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Best Christmas gifts for sailors: Our top tested gear and boating books of 2021
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Stuck for a Christmas gift idea for the sailor in your life? We choose the best Christmas gifts for sailors which are guaranteed to put a smile on their face on 25 December
The best Christmas gifts for sailors – as chosen by the Yachting Monthly team!
We have searched through our best-on test boating gear of 2021 to pick the perfect gift for the sailor in your life.
Best Christmas books for sailors
The Complete Yachtmaster (10th edition)
This is the book for people who plan to cruise under sail – perhaps manage whole passages without motoring!
With so many books offering to help people pass exams or travel confidently from marina to marina, it is so refreshing to open a book that puts sail-handling first.
Not that Tom Cunliffe is anti-engine or anti-modern navigational systems.
He is enthusiastic for them all, but nothing exceeds ‘the mystical pleasure that flows from the way a sailing craft converts the passing air into forward motion.’ Quite.
This isn’t a comprehensive book but it’s an invaluable one.
As well as teaching new skills and revising old ones, it will also encourage skippers to reflect on their own practice, priorities and sailing pleasure.
The Complete Yachtmaster (10th edition) by Tom Cunliffe (Adlard Coles, RRP £25)
Buy The Complete Yachtmaster from Amazon (UK)
Buy The Complete Yachtmaster from Amazon (US)
Sail the British Isles: A cruising guide to the UK and Ireland
From the makers of Yachting Monthly, this cruising guide contains 30 of the best harbours and anchorages around the UK and Ireland, written by local experts, all of whom regularly contribute to YM, including our literary reviewer Julia Jones and pilot guide author Norman Kean.
Given that the coastlines of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England are together amongst the longest in Europe, they offer a dazzling variety of bays and headlands, islands, beaches and rivers.
You don’t have to venture far to find a picturesque harbour from which to base your cruise.
These harbours are worth exploring in their own right, with centuries of history, stunning landscapes and vibrant waterside communities to discover, or you can spread your wings to find quieter spots away from it all.
Sail the British Isles: A cruising guide to the UK and Ireland (Future Plc, £12.99)
Buy Sail the British Isles: A cruising guide to the UK and Ireland here
Best Christmas gifts for sailors under £100
Yachting Monthly Subscription
Subscribe to Yachting Monthly from just £3 and save 60% for three issues, and thereafter a rolling subscription of £27.49 every six months/six issues.
Enjoy the luxury of home delivery, for less than you pay in the shops, and never miss an issue.
Get the latest subscription deals at www.magazinesdirect.com
Tribord Floating Sunglasses Polarised UV Protection
Decathlon’s designers have developed these Tribord glasses for sailing and nautical activities.
Floating glasses with polarised category-3 lenses for 100% UV protection filter out glare from the surface of the water.
Practical if dropped, they float.
The wraparound style protects your eyes from all directions.
Available in black with electric blue lenses or with petrol blue frames and matt black lenses.
RRP: £35
Buy the Tribord Floating Sunglasses Polarised UV Protection from Decathlon
Revolve Rolatube Rollable Extendable Boat Hook
This innovation rolls down to the size of a coffee cup – in the manner of a snap bracelet – with the hook slotting inside.
It can be stowed in a drawer or fender locker, then quickly extended and the top attached; locking into a robust pole.
Made from a plastic composite that is recyclable at end of life, the manufacturer uses longer versions of the design to create communication masts with built-in radio antenna; or motorised models with cameras attached for inspecting nuclear reactor cores.
RRP £60
Buy the Revolve Rolatube Rollable Extendable Boat Hook from Revolve
Orca Bay Sandusky Leather Deck Shoes
Featuring a machine washable Nubuck upper and off-white rubber siped sole, that is non-slip and non-marking, this is a comfortable but stylish deck shoe from Orca Bay.
Other features include a cushioned EVA heel cup; hand stitching; rawhide leather lace and rustproof eyelets.
When washing, the technique is to put the shoes into a washing bag or pillow case, use a mild detergent – Maximum 30 degrees.
After washing, stuff with paper to retain shape and allow to dry naturally.
Available in a range of colour options, and both men’s and women’s versions.
RRP £79
Buy the Orca Bay Sandusky Leather Deck Shoes from Amazon UK
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Best Christmas gifts for sailors from £100-£500
Baltic Safety Athena Women’s Fitted Lifejacket
An inflatable lifejacket developed to achieve the best possible fit for women.
Placing the 33G CO auto inflation valve horizontally under the bust gives the slimline lifejacket a better fit.
This neat and flexible 165N jacket is fully adjustable. It comes with padding for extra comfort and an airy mesh lining.
