General Info – SY Wild Rose

Many things on a boat are personal to the boat, the type and size of lines and blocks, electrical equipment and mechanical gear are all spec’d out for each individual boat. So buying someone a boat gift needs to be something they can integrate into what they already have on their boat. Or, maybe they don’t have a boat but they sail on someone else's boat. Either way, the problem remains. Many of these items listed below are suitable for people that are sailors or boaters who don’t own their own boat yet, and even if they do they are not system specific. On a sailboat you don’t have a lot of room for items that don’t have a really good use. We use these items nearly every single day on Wild Rose. Now I am apparently a quality shopper according to Nancy, she knows all the things about market research and what type of shoppers people are from her career. As such, quality shoppers are willing to spend a little more for an item that will last a long time, or is of higher quality. So, every item on this list I personally own and have used and abused. There is nothing on this list that is dodgy. Anything on a sailboat is going to get knocked around a bit, boats are rough environments.The list below has very inexpensive items to very expensive items. So, a little bit of everything for any budget. I also give a little description of how and why we have each item, in case you’re not a sailor. Enjoy. Sailors Log Book This is the best book of all and maybe the best gift on this list. Sailing for many, certainly for me, is about adventure. What’s better than reading about someone else's adventure in a book, making your own adventures. Rum Just about every sailor likes their rum. One of my personal favorites is Myer's Jamaican Dark Rum, another good one is Gosling's Bermuda Dark Rum. The choices are nearly endless, I prefer dark rum, I think it has more flavor than the clear variety. Label Maker We use our label maker all of the time. The great thing about the Dymo industrial series is that it can print on all different kinds of labels, even ones that shrink wrap around electrical wires. It is more than a basic one, but way more functional than the basic label makers. Garmin InReach Mini 2 This is a satellite messenging device. You can send and receive texts, get weather at your current location, and it has an SOS function that alerts the appropriate authorities. You use this when your cell phone has no service. It is great for offshore sailing. I take mine backcountry camping and canoeing as well. Our parents particularly like the tracking feature, because they can track us wherever we are, especially on long ocean passages. Iridium Go This is a communication device for the serious offshore sailor. This device is similar to the InReach above, but also includes a satellite phone option as well as the ability to get weather routing. It works like a hotspot and you use your cell phone, tablet or computer to interface with it via apps.This is an expensive piece of kit, but a great gift for the offshore sailor. Iridium Go with a Predict Wind account is what we have, I think there is a discount if you buy it from Predict Wind. Standard Horizon HX890 Handheld VHF We use our handheld VHF as a backup to our main VHF as well as taking it on long dinghy rides for emergency purposes. Ours has a GPS function as well. In the event we ever had to deploy the liferaft, this unit would come with us. In my opinion the Standard Horizon HX890 this is one of the best on the market. It also floats. We actually have two of these, one we take with us whenever we go in the dinghy, one is a backup to our main VHF. When we go offshore we put the dinghy one in our ditch bag, just in case. MOB (Man Over Board) Device It attaches to our life jackets, and in the event of one of us falling overboard it will send a signal to our chartplotter and sound an alarm. It will also give the person on the boat the location of the MOB on the chartplotter so they can steer a course back to the MOB. We sleep a little better off watch knowing that we’re a little safer on passage. Breatheable Sunshirts We each have a couple of these breathable sun shirts when we've decided we have had enough sun for the day. They keep the sun off of your skin, but breathe really well in hot weather. They also dry incredibly fast if they get wet. This is a must have item in the tropics in my opinion. Beanbag Chair Beanbag chairs are geat, given you have room for them. They are great on catamarans, most monohulls don't really have enough room for them. I love spending the night up front on a beanbag chair with the breeze keeping me cool. Inflatable Paddleboards This is a great gift for the cruising sailor. We know a ton of sailors who paddle around anchorages in the morning and evening. They are surprisingly hard when blown up, it's quite remarkable. The great thing is they roll up for stowage when not in use. Vexilar Handheld Depth Sounder I would classify this as a nice to have item. It's not something we use every day, but when we need it it's pretty nice to have. We use this in the dinghy exploring places that we want to bring Wild Rose to make sure there is enough depth. It's pretty simple to use, slide the button and it