The new Gill Grip Cloves are a great product.  These gloves are a nylon knit glove with a rubber grip material applied to the finger and palms.  The knit body of the glove wicks moisture off your skin and I think these are some of the more breathable gloves I have worn.  I like to cut the tip off of the index finger and thumb.   With a retail price of $5.99 you can afford to experiment with any kind of finger combination.  I wear the smallest size (Small), and could even go a size smaller in the thumb.

The Gill Women’s Navigator Shorts.  The fit is the one of the greatest  features of this short.  They fit like a nice pair of bermuda shorts.  My initial thought was  - finally, a  sailing short that fits my body and doesn’t make me look like I’m wearing a pair of men’s shorts.  I thought the pockets were adequate.  I wore the Charcoal color most of the time in Charleston and found they hid the dirt and grime a bit better then the Dune.  The other nice aspect of the fit of these shorts is that I could go to the apre’s events and still look cute.

The Surge Tee became a personal favorite.  It has a full UPF factor or 50+ which was a must for the Charleston sun.  The cap sleeves are cut in a flattering way and I found the combination of the Surge Tee and the Navigator shorts to be very comfortable and attractive.  I really like the white color and my immediate thought when I tried it on was that I should have ordered a couple more.

In Charleston, I chose to wear the KB1 Keelboat Racer Jacket in white.  Gill has designed two jackets for racing sport boats like the Melges 24 (or Laser SB 3, Melges 20, Melges 32, or Viper) where there’s plenty of boat speed to create water spray and opportunities to get wet. Some of the features that speak to this sport boat functionality are the adjustable PU cuffs.  Similar to a spray top where you can make a water-tight seal by closing the velcro cuff, this closure was key in keeping my torso dry in the spray. Again, the cut is more athletic then other brands I have tried.  So the jacket fits more closely through the torso and ends just at the flex point of the hip joint.  I found that fit to be very comfortable and allowed for easy movement.  The neck is lined with a very delightful fleece fabric that offers a sweet reprise from the big spray. I really like the color of the white jacket.  However, knowing the guys on my team I selected the black color option for them...

Sometimes I take an unconventional path towards a goal.  That’s always been my way of doing things - if it weren’t I would have stopped driving sail boats the first time someone told me “you really have to start sailing as a child to be good as an adult.”  So, when I heard about Gill’s new Waterproof Waist High Trouser, I immediately ordered a pair.  First off, they are actually waterproof!  I know from experience that it’s nearly impossible to find a true waterproof pull up trouser.  Typically clothing manufacturers offer a lower quality fabric in this style of pant.  But not Gill.  Why do I like the pull up style?  Well, it’s really a two-fold reason.  First off, I like to wear these on the borderline cold days.  The type of day when it’s very sunny with strong winds and the air temperature is quite a bit cooler then the sunshine.  On those days, pull up pants allow me to roll up the pant leg to a capri-length leg.  This, combined with the option of removing my jacket and having a cool torso allows me to control my temperature and still stay dry.  I said there were two reasons why l like pull up pants.  The second reason is that they allow for quick and easy trips to the “ladies' room” while on the water.  Believe me, when you are staying hydrated you make a lot of visits.

The conditions in Annapolis were quite different from Charleston.  We arrived to 47 degrees, rain, and wind.  Some teams who had also arrived early opted not to sail in the cold rain.  But not Team Brick House.  We hit the water and put both boats through their paces.  For the cold days in Annapolis I changed my Gill clothing formula.  Instead of the pull up trouser, I switched to the Gill Women’s OS2 Offshore Drop-seat.  The air temperature was cold to begin with.  Add in the wind chill and the storm cells and you had some fairly cold conditions in which to be sailing a sport boat.  The pants have a good weight to them and have some added insulation in the torso area due to the fleece lining of the chest pockets.  In fact, as the weather warmed over the following days, I wore the pants without a jacket and found it to be a nice option. The ankle closures were just tight enough to keep the cuff in place to prevent tripping on yourself. 

On the really cold day I opted to wear the KB1 Keelboat Racer Smock.  It is a very warm jacket option.  Using it in conjunction with the drop-seat feature of the trousers requires a bit of “maneuvering.”  I found that opening my life vest made that process easier.  I think my favorite feature of the smock is the collar with the hood.  That hood was a lifesaver in the really cold rain on our practice day.  Our team also appreciated the hoods when we were launching the boats in the rain.  On the slightly warmer days where the collar was not needed, we found it useful to place our life vests over the collar to keep them out of the way.  Having the ability to make the neck closure water-tight added to the versatility of the smock. 

There are many exciting Gill products.  See for yourself by visiting  their company web site by clicking here.