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Editors’ Choice: Gifts for Sailors

Check out these cool gift ideas that would float any sailor's boat. Then, head over to the new list for the 2013 holiday season here.

  • Updated: December 1, 2012

Bad Elf GPS for iPhone, iPad

Bad Elf GPS The problem with using your iPhone or iPad as a chartplotter? It’s GPS signal relies on cell towers for an accurate position. With the Bad Elf GPS, you can receive a real GPS signal on any iOS device! Sweet! $130 Check it out! Bad Elf 1000 30-Pin iPod/iPhone/iPad GPS Receiver

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Cruising World‘s 2013 calendars are now available! Click here for ordering information and more.

AquaPod from SeaLife

AquaPod from SeaLife Keep a safe distance from sea life or take a better shot of, well, yourself underwater with this cool new “monopod” from SeaLife underwater cameras. Compact and lightweight for easy use and portability, the SeaLife AquaPod is constructed of a polycarbonate main tube, locking head and quick-flip locks as well as marine-grade anodized aluminum leg sections with all stainless steel hardware. The
AquaPod fits all SeaLife cameras as well as those cameras with a standard 1/4-20 tripod mount via its quick-release mounting plate. The AquaPod also includes a special adaptor for the GoPro® line of cameras. $70 Pair it with a SeaLife SeaLife Reefmaster Underwater Camera , which has a nifty removable, wide-angle lens.

Intracoastal Waterway Chartbook

Intracoastal Waterway Chartbook Any East Coast sailor would appreciate this updated chartbook to the ICW. The_ Intracoastal Waterway Chartbook Norfolk to Miami_, Sixth Edition, by John and Leslie Kettlewell is handy, up-to-date, and full of ALL the information you need to pass safely under bridges and anchor safely for the night. $75 Take a look! Intracoastal Waterway Chartbook Norfolk to Miami, 6th Edition

Gill Windproof Fleece Jacket

Gill Windproof Fleece The Gill windproof fleece is a great addition to any winter-sailing wardrobe. The fleece has a 100% windproof and waterproof lining and a soft outer fabric with a water-repellent finish, making it really warm but comfortable to wear. The jacket styling is based on an outer shell, and incorporates fleece lined inner cuffs, a draw string waist, and highlighted zip and trim details, so it can be worn either as an outer jacket or as a warm mid-layer. $160 Available at Gill North America.

Lifeproof iPhone Case

LifeProof iPhone case The cruising life is a tough life for a smartphone, especially one that also serves as your weather radar, chartplotter, AIS, and camera. The Cruising World and Sailing World staff definitely put our iPhones in harms way on a daily basis, and we’ve put the LifeProof iPhone case through its paces—you can even swim with your phone and take underwater pictures! Cases are available for iPhone 4/4s/5, iPad, and iPod Touch as well. $70 More info at Lifeproof‘s website

Navisafe Rescue

Navisafe Navi Light This has got to be the most versatile light ever. It can be a running light for your dinghy or sailboat, an anchor light, an emergency light, even just a cockpit light. The LEDs can light in constant or blinking 360 degrees to act as an anchor or emergency light; 225 degrees to act as steaming light; or 135 degrees for a stern light. It also has a dim setting so it can be used as an interior or cockpit. This Coast Guard-approved light is waterproof, runs on three AAA batteries, and is viewable to two nautical miles. The double magnetic system will attach almost anywhere. The Navisafe Rescue features a glow in the dark ring around the central on/off button. Navisafe, a Norwegian company, also makes a tricolor version. Pretty cool! $70

Robship Hook & Moor

Robship Hook & Moor The Robship Hook & Moor is more than just a boat hook—it can actually thread a line through a mooring ring. The benefit of Hook & Moor is that it pulls the mooring rope through the ring and back onto the boat in one motion without having to dangerously reach far overboard. Just place the eye of dock line in the Hook & Moor carabiner, reach down and pull the hook right through cleat or mooring eye. Bring the dock line back towards boat and secure the line’s eye on the cleat. Can’t visualize it? Watch a quick video of the Hook & Moor in action. $150 (two meter), $175 (three meter)

Vesper Marine XB-8000 AIS WiFi Transponder

Vesper Marine XB-8000 AIS WiFi Transponder Automatic Identification Systems are probably the biggest thing that’s happened in marine safety over the past decade. Transponders used to be prohibitably expensive for most cruisers, but fortunately that’s changing. The Vesper Marine XB-8000 AIS WiFi Transponder is a “black box” device with complete wireless interaction. The feature-packed system can be accessed and controlled remotely, anywhere on a boat, via a variety of WiFi-enabled devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops, or through integration with other marine electronics. It is compatible with apps such as iNavX™ marine navigation for the Apple iPad allowing users to remotely access AIS information on other applications.
The system transmits a boat’s name, size, position, speed and course over AIS channels, while simultaneously providing the timely and easy-to-process information sailors need to interpret potential hazards and react accordingly. $800 Available at Vesper Marine

Yacht Phone

Yacht Phone Yacht Phone is designed to be a back-up or safety phone for aboard a boat. It’s waterproof, floats, has an impressive battery life and even an integrated flashlight and FM radio. The phone is an “unlocked” GSM device that comes equipped with a SIM card for the U.S., which can be switched for overseas travel. The phone and three months of service (50 prepaid minutes and 1,000 text messages) costs $99. No contract required! Perfect!

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The Boat Galley Cookbook

The Boat Galley Cookbook: 800 Everyday Recipes and Essential Tips for Cooking Aboard _ The Boat Galley Cookbook: 800 Everyday Recipes and Essential Tips for Cooking Aboard _ by Carolyn Shearlock and Jan Irons (2012; International Marine; $36). Don’t be fooled by the name, this book is so much more than a cookbook. Since, at least in my experience, so much of the cruising life is in the planning, preparing, and sharing of a good meal, this book is more of a guide to help you in each stage of meal prep. Shearlock and Irons have extensive cruising experience on both sides of Mexico and Central America and the Caribbean, and it shows throughout this book. Unlike many other galley cookbooks which seem more intended to weekend sailors, this one is actually made for cruisers with sections on shopping off the beaten track, ingredient substitutions, potluck ideas, meatless recipes, how to clean conch, and even how to make canned meat taste good. For galley newbies and salty sailors alike, this cookbook has lots to offer. $36
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