Merchandise & How to Dress for our Activities

Show your colours - UBC Sailing Club gear

The UBC Sailing Club offers wetsuits to members at wholesale prices, along with club hats and shirts.
If you can't find your size, would like an item that is no longer in stock, or would like a new item with UBC Sailing Club branding, let us know! We do our best to stock/re-stock as needed.

What to wear

Regardless of where you get your gear, below is important guidance on ensuring it's well suited for conditions. This is important to prevent the dangers of hypothermia and keep your time on the water fun and enjoyable.

Wetsuits are mandatory for our lessons (except for the SUP orientation), and for all of our activities in the spring before June 1 and in the fall and winter after October 1.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are dressed well enough to not get cold. Dinghy sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, SUP, carry the risk of being sprayed, falling in the water, then being exposed to the wind. The water in English Bay never really gets warm, and even in the summer you may suffer from hypothermia if you are not suitably equipped.

Test your gear: go waddle in the water at Locarno beach for a couple of minutes, including fully submersed at some point, then come up and stand on the shore for 10 minutes or so. Feeling cold just reading this? You likely need to dress better.

Most of our members wear a wetsuit or dry suit year-round, in addition to booties, gloves, and head gear. Many of our intrepid windsurfers have a thick wetsuit with a neoprene hood and are able to stay warm on the water in our winter storms.

From head to toe, we recommend you wear:

• toque, neoprene hood, or hat, depending on the conditions
• sunglasses with a strap to secure them
• SPF 60+ sunscreen on any exposed skin
• full-body 4/3mm wetsuit (such as the ones sold on this page)
• gloves; note that sailing gloves are reinforced to withstand the friction of the sheets, while windsurfing gloves are open-palm for better grip on the boom
• neoprene booties; not only they keep you warm, but also minimize injury when walking around the yard or on rocks/concrete/shells hidden underwater

Options for extra warmth:

• base layers: extra neoprene or wool (does not get cold when wet);
• on the water, do not wear cotton which will stay soaked and heavy or quick-dry sportwear: the fast evaporation will cool you down even faster
• outer layer: windbreaker, spray top and/or spray pants

Locally: such gear can be found at MEC or at surf stores near W4th Ave and Burrard,

Online: Decathlon.ca usually offers good value for sunglasses, booties and gloves, among other equipment

Statistics for Seawater temperature, Air temperature, Wind speed/direction at English Bay