If you are signed up to do legs 1, 4, 5 or 7, then you are likely to see the tropics at some point. Legs 1, 5, and 7, in particular, can be very warm for at least part of the time at sea. This brings with it several challenges, mainly revolving around choosing the correct deck clothing and apparel, managing fluid intake, personal hygiene and keeping cool below deck when off watch.

Trying to sleep in 38-45º C, especially when it's humid and you are salt-encrusted & sweaty, is almost impossible until you are very very tired.

Good, lightweight, wicking base layers with long sleeves (for UV protection) are critical. Don't use cotton. It gets wet, retains moisture once saltwater is on it and will get smellier, faster! A lightweight merino wool is good for comfort, performance and odour management. Icebreaker is a well-known Kiwi brand, although it is pricey.

Many crew will purchase sunscreen for the crew but make sure you have a plan to protect yourself against exposure to the brutal tropical sun. This will also mean a lightweight, ventilated wide brimmed sunhat with a chin strap (unless you want to lose it on day 1). 

Bare feet on the deck of a Clipper 70 is a no-no. There are too many hard things to break a toe on. Believe me, you only kick a stanchion post once with bare feet to learn this lesson. Therefore, some robust, grippy well vented shoes are required. They should also be of a material that allows for them to get wet and not get smelly.

Keen Newports (open sandals with toe protection) are very popular amongst crew for this reason. Below deck, many crew swear by Crocs. This fashion crime is between you and your own personal God!

Finally, if you plan to send emails from your ipad or phone and run a fan, etc then you will need the option to run the fan and charge your gadgets. Clipper 70s have various charging points, but it is easy to overload the batteries and the circuits, especially as the boat needs to run satcoms, navigation equipment, water maker and things like rice boilers.

When I was skipper, I set up a charging schedule which allowed the on-watch to charge phones and personal battery banks whilst they were on deck. This seemed to work quite well, but it was something else to remember on watch change. Forget to charge your battery and you may end up having no fan for your next sizzling off watch.

For this reason, I'd suggest you consider a battery bank for charging your kit. 30,000 mA as a minimum, should suit. You will also need a means of fixing this to your bunk when in use. I used some heavy duty velcro. 

I'm particularly impressed with some new battery banks which have a solar charging option. They are claimed to be robust, dust & splash proof and are able to be secured somewhere appropriate on deck by way of a carabiner. This gives you the option to always be able to charge your battery. 

Last of all, in the tropics, the opportunity to shower in heavy rain showers presents itself from time to time. Keeping the crew and the boat as clean as possible is important, especially in the tropics, unless you enjoy tummy bugs and pink eye.

​A small bottle of soap, easily to hand, will allow you to take advantage and soap up and rinse off (assuming you are not sailing the yacht, of course. Some crew are less modest than others, but a good place to wash is behind a helm station, offering some privacy.

Even without a rain shower, a clean bucket and some sea water can be refreshing in hot weather. However, you really need to rinse in fresh water after, because salt water showers just make you sticky and salty.  Some boats carry one or two fresh water solar showers which work really well when hung off the A frame on the stern. Finally, remember to stay clipped on at all times where SOPs require and keep your lifejacket on. 

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.

This is a video recording of our first monthly webinar broadcast on our Fierce Turtle Facebook page. We hold a webinar on the last Saturday of each month. 

I recently came across a post on a #ClipperCrew what's app group.  Thanks Keith for the tip!  You can buy a vacuum pump and various bags for just over a tenner on Amazon and the result is that packing your Ocean Sleepwear bag just got a whole lot more manageable!

This video goes through kit organisation.

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, so if money is tight, this bag will do the job. Alternatively, you can hire an Ocean Sleeping Bag from us - just click here for more information.

The Sutherland bag can be ordered on Amazon and delivered in the UK. They sell for about £50 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

Many crew us crocs for below deck, but on deck I think you have to go a long way to beat the Keen sandal / shoe. It is ventilated and has a closed toe, protecting you from all the hazards on deck.

If you are interested in any of the items in my essential deck kit dry bag, ​click here

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.

​Keeping warm at sea is just a matter of preparation and attention to detail.

Of course, on some of the warmer legs, such as leg 1, leg 7 and much of leg 5, keeping warm on board is not a problem. In fact, dealing with 40+ degree temperatures and high levels of humidity below deck is the biggest challenge. If you want to read more on these warmer legs and how to keep cool, click here.

In my experience, staying warm requires that you look after yourself by eating well, staying active and staying as dry as possible and as well insulated as possible. Staying active on the race is rarely a big problem but there is an art to choosing the correct clothing for the conditions.

On a very cold night at sea, when it's wet and rough, with water over the deck (and the crew), staying dry and warm without overheating when busy changing sails, can be tricky. The start of a watch might have you thinking you are under-dressed, and feeling the bitter cold and yet 30 minutes later you might be sweating profusely having just dragged the yankee 1 down the deck, battling against sea state and gale force winds.

Understanding the best way to layer is therefore important.  For a cold ocean, you should be dressed as follows;

This is my suggested packing list for Level 1 Training.