tells the depth. We probably use this depth sounder about once a week in the dinghy. Engel Hard Sided Cooler We like our drinks cold. This cooler will keep them cold for nearly a week. Engel is a lesser known brand, but as good as any other cooler on the market. We have the Engel 123, but there are tons of sizes. The best part is this cooler has an integrated bottle opener. For the Fishing Sailor Shimano 50II LRSA Fishing Reel You can spend a lot of money on a fishing reel. Many sailors I know use the Shimano 50II LRSA, and this is what I have. The next model up is the Tiagra, which is nearly double the cost. The Tiagra 80 is the gold standard for big game fishing, but a little overkill for what I am doing. The Shimano 50II LRSA has served me well and will last for years with proper care. I prefer the 50 weight, but the 30 could work. If you're on a budget, the Penn Senator is a fine choice. It is not going to be able to handle the bigger fish very well, or at all, but for average wahoo, tuna and mahi it will be fine. If you get a big one on though, it might destroy your reel. A lot of sailors use the Penn Senator, they are all over the place. Fishing Rod First of all, you need to match the rod with the reel, so if you buy a reel that is rated for 50lb test line, the rod needs to be rated the same. Usually there is a range, like 50 - 80lb test. On a sailboat you don't need a really long rod, mine is a little over 5 feet long. You're going to be moving it in and out of the boat, and have to store it, you don't need a 7 foot long fishing rod for trolling. Taco Marine Rod Holder We have two of these Taco Marine Rod Holders, they are great and hold up well to the saltwater environment. They do not corrode. They are very robust, we have caught some very large fish with the rods in these rod holders. They haven't moved at all. Handline and Yoyo If you want a less expensive, simpler option, hand lines are a great option. We have several and use them often either in place of a rod and reel, or in addition to a rod and reel. The system consists of a 100 foot section of 300 lb test monofilament line, a Cuban hand reel, and a bungee. Add some snap swivels and lures and your’re all set. You attach it to the boat with these stainless clips. Lures Lures are a great, inexpensive gift for the fishing sailor. I have an entire post about trolling lures for sailors. Check it out here. Gaff A gaff is what you use to get a large fish from the ocean on to your boat. The gaff has a sharp hook you stick through the fish so you can safely lift it into a boat. I have two of these, a large one and a small one. Bubba Blade Fillet Knife If you catch a fish, you need to fillet them. The Bubba Blade is a great fillet knife. Razor sharp and easy to handle. Gatku Polespear We like to procure our own food from the sea whenever possible, that involves fishing as well as spearfishing. Many areas, such as the Bahamas, will not allow you to use a conventional speargun, they require you to use a polespear. Gatku makes excellent polespears. We love ours. Butane Torch It’s usually windy on a sailboat, dependent on your location. I use this torch every day to burn the end of ropes, you can solder with it, you can use it to seal electrical connections with shrink tubes. We also use it for cutting sail cloth and sunbrella material. It’s refillable, and works great. Anker Portable Charger Everyone should own at least one of these portable chargers, but for a sailor they are even more indispensable. We plug our phones and tablets in when on the move. GPS Receiver or Bad Elf I have one of these for my laptop. I can use my laptop as a chartplotter for navigation with free Open CPN software. Anyone can do this. Or, you can use it if you have a tablet that doesn’t have GPS built in. I really like it for offshore sailing, I leave my laptop open at the nav station with this attached. The Bad Elf is wireless so you use it with Bluetooth. I have the Globalsat Puck, they are both great. Cruising Guides Whenever we are going to a new area we try to get a cruising guide. A cruising guide gives you information about checking in to new countries, local customs, currency, anchorages, where to get groceries, etc. These are invaluable for the cost when sailing to a new destination. Jimmy Cornell’s Books Jimmy Cornell has literally written the book about sailing around the world. He has multiple reference books on how to make different passages, the best time of year to go, expected conditions, pilot charts, etc. They are really indispensable for the cruising sailor or voyager. I would start out with World Cruising Routes. We also have the World Voyage Planner and Cornell's Ocean Atlas. These are not cruising guides as listed above, they are more like sailing guides to get from region to region. They are indispensable on our boat. They are all very complementary to each book he writes. Sunglass Keepers This is a cheap gift for any sailor. I love these Costa keepers. They should work with any pair of sunglasses, I have one for every pair of sunglasses I own. Portable Fans We have fans that are mounted in certain areas of our boat, but sometimes you just need one in a certain area where there isn't one. These little fans are great, they are