Dear Joan,

I read with interest John Perry's article on clothing for dinghy sailing as I had intended to put pen to paper about my own solution to this problem which is totally different to John's. My first experience of sailing wear was similar to John's with the failure of the waterproofing after 2 or 3 seasons use as well as being uncomfortable for wearing over several hours. As it was also expensive I tried the cheap yellow waterproofs for several years. Verdict - uncomfortable and not windproof.

Two years ago I saw an advert for TRAX sailing gear made by Remploy and eventually tracked down the nearest supplier who turned out to be a dentist in Hadleigh, Suffolk. TRAX Is designed to be worn next to the skin, or over light underwear, and comprises a pile inner layer with a light nylon type windproof outer layer. Together they provide a windproof and waterproof garment. Actually it is not truly waterproof, although heavy rain and spray do not penetrate, for if you sit in a puddle you do get a wet bottom. The claim that is made for TRAX is that it dries quickly and that you remain warm and comfortable. I have found this to be true. The clothing is very soft and comfortable. I have not been cold in it even when sailing this October in pretty cold weather.

On that occasion I was wearing the standard clothing of boxer shorts, T-shirt, chest-high salopette and sailing shirt. If it gets even colder or wetter I also have a parka jacket, but I have only used that in heavy rain or on holiday when hill walking. My only problem has been getting too warm on occasions but there are numerous zipped ventilation openings and it does not suffer from condensation as the moisture is taken away from the body and dries in the wind. At the end of the day you can just put the whole lot into the washing machine and put out to dry - I find that on a rack indoors it dries overnight.

For me the TRAX sailing gear solves the problem of putting on and taking off waterproofs in a dinghy as the weather changes. I remain warm and comfortable over a wide range of conditions. It is very pleasant to put on when getting up early on a chilly wet morning. It has reduced the amount of clothing needed on a cruise as even if it is immersed in water the claim is that it is comfortable to wear after a few minutes. I have not tested this but intend to do so in a controlled way - therefore, except for shore going clothing an extra emergency set of clothing is unnecessary.

It cost me about £220 for the clothing which included a 20% discount off the advertised price. I hope my solution to sailing gear may be of interest to other dinghy cruisers.

Stanley Dean