A Gift Guide for Inexperienced Sailors

Sailors are great a disseminating information among each other, but like any new hobby, there is a lot to learn when one takes it on, so a lot of information is not quite absorbed until it is needed.

As a sailor, this often means that when I need something, I needed to buy it yesterday.

A lot of these items are things that took me too long to learn that I needed, which might have ranged from danger to minor inconveniences.

A marlinspike is a tool that every sailor will need one eventually. The pointy/needly part is great for breaking knots and splicing lines. The first time I realized I needed one was when a line had bound up on the winch and I was not yet experienced enough to know more than a makeshift rolling hitch.

It all worked out on that day, but if the wind had kicked up instead of dying down, I might have been looking for the knife-part of that marlinspike to cut the line away before we were unexpectedly swimming.

Linked here is the Myerchin Gen 2 Linerlock, which is a great all-arounder for the money, and from a brand that all the old salts trust. If you wanted to go more up-market, products from Broye will fit the bill. If $60 is a stretch, Camillus makes a competent marlinspike at a little bit of a discount.

If they're very new, they need a good set of binoculars. If they're very experienced, their binoculars are probably beaten up pretty good. Either way, this one is a win.

There are SO many reasons to want to look at things that are far away, but this is especially true in the ocean, where so few things are likely to be very near.

Whether you're trying to avoid collision with other vessels, trying to identify some far away fixed points for navigation, evaluating anchorages, making landfall considerations, or just want a better look at a far-off whale, a good set of binoculars can make all the difference in the world.

I confess that there are a VERY big range of prices for binoculars. Quality and features tend to get more plentiful as the price increases, and while you do get what you pay for, there's no such thing as a bad set.

7x50 binoculars are a great all-around for being at sea, as the large objective lens does a great job of gathering light, while still remaining manageably sized.

Attached is a very reasonable set of Celestron 7x50 binoculars, but these are admittedly chosen to be easily giftable, as they're a quality set amongst the cheapest you can find. Other popular brands for mariners include Bushnell, Plastimo, and if you're more well-heeled, Steiner.

Ask any sailor who has one, and they'll tell you the exact same thing: Boat US is the best bang for your buck expenditure in all of boating.

A Boat US membership gives you immediate access to the TowBoat US fleet, useful any time you're stuck, stranded, grounded, or otherwise need a tow to somewhere safer. They'll provide fuel if you run out, jump your batteries when needed, provide roadside assistance when towing a boat.

Other discounts include:

• Automatic enrollment in the West Advantage Gold Rewards program.
• Travel Discounts on car rentals (Avis, Budget), hotel stays, cruises, and charter vacations.
• Discounts on fuel, dockage at marinas, repairs, boating gear, and more at over 1,200 participating businesses nationwide.
• Free MMSI Registration
• Boat graphics and lettering discounts
• Boat loan assistance
• Access to low-cost boat insurance policies serviced by dedicated marine insurance experts.
• Life Jacket Loaner Program
• EPIRB Rental Program
• Free Boating Safety Courses

And all of this is before we even mention the thing you're buying, which is the subscription to the award-winning BoatUS Magazine.

Every time a sailor enters or exits a marina, or moves into reverse, or enters reduced visibility, they're supposed to honk a signal horn in the prescribed way -- three short blasts for reversing, a single short blast to indicate they are veering starboard, etc.

Most vessels keep compressed air horns aboard, and those are fine, but they're always failing at the worst time, and they're not the most reusable things in the world.

These reusable air horns are air-powered, but not compressed air. You compress the air manually to signal the horn. These last longer, aren't as likely to run empty when you most need them, but because everything eventually fails at sea, every sailor will welcome another one on board.

I've included the one we use, which has been great for more than a year (which is already twice as long as the next-best compressed air horn lasted.