Athena is also lightweight, easy to put on – you don’t have to thread it over your head – and easily closed with Velcro and a quick-release buckle.
Available in one size for 40-120kg, and a chest width of 70-140cm.
Colour options: white/pink, navy/white, and black/grey.
RRP £149
www.baltic.se
Buy the Baltic Safety Athena Women’s Fitted Lifejacket from Crew Safe
Lewmar Epsilon Winged Anchor
Lewmar’s Epsilon anchor, awarded Super High Holding Power certification by Lloyd’s Register, boasts a unique winged design with a concaved fluke and ballast-tipped keel.
It has the same self-righting geometry as its predecessor the Delta, with self-launching characteristics and a sleek bow profile.
For 20-90ft yachts. In galvanised or stainless steel.
RRP From £168
Buy the Lewmar Epsilon winged anchor from Marine Superstore
ACR Resqlink 400 406MHZ GPS Buoyant PLB
Small but resilient, the ResQLink 400 is a buoyant Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) that does not require any subscription for use and fits into the palm of your hands.
With three levels of integrated signal technology – GPS positioning, a powerful 406 MHz signal, and 121.5 MHz homing capability – the ResQLink 400 quickly and accurately relays your position to a worldwide network of search and rescue satellites.
Additionally, a built-in strobe and infrared strobe facilitate night-time, or other low visibility, rescues.
The ResQLink 400 is easily activated in an emergency situation: deploy the antenna, press the on button, and the beacon will guide rescuers to within 100 metres or less of your position.
The unit is supplied with multifunction clips.
Features include a multi-constellation GPS receiver (GPS & Galileo GNSS); Strobe and Infrared Strobe; 5 year battery life; 24+ hours Operational Life; Self Test & GPS Test function.
From £280
Buy the ACR Resqlink 400 406MHZ GPS Buoyant PLB from Amazon UK
Buy the ACR Resqlink 400 406MHZ GPS Buoyant PLB from West Marine
Best Christmas gifts for sailors from £500-£3,500
Musto MPX Gortex Offshore Oilskins
The Musto MPX Collection was improved with an updated fit for 2021, with the jacket getting a darted sleeve construction for enhanced articulation, whilst the trousers were redesigned with a 200g reduction in weight.
Articulated knee and seat reinforcements combine a full spectrum of motion with enhanced durability.
Constructed from cutting-edge 3-layer GORE-TEX Pro fabric for remarkable waterproof, windproof and durable protection, that’s also incredibly breathable to keep you comfortable in all weather.
The jacket features a heat retentive grid fleece lined funnel and hood pod with a highly protective, adjustable spume.
These offshore waterproofs are available in black, blue, red and ‘platinum’ grey.
RRP: Jacket £600
Trousers £425
Buy the Musto MPX Gortex Offshore Oilskins from Musto
Garmin Quatix 6 Solar Sailing Smartwatch
Garmin’s Quatix 6X marine GPS smartwatch is essentially a Multifunction Display for your wrist.
Solar charging capability extends battery life on its 1.4-inch display to 24 days.
Extensive features include heart rate monitoring, GPS navigation and tracking plus altimeter, barometer and compass-sensor capabilities.
Compatible with Garmin chartplotters and other devices it offers autopilot control, data streaming, waypoint marking, and Fusion-Link entertainment control.
The Quatix 6X also supports optional BlueChart g3 charts with Navionics data. In titanium.
RRP £1,000
Buy the Garmin’s Quatix 6X marine GPS smartwatch from Garmin
B&G Nemesis Intelligent Sailing Data
Navico’s B&G Nemesis is an intelligent sailing data display offering unparalleled visibility, with complete customisation or easy to use pre-set multi-function templates and automatic dashboards based on the point of sail.
It can be controlled via the touch screen or from an Apple Watch; has an easy to use drag & drop editor for full customisation; plus a wide choice of digital data displays including graphical gauges, SailSteer, tank levels, IP camera views, histograms and images.
Automatic context modes include: Upwind, Reaching, Downwind, Pre-start.
The bright IPS SolarMax HD touch screen has ‘super-wide’ viewing angles that can be seen from anywhere on-board, even whilst wearing polarised sunglasses, plus adjustable data sizes, palettes and backlighting; it is portrait or landscape mountable; and works with Ethernet and/or NMEA 2000 connectivity for complete data customisation.
RRP £3,260
Buy B&G Nemesis Intelligent Sailing Data from B&G
Can’t find what you are looking for? Head to Amazon UK for more sailing products
Yachting Monthly is not paid by manufacturers for our recommendations. If you click through and buy an item, we may receive a small amount of money from the retailer, at no cost to you.*
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