Holiday Gift Ideas for the Avid Sailor
by BW Media on 13 Dec 2008
Whether a sailor is just starting, or is a veteran, there’ll be something here to appeal SW
With the holidays fast approaching, the here are some gift suggestions for the friends and families of sailors. They tend towards the safety end of the spectrum, but there's a gift for all budgets, and they're all good ideas:
Signaling kit:
Buy a standard one, or make up your own. If you make up your own, you'll need to think about a mirror, some flares (that might need some research, a whistle, a torch or some other form of light, and an air horn, preferably with a pump.
Nautical charts:
Obviously you will need to know what charts the sailor already has, or maybe you know where the sailor dreams of going in the future. It could just be that the gift of the right chart will spur some activity to make the dream come true.
Submersible, hand-held VHF radio:
These are excellent additional items for any sailor to have. When you're on the water, to be able to speak to the other boats around, even when you're not on one yourself, is an excellent communication tool. When someone goes off in a dinghy those left on the boat know they can be contacted at any time.
Dry/Wet Suit: Even if you don't normally use one of these for diving or swimming in cold water, you never know when the need might arise for such difficult tasks as freeing a net from around the prop. If the water is cold, a wet dry suit can make the task much easier.
Sailing gloves:
Always a welcome gift - they wear out, they disappear. There's no sailor that doesn't welcome a new pair of sailing gloves. But do look at the ones that sailor is wearing now. They either come full fingered, with the thumb and forefinger exposed for detailed work, or with all fingers and the thumb exposed. It's a personal choice, so it's best to get it right
Emergency position indicating radio beacon:
This is quite a gift to receive, so you'd need to make sure the boat doesn't already have one.
Personal locator beacon:
If someone goes sailing, and doesn't have one, they should - a marvellous gift.
First aid kit:
If the boat doesn't have one, then it should. Even a very small boat can have one tucked in a locker space somewhere.
Sailing or Boater Education Course:
If your sailor is very new to the game, maybe you can find a sailing course, or a boater education course that will suit. No matter what country you are in, you will be able to find courses locally by searching the net.
Marine supply stores and sporting retailers in all countries carry an extensive array of equipment and merchandise, however, for one member of the US Coast Guard, Al Johnson, the recreational boating specialist for the First Coast Guard District, the number one gift recommendation is a Coast Guard approved life jacket.
'There are a wide variety of life jackets that serve the demands of every on-water activity,' said Johnson. 'Whether the gift recipient is an round world sailor or a day cruiser, there's a comfortable, easy-to-wear life jacket to meet their needs.'
The First Coast Guard District, covering an area in the north east of the USA, has suffered the loss of 54 recreational boaters and paddlers this year. Only one person was wearing a life jacket.
'A life jacket isn't guaranteed to save your life,' said Johnson, 'but it is guaranteed to greatly improve your chance for survival if there's a capsizing or a fall overboard, which account for over 80 percent of recreational boating and paddling fatalities in the Northeast.'
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