Best Christmas gifts for sailors: Our pick of the very best kit in 2022

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Creative Ropecraft: A treasure trove of knots, hitches, bends, plaits and netting

the updated edition of Creative Ropecraft: A treasure trove of knots, hitches, bends, plaits and netting by the late Stuart Grainger.

Now in colour for the first time, this compendium of all things knotty is a great collection of practical nautical knots and decorative rope work.

MSRP: $23.17

The Nautical Puzzle Book

How much do you really know about the oceans? The National Maritime Museum has packed this book with hundreds of questions and a mix of maps, world games and trivia. Available in hardback or Ebook form this stocking filler is designed to suit veteran sailors and armchair navigators alike.

MSRP: $19.99

A knot a day

With lockdowns and travel restrictions ongoing, what better time to further your skills? Nic Compton has set the tempting task of 365 different knot challenges for all ages and abilities, so you can hitch, bend, whip and splice your way through 2022 and maybe pick up some magic tricks on the way.

MSRP: $19.99

Rokk ultimate cable

If you’re going to get a waterproof case for your mobile device, you may want one of these charging cables too. The extra long (2m/6.5ft) and durable Ultimate cable is corrosion and tangle proof, and allows for waterproof phone charging when used with a compatible case.

RRP: £19.99

Buy it now on Rokkstore

Sealskinz waterproof hat

Keeping your head warm and dry is vital to enjoying winter sailing. This waterproof hi-vis Sealskinz Bobble hat looks like the ideal way of achieving that, while making sure you can be spotted easily. It is water and stain repellent, with a Teflon coated acrylic outer fabric and micro fleece inner lining.

MSRP: $40

Looking for a different style? Check out our guide to the best sailing hats on the market.

Dr Sails

If I were to recommend one piece of repair kit to carry aboard it would probably be this emergency epoxy adhesive. The fast curing epoxy can be used on sails plus most materials in virtually all conditions – including underwater – so it can even help patch a hole below the waterline. Watch the video here.

RRP: €15.75 for 10ml

Buy it now on eBay

Spinlock Essentials chest pack

Spinlock’s Essential Packs are snug fitting solutions for keeping accessories like a mobile phone, VHF, or personal EPIRB to hand on the water. They are available as belt, side or chest packs that attach with Velcro tie-downs, and neatly compliment Spinlock’s Deckvest 5D lifejacket.

RRP: £19.96

Sugru

Sugru is a new material that feels like play dough but acts like superglue and sticks to most objects and surfaces. It’s very user-friendly, highly malleable and waterproof and comes in 10 bright colours. It’s ideal for both fixing things and giving items a new lease of life as it sets like silicone rubber (flexible and insulated) – it’s also surprisingly fun to apply.

RRP: £15.99 / $12 for 8x 50g single-use packs

Rick Tomlinson Calendar 2023

Any office/home study would look bare without a wall hanging calendar – particularly one that inspires dreams of getting afloat. One of our favourites is from Cowes photographer, Rick Tomlinson who consistently takes great sailing images and his annual calendar is always guaranteed to be chock-full of great snaps.

RRP: £22.

Best Christmas gifts for sailors £25 – £100

Christmas gift ideas: A Yachting World subscription

Yachting World subscription

A hardcopy of the world’s favourite sailing magazine every month for 6 months from £25 (or ipad/iphone digital issues for £16.99) – now that’s a Christmas gift that delivers long into the new year!

Buy it now on Magazines Direct

Wichard knives

Wichard has produced knives in Thiers, the French home of knife making, since 1919. Its latest range includes Offshore and more economic Aquaterra models.

The Offshore knife has a serrated blade that can cut through Dyneema, and is available with a combined shackle key/marlinspike. The Aquaterra uses a conventional or serrated blade and has the accessory all sailors really need: a corkscrew.

RRP: £30 / $32

Read our full review of the C-Monsta hangar

C-monsta Hangar

This odd looking hanger is designed especially for your wetsuit and its accoutrements like the gloves and boots. It’s lightweight, so easy to bring with you and strong enough to take the extra weight of soaking wet neoprene. The design also helps your wetsuit dry quicker and reduces wear and tear.

RRP: £29

Reeds Nautical Almanac

This year sees the 90th-anniversary edition of the Reeds Nautical Almanac. An annual compendium of all the navigational data you might need to plot a course around the Atlantic coast. It includes the UK and Europe all the way from Denmark to Gibraltar.

RRP: £49.99

Ultimate sailing

After 40 years behind the lens afloat, Sharon Green has a top reputation for capturing race boats in colourful action, whether it’s the powered up supermaxi Comanche or an Optimist atop a wave. In this 40th anniversary edition Sharon has curated the best of the best from the last 4 decades.

