I probably won't mention brand names, but that's because I don't pay attention to them.
Our foul weather gear is not expensive stuff, because when we started out we (a) didn't expect to be out for 20 years, and (
we are both CHEAP! The first foul weather jackets and pants that we bought in 1985 are still going strong. They were bought in Boston, and are good for cold weather. Then Peter stopped into a Filene's Basement and found a ! ! ! BROOKS BROTHERS ! ! jacket at a VERY good price. I think because the button-down executive types who normally shopped in Brooks Brothers were not the market for a foul weather jacket
. That, too, is still with us.
Finally, we needed something much lighter, and again found in Filene's Basement (or perhaps Sym's) two Gore-Tex jackets that have served us very well on both land and sea. I love the Gore-tex - it really does breathe, so you don't get all sweaty and clammy in it. You don't have to shop in a marine store for these things. The same needs apply to campers and hikers.
You want it to be roomy enough that you can wear layers of clothes underneath it. My favorite layers are a silk long-sleeve turtleneck (exceptionally light) underneath other shirts, topped off by a zipper front hooded sweatshirt.
I do encourage that you get something that is not a designer color, and that has reflective material on it. Bright yellow or pink
are more appropriate colors for something you want to be seen in if you fall overboard. White is going to blend in with the whitecaps of rough seas. Blue and green, same problem.
I have lots of foul language for the cruise ships circling offshore all night long so that they can extract as much money as possible from the gambling tables.
The Bahamas is the most expensive place to cruise right now (though the Seychelles used to be the highway robbers of the cruising world). Most places in the Caribbean charge very little. The biggest problem is that no information you collect now is going to be very accurate even two or three years from now. I would suggest, though, that the further you are from easy accessibility by US cruising boats, the cheaper it will be. Americans are rich, you know, and so can afford to pay extortion.
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