Dear readers,
Honestly, when was the last time you had your sea boots in your hands? For me, it was in the first hours of the Baltic storm surge, when the water started to wash over the jetty. That's right, it was over two years ago. When I dug my boots out of the furthest corner of the oil locker and put them on, I immediately realised when I took my first step in the cool water that my sea boots were no longer waterproof. The water quickly rose so high that the only way to the boat was with the dinghy. The sea boots were so broken that I could only throw them away. But they had only been used a little.
I think that's how many sailors feel about their sea boots. Rough footwear is only used a few days a year. Even after years, the boots usually still look very good, but the deterioration takes place behind closed cupboard doors. The plasticisers evaporate from the soles and the rubber becomes brittle. If the boots are then worn again after a long time, the sole breaks with the first few steps and water seeps through the cracks. This is very annoying when you thought the clunky foot warmers were still in perfect condition.
In this situation, you have to live with wet feet. Replacements are very expensive, a pair of Dubarry sailing boots costs 370 euros. That's why I haven't bought any new ones. On the few trips in spring where boots are necessary, I now simply wear wellies with thick socks. As the season progresses, I no longer mind wet feet. I always have two pairs of boat shoes with me, so at least I have a dry pair of shoes at the end of a wet trip. Everything is fine.
However, I'm still wondering whether I should buy a new pair of sea boots? The particularly non-slip sole, breathability and additional protection for the toes and ankles are clear advantages over rubber boots. However, sea boots also take a long time to dry once soaked on the outside, which is where rubber boots have the edge. And in my opinion, the purchase is not worthwhile for the few uses. I don't sail in winter or in particularly icy areas. And then it's annoying when such an expensive piece of equipment wears out almost unused.
To research an article, I recently took a pair of Henri Llyod sailing boots that were well over ten years old to a shoemaker for a repair: the soles were brittle and extremely slippery, but the boots were otherwise in good condition. The expert's diagnosis: a repair would only be possible if the matching sole could be found as a spare part. This is moulded to the boot in such a way that a standard part would not fit as a replacement. The enquiry to the manufacturer only confirmed the fear that it would not be possible to get a replacement after such a long time. The boots were a total loss. Now I also understand why some sailors combine shorts and boots in pleasant temperatures: If you simply wear the boots more often, even when it's not cold, you at least have the good feeling of having used them a lot when their inevitable end has come.
Michael Rinck
YACHT editor
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