[Stevie Bain (OP)]

Ronnie says:

I read that sailors exposed to continuous rain on open boats dip their clothes in sea water after the rain has stopped so that they will dry quicker. Is it correct that seawater dries out more quickly than rain water?

Can you help?

[alancalverd]

It would be surprising if true. Adding solutes to any liquid generally increases the boiling point so you would expect a salt solution to evaporate more slowly than fresh water. And the solutes in seawater are hygroscopic, so the resultant matrix would always feel damp in ambient air.

However wool is funny stuff and it is just possible that adding salt to wet wool might shrink the fibres and squeeze out capillary water.

It's also possible that the story arose in a warmer climate than the UK. Around here the rain is often warmer than the sea, but the opposite will be true in the tropics.

[chris]

I'm with Alan. I cannot see how salt water would dry more rapidly. In fact, during my sailing days, we were emphatic that we rinsed out all clothing with fresh water, even if it made the clothes initially wetter, after we'd been out on the water all day, because they would never dry otherwise (unless you left them in direct, hot sunlight of course). And, left unrinsed, the salt-encrusted material would attract water readily, making the clothes feel damp again.