• ​1 x Kit Bag (We suggest your bag is no more than 90 litres and should be soft - not a suitcase! You shouldn't be filling a 90L bag! 70 litres is a good size and should also do you for the race. A bag with rucksack straps makes for easier travelling when on foot or transferring from airports, etc. Waterproof is a good idea - but certainly not essential. A separate zipped up area for laundry is useful).
• 1 x Washbag (If it has a hook to hang it up in the showers ashore, so much the better. Consider packing breath mints and aerosol deodorant. Even if you don't need the breath mints you can always offer them to more needy souls and aerosol deodorant is known in the industry as 'a shower in a can' and, apparently, a 'pommy shower' if you are a 'colonial type'...)
• 1 x Towel (A chamois style travel towel makes for a less smelly environment below decks! Remember, there may be 12 on board - and 20+ on the race itself).
• 2 x Clothes pegs (For airing out towel on deck - saves it blowing away).
• 1 x Sleeping Bag (Again synthetic is best but for L1 Training a warm sleeping bag of any type will be fine.  There are specialist marine sleeping bags on the market, made by Ocean Sleepwear in the UK. For training, you can hire a freshly laundered Ocean bag from us. 
• 1 x Pillow  A synthetic is best. Down will absorb moisture and mould.
• 1 x Woolie Hat / Polartec Beanie / Sealskinz waterproof beanie
• 1 x Sun Hat    We do have sun in the UK sometimes! When it is sunny, a sun hat is useful. As with skiing, the sun on water intensifies the effect.
• 1 x Sun Cream x 1 factor 50+
• 1 x Lip Salve x 1 with UV protection
• 1 x Sunglasses if you wear glasses it's worth considering prescription lenses. Also some 'croakies' to keep them on your head!
• 6 x pairs underwear for training, nothing special. For the race I recommend merino wool. Icebreaker are good. I used 5 x pairs for RTW. A pair per week at sea! They are quick drying, comfortable, don't 'bunch' when wet (when you get a wet bum on the rail) and they resist odour well. Which is good.
• 6 x pairs of Socks  A medium weight ski sock plus normal cotton socks are fine for training. Merino wool socks and a pair of Sealskinz are useful for the race.
• 6 x T Shirts / Base Layer Tops.  For training cotton T Shirts are fine but synthetic fast-wicking shirts (base layers) are essential for the race. Bamboo and icebreaker make good base layers. Henri Lloyd, Musto, Gill and various other brands (including non-sailing brands) will also suffice.
• 1 or 2 x pairs quick drying Trousers    A pair of walking or hiking trousers will work well and if they zip down to shorts - all the better.
• 1 x pair shorts (in summer). Again, synthetic material is fast wicking and best.
• 2 x Fleece tops (One lightweight and one heavy weight for the winter months and night sailing).
• 1 x Lightweight waterproof jacket (Your Clipper Lightweight is perfect)
• 1 x Casual Shirt & Trousers  (In case you get to go to the pub..)
• 1 x pair of sailing Boots (In our opinion, by far the best best boots for cold legs and RTW crew are Le Chameau Neptune. They are warm, dry, bullet proof tough and do a great job! If you subsequently buy or hire a pair for the race we'll give you back 50% of the hire fee you paid for training!
• 1 x Passport (In case you get boarded by Border Patrol)
• Seasickness medication / remedy (if you suffer)
• 1 x pair of Deck Shoes (Trainers are OK for training if you are on a budget but in that case bring spares in case they get wet!)
• 1 x Head Torch with a red lens. (Especially useful on L2 onwards  for night passages).
• Next of Kin Details
• 1 x Clipper Training Wet Notes (Ask the office for them).
• Make sure Clipper have all your paperwork & you've paid !

​​
Other useful stuff to consider:
​

• 1 or 2 pairs of Gloves (As a regular sailor, my hands are pretty tough, but some like having a pair of sailing gloves to protect them from calluses, etc. A pair of sailing gloves with chamois/leather palms and fingerless tips is useful for this and still allows rope handling. For cold hands, consider warm, waterproof mittens, although nothing works great in the depths of the Southern Ocean, except, perhaps, rubber frozen meat packers gloves). For most conditions, Sealskinz winter mittens will do a good job, especially when worn with merino wool under-mittens.
• Knee pads - for sliding around on the foredeck in rough weather - spinlock are good.
• 1 x Sailing Safety Knife (Handy but not essential L1. We recommend the Gerber EZ Knife - with blunt nose. It's blunt ended (so you don't stab anyone) but has a very effective and super sharp cutting blade which is needed if you have to cut the rope (spectra core) on a Clipper yacht. Lanyard it to your life jacket so you don't lose it.
• 1 x Multi tool (Handy but not essential L1). The Gerber is good value, or the Leatherman Wave is the industry standard. The knife on a multi-tool isn't really good enough to cut thick spectra in a hurry - hence the safety knife.
• 1 x Dry Bag (5L or 10L dry bag is useful for organising stuff. Use a mini carabiner and clip it to your bunk and use as a place to keep your deck stuff - like knife, headtorch, etc.
• 1 x Snood / Buff / Scarf  (Great for keeping your neck insulated - acts as a gasket and stops water going down your neck!).
• Ear Plugs (To combat the snorers)!
• 1 x Note Book and pen (For making notes at the end of the day).
• 1 x RYA Sailing Logbook & Syllabus Useful and needed for logging personal miles if you continue sailing and want qualifications later.
• Next of Kin Details
• Personal Insurance
• Sudocrem cream (for the race) - yachtie botty
• Wet wipes (small pack) in case you go offshore overnight (your personal hygeine saviour).