK. They sell for about £60 at the time of writing.

In this short video I discuss what you should be thinking about packing for a cold ocean leg. In this context, I consider Cold Ocean Legs to be Legs 2, 3 , 4, 6 and Leg 8.

Fierce Turtle (Packing for Training)   : http://bit.ly/PackingListfortraining

Check Out our Classified Pages for pre-used kit:
​https://www.fierceturtle.co.uk/pre-used-kit

Le Chameau Boots:  http://bit.ly/sailingboots
Ocean Sleeping Bag Hire: http://bit.ly/oceansleepingbag

Sailing in the Southern Ocean in Summer is a tough old gig, even for the pros on The Volvo Ocean Race. It seems no coincidence that so many use the Le Chameau Neptune boot for the really tough, cold race legs.

Click here for our review of the Le Chameau Neptune. Clipper Crew can claim 15% OFF the Le Chameau Neptune if purchased in February 2018.

The DISCOUNT CODE is WARMFEET.  Just enter the code at checkout.

Sail safe.