rechargeable via USB, and work great. Ensign (Flag) An ensign is a flag of the country that the boat is documented in, so for example Wild Rose has a US Coast Guard registration, it is registered in the US. So we fly a US ensign at the back of the boat on our flagpole. As you can imagine, we go through a lot of flags. An ensign flag is a great gift. Courtesy Flags If you sail to a foreign country, it is customary to fly the countries flag you are currently in from your starboard spreader as a “courtesy.” Some countries take this very seriously. I bought this entire set for the Caribbean before we took Wild Rose there. It’s great to have them all on board. But you can also buy just one for a specific country if you know where your sailor is going. Quarantine Flag When you check into a new country you need to raise the yellow quarantine flag before you clear customs and immigration formalities. After you clear formalities, you can take down the yellow flag and raise the flag of the nation you are in, the courtesy flag. Princeton Tec League 420 Light Now I’m a scuba diver, so I naturally have dive lights on board, but a good waterproof flashlight is indispensable on a boat. This light is completely waterproof, has an LED bulb, and is virtually indestructible. I sometimes even tie a string to it and toss it overboard at night to see what creatures are hanging around. Spotlight If you are going to operate at night, you are going to need a spotlight. We have found having one that is rechargeable and very powerful are the biggest things we look for in a spotlight, this one fits the bill. Portable Hard Drive These come in all shapes and sizes, but I prefer the 5TB version. The beauty of these is you can back up items from your computer, as well as download stuff form cloud storage to have it on passage. I store a ton of movies and music on one of mine, there’s no way that would fit on my computer hard drive. Black Diamond Storm Headlamp A headlamp is an absolutely indespensable item on a boat. I use mine during the day when doing things in the bilges and engine room. At night it is a necessity. We use ours when running in the dinghy at night, grilling out, on deck, etc. When you are on a night passage, it is essential to have a red bulb so you don't lose your night vision. I have had many brands and the Black Diamond Storm is the best headlamp I have ever found. Unbelievably, the Energizer headlamps are also very good. Nalgene Bottle It’s easy to get dehydrated on a sailboat, especially if you are in the tropics. The reason we like these Nalgene bottles is they are virtually indestructible and they are pretty cheap. We take them everywhere. Nikon OceanPro Binoculars Every boat needs a good pair of binoculars. When you are doing coastal navigation you are going to be looking for landmarks and navigational bouys, it helps out a lot to have a good set of binoculars. Marine binoculars are generally 7x10 magnification and have a compass built in. Yeti 20 oz. Rambler Mug I have one coffee mug that I use aboard, this is it. Like several items on this list, I owned this long before I ever owned our boat. It works better on the boat as a functional item than it does on land. The best part about it is that in a rough sea, coffee stays warm and doesn’t spill. It’s kind of expensive for what it is, but they are really tough. I expect mine to literally last my entire life. Keeps coffee hot for hours and fits in most cup holders. They come in just about every color imaginable. Yeti Colster Koozie When it’s hot out, nothing is better than a cold drink. I have had this Colster for years and I’m still amazed at how cold it keeps my drinks. This is far and away better than those little neoprene or foam koozies. This is a great gift for anyone. Seal Line Dry Bag We use dry bags all the time for various purposes. The contents of our ditch bag is in a dry bag, Nancy uses one as a purse, we have one for dinghy spares, they are all over the place on our boat. Seal Line and Sea to Summit are my favorite brands, 30 litres is a versatile size. Rockagator 40 Liter Dry Bag Packpack Like I said above, we use everything on this list just about every day. If you are a sailor, stuff is going to get wet. Either in a squall, on the way from or to the boat, or in a dinghy, things are going to get wet. One of our indispensable items is a dry bag that is a backpack. 40 Litres is a good size for a backpack, you want it big enough to be helpful if you are taking the dinghy to the grocery store for provisions, and small enough that it is manageable to get on and off of the boat easily. Patagonia Black Hole Duffel Bag A good duffel bag is a fantastic gift for a sailor. We have a hard rule for guests when the visit Wild Rose, they are not allowed to bring hard suitcases. We just don’t have any room to store them. We have people bring their clothes and gear in a duffel bag. These Patagonia bags are my favorite. They’re a little pricey, but will likely last the rest of my life. Stahlsac Snorkeling/Scuba Diving Gear Bag I have had this bag for 20 years and I’ve never found something better. I love this bag. It has a mesh body to let all of your gear dry, and a tough plastic bottom that can take some abrasion and abuse. You can