RRP: $28.95

Henri Lloyd neoprene sailing gloves

Sailing with cold hands sucks. We tested a selection of winter gloves and these came out top. The full-fingered gloves have neoprene thermal insulation, which means that even when they (inevitably) get wet, they keep your hands warm.

The grippy surface on the palms proved particularly good when handling intricate jobs and overall we were really impressed with this glove. Tough, flexible and easy to get on and off even when wet.

RRP: £35

Hattiers Premium Reserve Rum

Synonymous with sailing since the mid 17th Century, rum continues to be the yachtsman’s favourite tipple.

This south Devon firm, which currently sponsors our Letters pages and has also teamed up with Spirit Yachts, produces some dangerously good sipping rums. A personal favourite is its premium reserve blended Egremont rum – wow!

RRP: from £35

Hello Sailor London Dry Gin

Hello Sailor! For the playful gin-loving sailor in your life, this is a ‘classic gin with contemporary attitude and a stand out bottle’. The bold London gin is from a Thames distiller with eight generations of know-how.

RRP: £34.50

Arthur Beale Riggers bag

Arthur Beale’s all natural oiled wool pullovers are the company’s signature item today, but it also has dozens of gift ideas, including this Rigging Tool Bag. Made from canvas and leather it features 24 external and 18 internal pockets plus practical handles and lanyards.

RRP: £49.95.

Gill Tarp Barrel Bag

All sailors need a decent kit bag. This 60L no-nonsense barrel bag is made from durable waterproof tarpaulin and features a two-way zip and padded shoulder strap.

RRP: £60 / $75

ProShot Touch Waterproof iPhone housing

GoPros and similar action cameras are great devices, but they are both expensive (some more than £500) and need charging. Recent smartphones have a camera that is just as good as a high-end action camera. This neat case turns an iPhone into a fully waterproof action camera.

It’s waterproof to 50ft or 130ft, depending on model, and is compatible with all GoPro mounting accessories. Full control of the phone’s camera is achieved via the volume buttons.

RRP: £89 / $119.99

Carboteck bracket and bezel

An upgrade for the dinghy sailing enthusiast in your life. This forged light and impact resistant carbon bezel is designed for use with a Velocitek Prism or a Raymarine Tacktick Micro Compass. The forged carbon is created by mixing paste fibres with resin, then squeezing the material into the desired shape.

RRP: Bezel £49.99; Compass bracket £89.99.

Spinlock Lume-On

The simple ideas are the best. These compact LEDs stick to the underbelly of each bladder, which uses the large fluorescent surface like a diffuser to maximise the visibility of the flashing light. Once activated, the Lume-On provides up to two hours of intense flashing light. It adds very little extra weight, has a smooth profile so will not chafe the bladder, and is very simple to retrofit to most lifejackets.

RRP: £25.99 per pair

Ron Marks Free Wheeling Outboard

This Australian innovation blends rowing with outboard motors to produce a clever lightweight solution for your tender. It uses a 3:1 gear ratio contained in the collar by the handle, driving a high-pitch propeller to provide a smooth, silent and fuel-less means of manual propulsion in either direction. Time to ditch the outboard, oars or both?

RRP: £79

Mujjo touchscreen gloves

Those who need to swipe screens in colder climes can now keep their digits warm too with Mujjo’s latest fleece-lined touchscreen gloves. These nitted versions have black leather cuffs and anti-slip palms with silicon grip dots.

RRP: £54.99

TackingMaster

Race tactics involve decisions based on the wind direction and trends, gleaned from the yacht’s compass. This Danish TackingMaster helps make wind shifts quick and easy to gauge using a watch-style wrist mount.

Once the wind direction and course to the mark have been set, you can track any shifts by using its inner course dial. So you can easily see how a shift may affect the next tack or leg and keep track of the average wind trend.

RRP: $75

Restube

Anyone who partakes in extreme watersports will know there are times when wearing a lifejacket is simply not practical afloat. And others may simply want the comfort of a personal flotation device without the bulk, perhaps when taking a swim away from an anchored yacht.

The Restube is a personal lifebuoy developed by a kitesurfer that stows into a small bum-bag like pouch. It uses a vertical or horizontal belt attachment, and a sports model is available with a harness mount.

RRP: £75

FlexSafe – Keep your valuables safe

Keeping keys, passports, wallets and electronic gadgets safe when travelling can all too often be a challenge. The FlexSafe is a lockable bag made of slash-proof materials that cannot be cut open with a knife and incorporates a piercing 110db motion sensing alarm. When on shore simply attach the bag to a convenient tree, your folding bike, the dinghy or any other suitable structure.

