The sailor beanie is first and foremost a working hat. Long before it became a town accessory, it was the wool hat that sailors and fishermen pulled down over their heads to stand watch on deck, in the wind and the spray. Here is where it comes from, why it is associated with the red pompom, and how to choose yours — virgin wool or merino blend, adult or child.
What is a sailor beanie?
A sailor beanie is a knitted wool hat with no peak, worn close to the head. It is also called a watch cap, because sailors wore it during the watch — the hours spent on lookout on deck. Its purpose is simple: keep the head and ears warm when the wind blows and everything is wet.
Hence its characteristics: a tight knit that cuts the wind, and wool, because it keeps you warm even when wet. The colours come from the same wardrobe as the sailor sweater — navy, ecru, red — and that is what has made it, ashore, a classic worn as readily in the harbour as in town.
What is the sailors' hat called?
Two pieces of headgear share the name, and they look nothing alike. The bachi is the uniform beret of the French Navy's ratings, recognisable by its red pompom. The watch cap is the everyday knitted hat of fishermen and yachtsmen.
When people talk today about a "Breton sailor beanie", it is almost always the second one they mean: a wool hat, plain or two-tone, with no frills. That is the one we knit in our workshop.
Why a pompom on the sailor's hat?
The red pompom belongs to the bachi, the uniform headgear of the French Navy. The most commonly told explanation is that it protected sailors' heads from the beams in the low-ceilinged between-decks of ships. It is a fine story, but hard to verify: what is certain is that the pompom became the distinctive sign of the French sailor — and popular tradition says that touching it brings good luck.
The knitted watch cap, for its part, is most often worn without a pompom: it is a working hat, tucked into a pocket or under a hood. If you are after the "matelot" spirit, it is the bachi; if you want a warm hat to wear all winter, it is the watch cap.
Virgin wool or merino blend: which beanie to choose?
For hard cold, wind and the seaside, choose virgin wool; for softness against the forehead and easy washing, choose the merino blend. Our sailor beanies come in both materials, and all of them are knitted in our workshop in Beaussais-sur-Mer.
One question comes up often: does it itch? Virgin wool can prickle on a sensitive forehead — one of our customers wrote to us, with humour, that his beanie "itches a little when you don't have much hair". The prickle depends on the fineness of the fibres, not on an allergy: we explain it in detail in our guide virgin wool or merino wool. If you are sensitive, the merino blend is the right choice.
How to wear a sailor beanie?
Pulled well down over the ears when it is cold, or sitting higher on the head in town. The sailor beanie is worn the way sailors wore it: simply, without striving for effect. Our adult models come in one size.
It goes naturally with a sailor sweater, a pea coat or an oilskin, and that is where the colours of the nautical wardrobe come into their own: an ecru or red beanie on a navy sweater, a navy beanie on a striped sweater. To choose the sweater to go with it — cut, material, collar — our sailor sweater buying guide covers everything point by point. And to discover the whole range, adult, child and baby: the sailor beanie collection.
How to wash a wool beanie?
As rarely as possible: wool is aired more than it is washed. A night in the open air is usually enough to freshen a beanie. When a wash is needed, follow the material:
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100% virgin wool beanie: machine wash cold or at 20 °C on the wool programme, inside out, spin at 800 rpm maximum, dry flat.
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Merino-blend beanie: machine wash on the wool programme at 30 °C, inside out, spin at 800 rpm maximum, dry flat.
In both cases, never use a tumble dryer: heat and friction are what make wool shrink. All the workshop's tips are gathered in our care advice.
Is a sailor beanie a good gift idea?
Yes, and it is one of the safest gifts there is: one size, no sizing mistake possible. Our customers confirm it: our pure wool sailor beanie is rated 4.8/5 from 13 reviews, our wool-blend beanie 5/5 from 12 reviews, and several of them mention having given it as a present.
It slips easily alongside a sailor sweater, or stands on its own for a sailor, a seaside walker or a child. Find our other ideas in the gift ideas selection.
Your questions
What is the sailors' hat called?
There is the bachi, the red-pompom uniform beret of French Navy ratings, and the watch cap, the knitted wool hat worn during the hours of lookout on deck. The "Breton sailor beanie" worn today is the heir of the watch cap.
Why is there a red pompom on the sailors' hat?
The red pompom adorns the bachi of the French Navy. It is said to have protected sailors' heads from the low beams of ships; the explanation is hard to verify, but the pompom became the distinctive sign of the French sailor, and touching it is said to bring good luck. The knitted watch cap is most often worn without a pompom.
Does a wool beanie itch?
It depends on the fineness of the wool and on each person's sensitivity. The prickle comes from the ends of the thickest fibres pressing on the skin; it is almost never an allergy. Virgin wool can prickle on a sensitive forehead; a finer merino wool blend is softer against the skin.
Can a sailor beanie be machine washed?
Yes. At Baie des Caps, the 100% virgin wool beanie is machine washed cold or at 20 °C on the wool programme, and the merino-blend beanie on the wool programme at 30 °C. In both cases: inside out, spin at 800 rpm maximum, dry flat and never tumble dry. Most of the time, airing the beanie is enough.
Is the sailor beanie available for children and babies?
Yes. Baie des Caps knits a children's sailor beanie and a baby beanie in 50% merino wool and 50% acrylic, soft against the skin and machine washable on the wool programme at 30 °C. The whole range is gathered in the sailor beanie collection.
Knitted and made in Beaussais-sur-Mer, Brittany, since 1986 — Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company). Our workshop is open to visitors.