fit a full set of scuba gear in this bag or about 4 sets of snorkeling gear. I have four or five of these bags I love them so much. Pool Noodles When you live on a sailboat, the entire ocean is your pool. We have four pool noodles on our boat so we can lounge in the ocean after a rough day sailing. This is a super cheap gift, that we wouldn't be without. Tivolo Spherical Ice Molds Most boats do not have an icemaker, but many of them do have freezers. Ours freezes ice easily, so we use these spherical ice molds for ice cubes. They last a long time because they are in the shape of a sphere. Dinghy Navigation Light When motoring in the dinghy at night, many places require that you have navigation lights, this means white in the back, red on the port side, and green on starboard. This one light does all three, it is a tri-color light and suctions directly to our motor. We only take it with us when we go out at night, we leave it off in the daytime. You can mount it permanantly if you want to, we like to have it removable. Even when we aren't in an area that requires one, we still use it for safety, we have heard of several people hit at night by speedboats, it pays to be careful. Heavy Duty Clothespins Some people buy expensive stainless clothespins, but if you’ve ever used clothespins to dry your laundry on the lifelines of a sailboat, then you have also inadvertently dropped them overboard. For this reason we use wood clothespins with stainless springs. I lose at least one a week. Floating Keychain The last thing anyone wants is to drop a key overboard never to be seen again. Every key for every lock we have on board has some type of a floating keychain attached. This is a cheap, but indispensable item. Books A book is an easy gift for a sailor. We have way too many books on board. There are reference books you need to have about electronics, engines, navigation, etc. then there are adventure books, both fiction and non-fiction. This is a huge list of books we either keep on board at all time, or have read, but they are all fantastic. I would give any of them as a gift. A special favorite for a lot of sailors are the books by Patrick O'Brian, the Master & Commander book is one of his best. Luxury Gifts for Sailors and Yacht Owners Gill OS2 Foul Weather Jacket We would not be without our foul weather gear, We love our Gill gear, it's purpose made for sailing. The Gill OS2 Foul Weather Jacket has it all, sprayhood, high collar, neoprene cuffs, waterproof, etc. This jacket cannot be beat. GoPro We're not youtubers or anything, but occasionally we do like to take underwater videos or photos. We also use the GoPro sometimes to see if anything is caught on the propeller or rudder when we have a close call. For that reason alone we wouldn't be without it. Waffle Weave Towels We love just about any fabric that is waffle weave, it reminds us of being at a nice hotel or a spa. The best thing about it is it dries faster than normal cotton terry towls. These towels add a bit of luxury to Wild Rose. We like the oversize 35 x 70 inch version. Waffle Weave Blankets Did I mention that we like waffle weave items. Yes, these are luxurious, and as soft as butter. UE Boom 2 Bluetooth Speaker I have had one of these for years, far longer than we have owned Wild Rose. It has the best sound from a portable speaker that I've ever heard. Plus you can link two or three together via bluetooth. They fit perfectly in a cup holder and are 100% waterproof. Yes, you can dunk them in the ocean. Ships Barometer Weather and sailing go hand in hand. Having a barometer on board is incredibly useful. We check ours all the time to make sure it's not falling. This set is incredibly well made and absolutely beautiful. Luxury Nautical Pillows This is a great gift for any sailor. An indoor outdoor pillow, or three is great for any sailboat cockpit or saloon. No matter if you are a day sailor or a voyager, a 20” x 20” throw pillow is great for a gift. We have several on our boat that go inside or outside. I am constantly reaching for one when not on watch. Leather Bound Journal What's more luxuirous and bougie than a leather bound journal? Leather Ships Log The only thing more luxurious than a leather bound journal is a leather bound Ship's Log. KODAK Luma 150 Ultra Mini Pocket Pico Projector We don't have a television on our boat, so we often use a laptop to watch movies, but that gets old after a while. With the projector, we can project on the white wall in our saloon, or use a white sheet in the cockpit to project movies, It's fantastic. YETI Hopper Cooler I had this cooler long before we bought our boat. I take it camping, to the beach, to a cookout, just about anywhere you can imagine. But we always have it at the boat when we are on Wild Rose. It’s soft sided, so you can carry it slung over your shoulder. We use it to go to the store when we know it’s going to be a long dinghy ride in hot weather, we put our frozen items in it. It’s great for going to the beach, or over to someone else’s boat for sundowners. Magma Stainless Steel Grill What’s the point of having a yacht and not grilling out on the back of it. I can’t think of anything better than steaks or fresh caught tuna or wahoo grilled to perfection on the back