Dressing for the Arctic - 73° 23' 38" N 80° 545' 45" W

We have been asked a number of times what we are wearing to keep warm in the Arctic - so here is:

Dressing for the Arctic 101!

We have found the temperatures to be quite mild.  We have yet to experience anything below zero but being wet and humid is what takes the toll.  Fortunately, we have not had a lot of rain.  We had some on the trip across from Newfoundland to Greenland but we were able to do most of the watch keeping from inside so we didn’t often get wet. 

Rainy and cold but snug and warm below.  Our onboard lifeguard kept us safe!

In Aasiaat, we have a lot of rain.  Tucked up at the dock, we could generally choose when we ventured out which saved us from a soaking.

When you don't have to go ashore, sometimes pyjamas and slippers are all that is needed!

We are currently experiencing dry, cool conditions which are relatively easy to dress for.  And we do have all the right clothes.  We did a lot of research prior to leaving because what we need here (north of the Arctic Circle) is different from the cold Rocky Mountain winters or those of dank, wet southern England. One of the key things is having waterproof outer layers.  

Most of our ski gear will not keep us warm after a good soaking. We consulted an expert in the field - Jerry Kobalenko. He generously shared his substantial experience of arctic travel and gave us some excellent suggestions on what we would need. 

Light down parka, close-fitting vest (layering), warm rubber boots, lot of layers in other ways: wristlets, liner gloves, gloves, waterproof over-mitts. Balaclavas are the world’s dorkiest headwear but very warm as a 1st or 2nd layer. Basically, I bring 4-5 sets of hand-wear and about the same for headwear, for different conditions.

So this is what we have and we are generally warm enough.

Hands:

Left to right - sailing gloves, hardware store legends, fisherman gloves and the big guns!

• Our full-fingered sailing gloves give us good dexterity but do not keep our hands particularly warm. They work well for doing a quick job but simply are not warm enough for a full watch.  
• We bought marvellous bright orange waterproof workers’ gloves at a hardware store in England.   They give us a medium amount of warmth and we are able to work winches and lines wearing them. The gloves also work on the touch screen (most of the time!) so we don’t have to pull them on and off when checking the instruments. Their downside is they are hard to get on and off if your hands are a bit clammy.  
• We have thermal, waterproof fishing gloves bought at a professional fishing store in St John’s.  They are warm and keep your hands dry but are a bit oversized for working lines etc.  They are great when helming and are easy to slip on and off.
• Finally, we have the big guns - the waterproof mitts!  These we bought in an outdoor store in Nuuk.  They keep our hands very warm but, other than helming, we cannot do much wearing them.  

And when all else fails, a warm cup of sweet tea clutched in your hands works wonders.

Heads:

The dorky Tilleys, caps XC ski hats, toques Buffs, neck warmers, glasses and ski goggles

The world’s second dorkiest headwear must be the Tilley hat!  However, they are an absolutely brilliant sun hat that stay on your head even in the stiffest of breezes.  So, ours are packed and have been surprisingly well worn.  We also included a couple of caps and thin cross-country ski hats to wear as base layers under our super warm toques (beanies).  I have a double layer Alpaca wool torque that my sister, Wendy, knitted me.  Thanks Wends, it is very warm.  We have a handful of Buffs and neck tubes to stop the breezes and to wrap around our ears when it is very chilly.  For eye protection, we have polarised sunglasses, clear glasses and ski goggles.

Feet:

A variety of socks, our hut slippers and thermal, waterproof boots.

For our tootsies, our sock selection includes merino wool from Icebreaker, hand knitted, woollen socks from Ireland, long woollen fisherman socks and our heated socks from our stint as SnowHosts.  We pop our socked feet into an array of footwear.  Our hut slippers, or sleeping bags for our feet, spend a great deal of time out on deck.  They are wonderfully warm on those mild, sunny days when you can make do with a mere three layers under your foulies.  Not quite warm enough if the conditions are wet or particularly cold.  For the wet, cold days, we slip into our insulated sailing boots which do a great job, particularly when paired with heated socks!  For going ashore, we sport our hiking boots. 

Body:

Base layers - cosy, stretchy and wicking...

We have an array of base layers, mid layers and outer layers.  The base layer needs to be stretchy and not cotton - it should wick any perspiration away from the skin.  Running tights, XC ski pants or merino long underwear seem to work best for us.  

Mid layers - we need a few without zips!

The mid-layers are technical pants with pockets for hankies or snacks and a polar fleece long-sleeved jumper with a high collar that can be zipped up (outside) or down (when below in the galley or lounge).  The mid-layer must fit fairly close to your body so that it does not feel too bulky under the outer layer.

Puffers, gortex rain jackets and fancy pants off-shore foulies.

Our go-to outer layer is quite fancy - we knew the importance of this and so we lashed out and spared no expense.  Top-of-the-line Helly Hansen offshore foul weather gear with rubberised cuffs; waterproof zippers; pockets in all the right places; super-high, super-insulated collar with mouth-and-nose protective flap; brimmed-and-fitted hood in high-visibility, spot-me-in-the-water-first yellow.  This layer keeps us dry and does not allow the wind to penetrate.  If the air is particularly chilly, we can add an insulating second mid-layer of a puffer (synthetic down-fill) jacket overtop of the polar fleece.  This hasn’t failed us … even on a six hour watch shift in the cockpit.

Not glamorous, but warm!

Safety:

And of course, there is safety gear.  We wear a PFD or personal floatation device that inflates in the water to keep us afloat.  Within this is a personal locator beacon which will send an alarm to the boat should the PFD inflate.  This is tied into the boat's navigation system and will assist in a man-over-board being located quickly.  In these waters, this is crucial as in as little as 10 minutes, hyperthermia can set in. 

Let's hope we never have to wear one of these!

We also carry survival suits.  These will keep us alive in the cold water for a number of hours. We have them aboard and will put them on if the boat looks like it is about to sink - this is one piece of kit we hope never to need.

Our fashion sense may be lacking but we have the gear to keep us warm and safe while we embark on this amazing adventure!

Yep - a true fashion icon.