RRP: $69.95

Best Christmas gifts for sailors £100 – £200

Gill Stealth Timer Watch

Stealth Timer If you’re late to the start wearing this watch, there’s no excuse! As well as the large, super clear display, modes include a digital compass and course shift as well as the ‘stealth’ feature of a silent countdown so you can outsmart the opposition on the line.

RRP: £100

Standard Horizon HX210E

This affordable 6W waterproof and buoyant handheld VHF is compact yet feature packed. The lithium battery-powered radio has chunky keys, a bright backlit screen, a water-activated strobe and an integral FM radio.

RRP: £114.95 / $150

Looking for more options? Check out our guide to the best handheld VHFs.

Yeti Drinkware

When two fishermen brothers couldn’t find a robust icebox/cooler, they started Yeti, which produces coolers you can stand on, throw around a boat and that will keep ice cold for days.

The drinkware range looks just as practical, whether water bottles, the ramblers to keep your coffee hot, or the wine tumbler to keep your Côtes de Provence ice cold.

The Rambler gallon/half gallon jugs make a lot of sense for day sailing racing, either for warming soups hot or keeping your Dark’n’Stormy fresh! See Stones/Yeti for options

RRP: £129 / $129

INFL8-5 Inflatable VHF Antenna

If you’re planning a trip a little further out to sea or just want the safety of a powerful emergency antenna without cluttering up your deck this could be the low space answer for you. The Galaxy®-INFL8 VHF 3dB is an inflatable antenna that can be rapidly deployed via a CO2 cartridge to 5ft (1.6m) to offer a full 3dB antenna with a range of up to three times greater than any existing helical emergency antenna.

RRP: $130

Sealey power pack

This lithium ion power back offers a potential solution to the problem of keeping gadgets charged while on board. It’s compact and weighs only 1.5kg, but has a 31,200mAh capacity that’s sufficient to deliver half a dozen full charges for a smart phone, or to fully charge a typical laptop twice.

RRP: £168 / $185

Zhik ECO Wetsuit

Many cruising yachts carry wetsuits, whether for emergency underwater work, swimming in cold Atlantic waters or watersports. However, there are long-standing environmental problems with conventional neoprene, an oil-based synthetic rubber that will never biodegrade and requires a massive amount of energy to produce. A number of companies have developed alternatives, including Zhik with this ECO Wetsuit made from sustainable plant-based materials and recycled plastics.

RRP: £170 / $225

Oakley Split Shot sailing sunglasses

Wearing a good set of UV-protected sunglasses with polarised lenses year-round can help protect against serious eye damage. But it can be painful and expensive if, like me, you are prone to losing glasses over the side. Oakley’s Split Shot glasses come with Prizm lenses and provide a detachable lightweight and ultra thin wire leash attachment to its wraparound glasses to suit watersports in particular.

RRP: £142 / $210

Looking for a different style? Check out YBW’s guide to the best sailing sunglasses on the market.

Wuzzos personalised deck shoes

Wuzzos are offering personalisation on their boat shoes for free in the run up to this Christmas.

Customers for these high spec boat shoes, for both men and women, can add their names, initials, sail racing numbers and eventing numbers to their shoes.

The offer to have these personalised for free (Usually £20) just adds a nice touch to a neat Christmas gift.

We reviewed their latest Corinthian Pro shoes earlier in the year here.

RPR: £100-£120

Buy it now on Bark and Rock

For more options, from deck trainers to leather moccasins, check out YBW’s guide to the best boat shoes available right now.

Bark & Rock journal

What do you get the sailor who has everything? Tablets are so last year. A journal made out of wood perhaps? These luxury journals are handmade by a family-run business in the UK. A range of styles is available from the more traditional oak to an Indian Ebony or a more exotic Bubinga Kewazinga from Equatorial Africa.

Just don’t let your kids draw in or on them…

RRP: £190

Red 40lt Kit Bag

This waterproof bag is stylish and lightweight, with smooth zips designed not to snag, and the best part is that it’s made out of recycled plastic bottles (TPU). And the zips and seals really work too. We tested a selection of waterproof bags and this was our favourite blend of style and practicality.

RRP: £129.95 / $195

Buy it now from Red Original

Exposure XS-WR Torch

This compact, lightweight double-ended torch shines a powerful white beam from one end and a red light from the other. Both can be operated simultaneously for a variety of uses from onboard, to the tender ride or cycle home.

Accessories include a headband that allows either colour to shine forwards, a reflective neck lanyard, plus stanchion, helmet and magnetic mounts.