of Wild Rose. Give me a beer and some fresh grilled wahoo fish tacos and I’m in heaven. Did I say I like fish tacos? Magma grills are purpose built for yachts. We lover ours. Sailing Gifts for the Galley Stanley Coffee Press At home when I’m in a hurry I use a regular coffee machine. But it just takes up too much room on board, plus I like the taste of a French press better then a regular machine. We bought this Stanley coffee press years ago because everything they make is tough and durable, it is also insulated. Also, this one has a nice base so it doesn’t fall over easily.The top closes by twisting, so it makes it a little harder to spill coffee out of while under sail. I use this press every single day. It is one of the best items on this list. I rinse mine out in sea water every day and it still has no rust on it after years of service. Aeropress The Aeropress makes the best cup of coffee in the world in my opinion. If you want to make coffee for more than two people it’s kind of a pain, but for one or two people, this thing rocks. I take mine camping. It can also make espresso. Calphalon Nesting Cookware We love our Calphalon Nesting Cookware, we've been using Calphalon for years, their warranty is unprecedented and we love the way they work and nest together. A lot of sailors like the Magma nesting cookware, and it's good, but we prefer the Calphalon set. Gear Hammock This is one of the cheapest, best gifts for anyone who owns a sailboat. We use ours for fresh produce. You would be shocked how long cabbage, potatoes, onions, garlic and a ton of other veggies can stay fresh for hanging in one of these little hammocks. Some people install them in cabins and store gear in them that way, it’s nice to have stuff out of the way, but easily accessible. Paper Towel Holder As with everything else on a sailboat, the galley has limited space. So you need to optimize the space, and for us that means getting everything off of the counters we possibly can. Every galley layout is different, but most of them have a place where you can put a paper towel holder. This is a simple, elegant, paper towel holder that is stainless and is a reasonable price. The best part about this one is that it stops so you can tear off the paper towel with one hand and it won’t unroll on you. Magnetic Knife Bar In the same vein of keeping stuff off the counters, we have limited drawer space in our galley, so getting the knives out of the drawers saves some space for us. Also like the paper towel holder above, you need to have the right spot for these knife holders. We mounted ours vertically, horizontally is better, but this works for us. Fridge and Oven Thermometers Fridges on boats are notoriously finnicky, I have one of these thermometers in each of our fridges and our freezer. I also have an oven thermometer in the oven, boat ovens don't have thermometers built in like home models. Nesting Bowl and Colander Set Any galley on just about every boat except for a superyacht is going to have limited storage. This nesting set takes up little room, and it really is three items, bowls, colanders, and storage bowls, because they come with sealable lids. This is the perfect boat gift. Sailing Gifts for Her Luci Light Now we have lights all over our boat, so this isn't a necessity. But sometimes you don't want to turn on the very bright lights at night, you just want a little mood lighting. The other thing we use these for is when we go out in the evening or at night, we put two of them on the rail a few feet apart so we can tell our boat from others when there are 50 boats in an anchorage. They are solar powered, so you just leave them out on a lifeline all day and they charge themselves. Bluetooth Earbuds We were both very resistant to use bluetooth earbuds, but since we have, we won't go back. It is very freeing to leave your phone on the table while doing boat work listening to music. We like these Soundcore earbuds, they're not ridiculously priced, offer noise cancelling and sound great. Sailing Gloves Gill makes great sailing gear. These sailing gloves are no exception. Nancy wears hers all the time when sailing, evem more so when coiling lines at the end of the day. Sailing gloves are a perfect sailing gift. Senna Headsets In the sailing world, these are known as marraige savers. Many times I have witnessed sailing couples screaming at each other while trying to anchor, it doesn't look like fun. The yelling has more to do with the wind than anything. It's really hard to understand someone when they are 25 feet from you and the wind is blowing 20 knots. We use these. We even use them when I have to go up the mast, they work great for that. This is a great gift for the sailing couple. Gill Waterproof Socks When you're not sailing in the tropics, these are really nice to have. I wear them all the time in moderate or cold weather. Then I put my sailing shoes on over them. Our feet have yet to get wet. They have a very thin neoprene layer, but mostly they just feel like thick socks. Spyderco Atlantic Salt Sailing Knife The first thing I grab every morning, whether on passage or at anchor, even before coffee is my sailing knife. My sailing knife is a constant companion. Having a good sharp knife on a sailboat is a