CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
From cosy cruising attire to the latest boating gadgets we’ve donned our Santa outfits to bring you the best gift ideas for every member of your crew
The best present ideas for boat obsessed friends, family or even yourself
AMERICAN TOURISTER AIRCONIC
PRICE £115
CONTACT www.americantourister. co.uk
In the ongoing battle with airlines and their war on cabin luggage the Airconic is a secret weapon.
Not only are its dimensions compact enough to keep your mind at ease if you’re unlucky enough to be the last on board but the 55cm version weighs just 2kg. Two kilograms! It comes in a range of colours and thanks to that lightweight frame and four wheels, it’s a dream to whizz through the airport.
NAUTICALIA ROYAL NAVY GLASSES
PRICE £7.99 CONTACT www.nauticalia.com Keep track of your festive tipple and make sure no one’s drinking the captain’s gin with these attractive engraved tumblers, inspired by the emblems used on the sleeves of Royal Navy uniforms. Choose from ‘Captain’, ‘First mate’, ‘Skipper’ and ‘Crew’. Cheers!
GARMIN QUATIX 5 SAPPHIRE
PRICE £649.99 CONTACT www.garmin.com The Quatix 5 is one of the toughest, most function-packed smart watches on the market. Alongside the usual sport and activity modes, thanks to built-in GPS the watch can be used for navigation and even to control your Garmin autopilot. It will also connect via Bluetooth to Fusion AV systems and Garmin Virb cameras. It comes with swappable metal and silicone straps.
POWERVISION POWERDOLPHIN UNDERWATER DRONE
PRICE £695 CONTACT www.powervision.me The Powerdolphin’s rotating HD camera is able to shoot 4K video and high quality stills across a 215¡ arc above and below water level. Whether filming surfing, sailing, diving, or scouring the best fishing spots, the drone relays its footage to a smartphone via the Vision+ app. It’s capable of 8 knots flat out with a battery life of up to 2.5 hours.
NAUTICALIA UNISEX SUBMARINER SWEATERS
PRICE £99.99 CONTACT www.nauticalia.com No Christmas would be complete without a woolly jumper nestled beneath the tree and this Submariner from Nauticalia is sure to keep you warm and cosy during winter nights on board. Available in ecru or navy, it’s made from Merino wool with interlinked seams for added strength.
WONDERBAG
PRICE £55 CONTACT www.wonderbag.com This simple device uses insulation rather than power to create wonderfully rich slow-cooked stews. You just bring the pot to the boil, pop it in the bag and let it simmer for up to 12 hours, saving energy and reducing emmissions. The company also provides subsidised Wonderbags to African communities.
RNLI COASTAL CORK FISH COASTERS
PRICE £9 for four
CONTACT www.shop.rnli.org
Grace your dinette with a new set of coasters this Christmas and send some money the way of the RNLI while doing so. Designed and finished in Cornwall, they use sustainable cork, which is harvested once every nine years without felling trees. Not only do they look good but they’re heatproof and shock absorbent, in order to protect your tabletop, and come as a set of four.
BLUEMINT DIEGO SWEATER
PRICE £70 CONTACT www.bluemint.com Proof that not all Christmas jumpers have to be covered in hideous patterns and made from polyester. The Diego is made from 100% cotton with a crew neck and ribbed Jersey trims. It comes in either navy or grey colour schemes.
HELLY HANSEN LIFALOFT HYBRID INSULATOR
PRICE £160
CONTACT www.hellyhansen.com
This lightweight jacket is designed for winter sports, but as long as you’re not heading out in harsh conditions, it’s a warm, stylish option. It’s water resistant and windproof plus the stretchy fabric on the arms aids movement. It scrunches down for packing and comes in a range of colours.
RIVA SCENTED DIFFUSER GIMBAL
PRICE €320
CONTACT www.rivaboutique.it
Fed up with nasty niffs on your boat? Riva has the answer in the form of this beautifully engineered stainless steel and mahogany gimbal. Designed to hold one of its own scented candles or reed diffuser bottles, it will swing with boat’s motion to ensure they stay upright at all times. It’s not cheap – the diffuser is another €95 extra – but it’s less expensive than a full stabiliser system! PRICE £16.59 CONTACT www.amazon.co.uk Is it just us or do knives lose their edge faster onboard? The Anysharp Pro is a very effective knife sharpener that will work on anything from a serrated sailing knife to the finest Sabatier carving blade. A sturdy metal body with a powerful built-in suction cup means you can attach it to any flat surface and keep your hands well away from the cutting edge while sharpening. Perfect for the galley or tool box!
G-SHOCK GULFMASTER
PRICE £260 CONTACT www.g-shock.co.uk Casio’s G-shock range has been producing tough timepieces for years and the Gulfmaster is one designed specifically for maritime activity. Suitable for professional diving with water resistance rated at 200m, it features a thermometer, tide graph, digital compass, and moon phase graph. For the money it’s an impressively capable bit of kit.
LIFEVENTURE THERMAL MUG
PRICE £15.99 CONTACT www.lifeventure.com Every boat owner needs one of these to keep their cuppa warm at the helm when the rest of the crew are sheltering from the cold in the saloon. The stainless steel casing has a matt finish for better grip with cold, wet hands, plus a flip-top lid to prevent accidental spills. The vacuum-insulated walls will keep your drink piping hot for up to three hours. MBY SUBSCRIPTION
PRICE From £20.49 for six issues CONTACT www.magzinesdirect. com/atn9
A subscription to Motor Boat & Yachting is the gift that keeps on giving. Sign up to our special Christmas offer and look forward to the magazine dropping onto your doorstep every month while saving up to 41% on the normal cover price. No more rifling through newsagents racks for the latest issue, just sit back and wait for it to come to you, bursting with new and used boats, real life stories, inspiring cruising ideas and the latest gadgets.
FUSION APOLLO RA 670 MARINE STEREO
PRICE £440 CONTACT www.fusionentertainment.com This neat little stereo system packs all the power and connectivity of its award-winning Apollo series into a more compact, waterproof unit that takes up less space on today’s increasingly cluttered helm stations. It links to your phone via the Fusion-link app so you can control it by remote and fine tune the sound as well as stream your favourite music via Bluetooth, Wi-fi or the built-in AM/FM radio.
RED PADDLE CO COMPACT SUP
PRICE £1,299 CONTACT www. redpaddleco.com SUPS have become a musthave boating accessory but even when deflated they seem to take up an inordinate amount of space on board. This Compact SUP from the Red Paddle Co folds down into a neat backpack that weighs only 12.7kg. A patented construction process means once inflated it’s a rigid, full-sized 9ft 6in board for riders of up to 95kg.
LIFEVENTURE COMPACT CHANGING ROBE
PRICE £29.99 CONTACT www.lifeventure.com Banish that awkward moment, when you stagger around the cockpit trying to slip off your wet trunks with one hand while holding up your towel with the other, with this unisex changing robe. Made out of super absorbent microfibre it rolls up into a pocketsized holdall or there’s a chunkier, warmer version if space allows.
GILL POLAR JACKET
PRICE £90 CONTACT www.gillmarine.com There are fleeces and there is Gill’s Polar Jacket. Lined with a kind of soft faux fur on the inside but with a tougher, more densely knitted exterior, it is windproof and incredibly warm but lighter and more comfortable to wear than a conventional boating jacket. It’s not waterproof but as a mid-layer under a thin waterproof jacket or on its own in cold, dry weather it’s a great bit of kit.