It’s that time of year again. What gift do you give to your sailor friends or family? Most chandleries don’t stock enough ribbon to tie a red bow around a Kraken Yacht! But they have got the stocking fillers to go with it.
The editorial team at Ocean Sailor have compiled their favourites…
1. AnchorRescue
By Scanmar internationa
Price: £349 / €391 / $465
With this device you do not have to rig a tripping line on your bower anchor. There is a lifting chain already attached to the anchor from the shank end to the crown. If the anchor is fouled the retrieval unit is dropped down the rode and connects automatically to the lifting chain, capsizing the anchor and enabling it to be lifted.
2. Thermal Rope Cutter
By marinetech
Price (FROM): £60 / €67 / $80
A great addition for any sailor looking to cut and splice onboard. The best way to prevent synthetic rope from fraying is to melt the ends, but everyone who has done it knows it’s a slow, messy, smelly operation that often results in flaming drips and burnt fingers. Instead, use this handheld heat gun, which cuts and seals the ends of synthetic rope in one quick operation.
3. Premium Bosun’s Chair
By West marine
Price: £113 / €126 / $150
Having the right bosun’s chair can make a huge difference in how quickly a job aloft is completed. The Premium Bosuns’ Chair features a sturdy 18″ wide 3/4″ plywood cored seat with a high-density foam pad to provide comfort. Strong tubular webbing straps are double stitched using contrasting thread to allow for quick and easy inspection. A large detachable bag holds tools and parts to free up both hands while ascending or descending the mast.
4. Soft shackles
By West marine
Price (FROM): £23 / €25 / $30
Superb alternative to conventional shackles. Light, strong, dependable, and useful for all sorts of applications where a stainless shackle would otherwise be employed. One end is a knot; the other end is an eye splice. Our conservative tests show breaking strength greater than the line itself. Dyneema SK-75 connectors are lighter, stronger than steel, and best of all, they are “soft” and kind to anything they attach to or bang into, including your head!
5. Solar Inflatable Lantern
By LUCI
Price: £15 / €17 / $20
Ideal for leaving on deck when you go ashore from a lonely anchorage. This find-your-way-back emergency light uses a rechargeable 350 mAh lithium-ion battery. It has 25 lumens, five modes including S.O.S, and lasts up to seven hours on a single charge. Lightweight and waterproof.
6. 9555 Portable Sat Phone
By Iridium
Price: £765 / €860 / $1020
Global coverage at your fingertips with this hand-held sat phone. Water and shock-resistant and similar in size to a regular cell phone. Ruggedly built with the ability to send texts to phones or email addresses. Also acts as a modem, connecting to the internet at 2.4kbp/s via your computer.
7. CrewWatcher®
By Weems & Plath
Price: £67 / €75 / $90
CrewWatcher is an app-based crew alarm system that is the fastest way to rescue a person who has fallen overboard. The system works like a virtual lifeline and is made up of two components; a smartphone application and a small beacon that can be comfortably worn by each crew. The beacon does not require complex manual activation. The alarm will trigger automatically in a Man Overboard (MOB) event. Should someone go overboard, after sounding the alarm, the app will automatically provide lat/long coordinates of the MOB event, the time of the event, and will visually guide the rescuer using the virtual MOB compass.
8. DECKVEST 6D
By Spinlock
Price (FROM): £230 / €291 / $369
Fully featured, lightweight, front opening lifejacket harness with automatic inflation and optional harness release system.
It can also be upgraded with a personal AIS / MOB device such as the Ocean Signal MOB1 which can purchased for an additional: £218 / €245 / $290.
9. inReach® Mini
By GARMIN
Price: £300 / €295 / $350
inReach Mini is your go-to connection for maintaining off-the-grid contact. Open up inReach and your phone to new capabilities by using the Earthmate® app. It’s the palm-sized satellite communicator for adventures where size and weight matter. Allows two-way messaging and location tracking/sharing to connect to the ones who matter. Weather downloads are also available. Subscriptions from £14.99 / $14.95 /mo (can be started and stopped at any time).
10. Sperry Multimeter
By marinco
Price (FROM): £53 / €59 / $70
It might be a very simple gift but a good voltmeter is an essential piece of equipment on any yacht. The Sperry Instruments 9-Function Digital Multimeter is capable of testing 4V-750V AC and 400mV -1000V DC current. This unit also measures AC/DC amps, frequency (10Hz-10MHz), capacitance (40nF, 400nF, 4µF, 40µF, 100µF), resistance (400, 4K, 40K, 400K, 4M, 40M) and continuity (audible), plus performs diode testing. There is also a relative delta function to display a change in readings and a low impedance function to trace ghost voltage.
11. Wave® + Multi Too
By Leatherman
Price: £75 / €83 / $100
There is a magnitude of multitools on the market but Leatherman really are the pioneers with Tim Leatherman’s Pocket Survival Tool. Leatherman themselves have many multitools for various applications, however, the Wave has been a staple of their line for many years.
12. Flipper Folding Winch Handle
By easysea
Price: £154 / €169 / 205
Flipper is the only foldable winch handle in the world; its unique characteristic lies in an innovative operation that allows it to be opened and closed through a patented system. This allows you to leave the crank closed on the winch while winding and releasing the rope, avoiding the risk of losing the crank at sea.