safety issue. It rarely happens, but sometimes you need to cut a line, and it needs to happen immediately. Whether you snag a fish trap in your rudder or a line gets wrapped somewhere it shouldn’t in a squall, it’s an emergency. For this reason I always have a knife clipped to my pocket.Mine is serrated and razor sharp, it also should remain rust free. This could be the single best gift on this list Samsung A8 Tablet A tablet has a ton of uses on a boat. You can get a Navionics subscription as an app for cheap, think Google Maps for boats. You can read books, get weather, navigate, surf the internet, we have two on board, and probably need to get a backup in case one ever dies on us. I am partial to the Samsung tablets, I’ve owned a couple over the years as well as an Apple iPad. Having owned a couple of each over the years, in my opinion, you get a lot more for your money with the Samsung. A tablet is an indispensable piece of gear aboard. The Samsung A8 is the best value for the money on the market. Mares Plana Avanti Fins I have had a set of these fins for nearly 30 years. Yes, 30 years. They are the same fins I use to snorkel and dive today. I am guessing they will last your entire life, or really close. Nancy has a set of the Tre fins for around 10 years. They’re still going strong. Mine are the Quattro version, probably a little overkill for most people. Everyone who owns a sailboat needs a mask, snorkel and set of fins, eventually you’re going to need to go overboard to look at the bottom of your boat. Even better is exploring reefs and wrecks. Masks are too personal because they need to be properly fitted, everyone’s face is different, but fins are easier because it’s your shoe size. Eno Hammock I am a huge fan of hammocks. I use one when I go camping and backpacking to sleep the night. Now mine is really fancy with bug netting, you don’t need all of that for a boat. The beauty of being on a boat is there are plenty of places to hang a hammock, On our boat I can hang one in about six or seven spots. It’s great hanging from a hammock while at anchor reading a book or taking a siesta. Eno makes great lounging hammocks that won’t break the bank. Vacuum Storage Bags I think Nancy has bought a couple of dozen of these bags to have on board. They are great for storing winter clothes, spare pillows, blankets, etc. This is a super gift for anyone living aboard their sailboat. Toss a couple of dessicant packs in there and a dryer sheet and you are set for months. Sailing Gifts for Him Vacuum Extractor Oil Pump The not so glamorous side of sailing is boat work. And there is a lot of boat work to keep a boat running properly. On most sailboats, you cannot drain the oil from your engine like you do in a car. You have to suck it out. I know, weird, but that’s the way you do it. I use this pneumatic pump to suck out the oil from both of our engines and our generator. I know, it probably seems weird to get someone a vacuum pump for a gift, it’s not. True yachtsmen and women appreciate such gifts I can assure you. Selma Fid Set Fids are little pointy tubes we use for splicing lines. I use mine all the time for running rigging work. This is the type of item you need to get once in your life, these will last my entire life. Digital Caliper If you own a sailboat this is a must have item. I use mine at least once a day on average. I recently lost mine somehow, and I was lost without it. It is important to sometimes be very accurate measuring something like tubing or wire thickness. Digital calipers are indispensable. Underwater Kinetics Dive Knife The beauty of a dive knife on a boat is the multiple uses it has. First, you can take it diving. I know you weren’t expecting that one. I keep one at all times strapped within arms reach of our helm station just in case of emergency. They don’t rust, so it can be kept outside all the time. They are rugged, so you can pry with it as well. I have six dive knives on our boat. I know, it’s a lot, but still a great gift. Leatherman Wave Multitool Is there any better gift for a man than a tool? No, there isn’t. I have owned a Leatherman Wave for 30 years. It has loads of tools inside that are fantastic on a boat. A knife for cutting rope, pliers for fishing and rigging, bottle opener for beer bottles, file for sharpening fish hooks, I could go on but you get the idea. I keep mine on my belt or in the nav desk of our boat at all times. Davis MK15 Sextant There is nothing more nautical than a sextant. Used by mariners for hundreds of years to navigate by the stars, a sextant is a great gift for a sailor. The Davis MK 15 is a highly recommended sextant. Weems and Plath Navigation Set This is a great gift for any sailor or boat owner. We still use paper charts sometimes, and these are necessary tools for coastal navigation. Aside from a sextant, there isn't a more nautical gift than a pair of parallel rule and a divider. Sailors have been using them for hundreds of years. As you can tell, we use every item on this list. Some of them are luxury items, but some are absolutely indespensible. Hopefully you found a gift for your sailor on this list. If you have any other ideas for a great gift for a sailor, don't hesitate to drop me a line on our contact form.