Firstly, as I mentioned, you won't believe how cold you could be after four hours out in the open in Arctic or Antarctic conditions, sitting still in the wind, on watch. Find out what the watchkeeping conditions are like. Open cockpit? Or in the shelter of a pilot house (best) or dodger (better than nothing)? Huge difference. Will you be hand-steering, with a watch partner, for four hours? The activity will help keep you warm, but you might be very exposed.

Sailing boots need to be easy to pull on and off, with roomy toe boxes. No lace ups. You need to be able to kick them off if you fall overboard. Say goodbye to that costly investment! They need to have finely divided, non-marking, grippy rubber soles, to avoid slipping on deck. Roominess in the toe box will help with circulation and warmth. They are not for wearing on shore, as they will pick up millions of little stones in the fine treads, which will rip up the boat's deck, interior sole or beautiful teak. You'll put your boots up on the furniture inside to brace yourself, ripping that fine woodwork to shreds. Eek! Hiking boots will do the same, just with bigger stones. Not a good way to make friends with the owner! So you want shoes or boots for on-board use exclusively, and other shoes or boots for wearing to shore, switching at the gangway. Dubarry make good sailing boots. So do Zhik and Musto. Expensive - all of them. There's a reason why sailing is for wealthy people, other than those who are bumming around the warm Bahamas in threadbare shorts, a T-shirt and bare feet.

Some people like double socks with their sailing boots, but not me. I'm of the view that one thick, wool-rich pair is best, with room for air movement and wiggling toes. I've tried foot-warmer heat pads but found them to be too bloody hot! Hand warmer packs are excellent, resting in your jacket pocket for holding whenever possible. For this you want a jacket that has hand-warmer pockets - hence the HH Aegir Race jackets I mentioned.

I tried nine different kinds of gloves before concluding that they all get wet and bare hands works best. Simply dry them with a small towel before putting them into a warm dry pocket, with the aforementioned heat packs. In the Arctic I can be warm for the first two hours out in the cockpit, then it's a matter of how cold I'll get in the next two hours. Other people will still be warm after four hours. It's a very individual thing and varies with age, metabolism, mood, sleep cycles, mealtimes, etc. You might find yourself devouring a whole family block of chocolate, to help fill your tummy and get warm. Don't be shy about it - it helps, but hot food is better.

Talk to your hosts about approaches to seasickness. They might have rules you need to follow, such as testing any medications on land before embarking. My advice - try getting by with none. Keep your head level at all times. Do not look down. If you need to piss, find your willy by feel, not sight. Or ask a new friend for help. Do not look down! :-)

Let me know if you have other questions. My first sailing experience ever was into the Arctic, specifically to learn as much as I could before choosing a sailboat.