Sailing Hats FAQs
Headband or beanie for winter dinghy sailing?
Headband, for most people. A fleece lined headband covers your ears and the back of your neck, which is where you lose heat, and it stays on when you capsize because there is nothing for the water to grab. A beanie is warmer on the top of your head, but it soaks up water, drips down your neck and often comes off in a swim. Buy a beanie for the dinghy park and the rib, a headband for the boat.
Will a sailing cap stay on in a dinghy?
Only with a retainer cord. A cap or visor with an adjustable strap will stay on in a steady breeze, but one hard gybe or a dunking and it is floating away behind you. Clip it to your buoyancy aid or collar with a retainer, or choose a visor with an elasticated back, which grips better than a buckle. White or pale colours stay cooler on a hot day than navy or black.
When is a balaclava worth it?
Frostbite racing from December to February, especially if you sail somewhere exposed. A balaclava covers your ears, neck and most of your face, and takes the sting out of a cold beat to windward in a northerly. For the rest of the year it is too much, and a headband with a neck gaiter does the same job with more flexibility. If you only buy one winter item, make it the headband.
Do sailing hats keep the sun off properly?
A cap or visor shades your face and eyes, which is most of what matters on the water. Neither protects the back of your neck, which is where dinghy sailors burn, because you spend the day looking forward with your neck to the sun. Add a UV neck sleeve or use sunscreen on the back of your neck and ears. Sunglasses with a retainer cord finish the job. See our sailing sunglasses.
How should I wash a fleece sailing hat?
Rinse it in fresh water after every sail, then hang it to dry away from a radiator. Salt left in the fleece makes it stiff and stops it insulating. Every few weeks, wash it with wetsuit shampoo or a mild detergent in cool water and never put it in a tumble dryer, which flattens the fleece. Treated this way, a headband lasts several seasons.
