I recently lost a very close friend to a form of skin cancer. He was a land surveyor and spent a lot of time in the sun.Ian and I matriculated together in 1974.He was anti Doctor,hard headed and I am afraid didn’t look after himself very well .We all thought him to be very bullet proof.
What is the best sunscreen for sailing? Scuttlebutt asked some of the people who are regularly on the water. America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts uses whatever his wife gives him, and Olympic Gold Medalist Anna Tunnicliffe finds success with most everything that is 50+ SPF and waterproof. Here is some of the other feedback we received:
* Greg Fisher, J/22 World Champion: “I like Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 55 sun block as it is less sticky and doesn’t burn the eyes as readily as some of the other stuff. It’s not totally waterproof but I’ve been told that you need to reapply every few hours anyway for any sunscreen to remain effective. I’ve tried some other sunscreens that claim to have “anti-wrinkle” properties. They don’t seem to have quite the screen qualities as the Neutrogena nor do they seem to actually turn back the clock on what the sun has already accomplished!”
* Paige Railey, 2006 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year: “I use a sunscreen called Roc for babies. The reason I prefer it is because it’s a mineral cream. I always wear rashguards so the only thing exposed to the sun is my face. The sunscreen is so thick that it makes my skin white. It looks like I wear zinc on my face. When it starts to wear off then the color will start to fade. So I reapply. This is the reason why I look like a ghost in all of my pictures. I use the same for my lips. I need to protect them because when I was younger I never cared for them so now I have had two spots removed. Let’s say I take the sun very seriously!”
* Zach Railey, 2008 Olympic Finn Silver Medalist: “I use sunscreen called Ocean Potion. SPF 30. It is very waterproof and also sweat proof for hot weather. I think it was originally designed for surfers.”
In my younger days I hated sunscreen,but today use regularly. Times have changed,I urge you to make it part of your kit – no excuses.
owen