Below is an email from Ron, an avid sailor and racer from WA, and Ibex fan. It sure sounds like a lot of fun
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"BTW – if you’re interested, I think that one of the main areas I use Ibex stuff for is a pretty demanding application. I sail a Musto Skiff (www.mustoskiff.com) (actually I’m the North American importer, and also make gear recommendations for people who buy the boats, and I do recommend your folks stuff right now for our base layer) If you would like some input for product research I would be happy to help out.
The boat is a very physical / active boat, that keeps you at a quite high average heart rate, and so develops a lot of sweat. On top of that, I sail in the Puget Sound, Seattle area, where water temps are rarely up much above 50. I suppose some of your whitewater kayakers will have similar conditions, but we move around a lot more on the skiff, and need freedom of movement. We also tend to get a lot of cold water splashing on us from going through (or under J) waves … So the trick is to have something that keeps you regulated, and also warm when wet.
I’ve been combining your ribbies crew long sleeve base layer with a Zhik superwarm neoprene top. The wool goes under the neoprene. I even use that combo under the dry suit as my main warmth without bulk. I would be interested if you had any idea for a layer under the drysuit that might replace the Zhik, as the Zhik does promote sweating more than I would like. (But I find that most other middle layers I’ve tried do not do as well at keeping me warm with the amount of sweat that generates and stays under the dry suit) The ibex does make a huge contribution under the Zhik, even when it is quite soaked in sweat.
When I sail my trimaran I don’t use the Zhik, and actually a turtle neck version of your shirt (probably better without zip so it doesn’t puncture the dry suit seal) would be the best bet.
Thanks,
ron
For more info, please visit Sailing Anarchy's post on Ibex and what to wear under drytops when sailing.