RRP: £125

Buy it now from Exposuremarine

Fizzics portable beer tap

Sailors are discerning types with quality tastes. So why not ship a portable beer tap for draught-tasting beer with the perfect head? The founders of Fizzics have really delved into the science (or ‘fizzics’) of beer drinking, and created a device that they say will deliver the perfect pour, creating an ‘ultra dense, long-lasting foam head’ from any standard size beer can or bottle – and all beer types from lager and ale to stout.

It’s strictly for those who take their drinking seriously – I’ve asked Santa for one.

RRP: $129.99

Buy it now on Amazon
Buy it now on eBay

Best Christmas gifts for sailors £200 – £500

Ocean Signal rescueMe MOB1

The more portable personal rescue devices are, the more likely they will be worn or carried. Ocean Signal’s new MOB1 is 30% smaller than competitor AIS MOB devices.

It can alert any AIS-equipped vessels in the vicinity to the precise location of a casualty in the water, and it will fit on any inflatable lifejacket’s oral tube. It also includes DSC alerting so can both pinpoint a MOB location via AIS, plus trigger the yacht’s own VHF alarm.

RRP: £248

Musto BR2 Coastal Jacket

Warm, waterproof, and ideal for both winter sailing or walking the high street, the BR2 jacket is lined with heat-retentive Arctec fleece that keeps much of its insulating power even when wet. We included the BR2 in our best in shore sailing jackets list earlier this year.

RRP: £250

Garmin Virb Ultra 30

If your choice of action camera is more defined by durability, audio and picture quality, consider Virb cameras. Garmin continues to upgrade its rugged and waterproof (to 50m) Virb cams with increased resolution and a variety of mounting options.

RRP: £389.99

Spot X satellite messenger

A neat two-way satellite messenger, with communication via SMS or email. The Spot X has a Qwerty keyboard, can be linked to Facebook and Twitter accounts, and has tracking and SOS functions. Satellite coverage is via the Globalstar system.

RRP: £286 (+subscription from €11.95/month)

Astra esa smartwatch

The esa is the first smartwatch designed for sailing, fusing the sailor’s thirst for gadgetry with high-street technology. The esa watch uses wifi to display information from onboard instruments on your wrist. As well as the ability to show performance sailing data including speed and polar target data, the watch is still essentially a smartphone, offering full Android capabilities.

RRP: €299

Buy it now from Astra Yacht

Thuraya Satsleeve+

A Satsleeve turns your mobile phone into a satphone. It wraps around the phone, utilising the mobile’s internal electronics and encodes and boosts the signal for connection to the Thuraya satellite network. The SatSleeve+ has a universal adapter, so the user can switch between most smartphone models from 58 to 85mm in width.

RRP: £447 / $550 or £5 per day to rent from globaltelesat.co.uk

Buy now from Quench Sea

Best Christmas gifts for sailors £500+

Quench manual watermaker

Hydro Wind Energy is aiming to produce 100 million Quench Sea desalinators in the next seven years! This unit has triple pre-filtration and a small state-of-the-art reverse osmosis replaceable membrane rated for the production of 18,000lt of fresh water. It weighs 0.7kg and produces 2lt of water an hour.

Note: the first units aren’t scheduled to ship until October 2021, but a voucher for one could be welcomed as a Christmas gift with a difference.

RRP: £988

Splash Drone

This is the first fully waterproof quad copter – and it floats. The drone is not only designed to carry a GoPro, but has a payload release feature for carrying and releasing other items, including safety gear. SwellPro has released the 3^rd generation of the SplashDrone, with improved features, including a ‘follow me’ mode. Use it to capture some unique footage of your yacht, take a beer to a friend, or even drop a life-ring to a casualty in the water.

RRP: £2,188/ $1,378

Red Limited Edition SUP

Red’s 10ft 6in Ride model is the most popular and arguably most versatile all round inflatable stand-up paddleboard. Having relied on one on our boat for the last couple of summer seasons, I can vouch for it being a fantastic edition to the sail locker.

It’s ideal for getting to or from the beach, exercising/paddling or surfing when at anchor and it provides a dive platform and extra floating space for the kids. It comes with cargo tie-downs and three fins attached – and the pumps and backpacks supplied are also superb.

RRP: From £999

For more options check out our guide to the best paddleboards, the best inflatable paddleboards, and the best paddleboard accessories.

Buy it now from Red Paddle

Garmin Quatix 6 sailing watch

The latest generation of Garmin’s sailing smartwatch adds optional Bluechart g3 cartography enabling it to function as a standalone plotter. It also gains a larger 1.3in always-on screen and a MOB detection feature. As with previous generations, it can be used to interface with Garmin chartplotters and instrument data, as well as controlling autopilots and on-board entertainment.

RRP: £573 / $699