Sailing Accessories - Kim's Picks

I’ve been sailing and motorboating for longer than I’d cared to relate, and I cannot imagine a life without getting away on the water now.

It didn’t start so well for me though. Back when I was a lad, Dad bribed my brother and I with a bag of sweets while on holiday in Brixham (danger alert, that never happened) and then promptly tried to scare the living whatits out of us by loading us aboard a hired GP14 in what I recall as a choppy, breezy harbour. The first time the wind caught the sails I learned quite rapidly it pays to be on the windward side of tippy boats. So that was scary, but then I soon experienced the miracle conversion to the water and not long after our family was at the London Boat Show, buying a car toppable Mermaid, quite similar to a Mirror dinghy.

Since then I’ve experienced all kinds of sailing and motorboating, with the family owning a Westerly Konsort and then a Moody Eclipse. Working as the editor of a motorboating magazine took me into ownership of Pedro steel cruisers, Sealine fast flybridge boats and now a completely daft but lovely classically styled 45ft aft cabin motorboat.

My real highlight was taking five months out of the office to circumnavigate Britain and explore not only the coast but quite a few of its rivers, in total 4500nm and 119 harbours. But I still very much enjoy a gentle day at anchor, when we tend to get back to our small boat roots with a bit of kayaking or use of our new Red Paddle Co SUP.

Despite all of those years messing around on the water, my fascination with boats and the many things you can buy to make the experience much more fun again remains undiminished. You can imagine exactly where you’ll find me on a visit to Wetsuit Outlet at Shoeburyness, poring over the many thousands of items on the lengthy shelves and rails there.

Here are four sailing accessories I found recently that I like – and why.


2018 Gul Dry Bag 50 Litre

Whoever invented the concept of the dry bag needs a medal. If you’ve ever had to dinghy out to a yacht or want to use a sailing dinghy or RIB for exploring, you’ll know how your whole day can become dominated by just keeping important things dry. These bags also work well if you’ve been allocated the dankest bilge to store your possessions when on a yacht race or cruise.

The Gul 50 Litre Dry Bag has the usual snap fastener top fastening that is so easy to secure, even with cold hands. The bonus is that the bag is made of reinforced transparent PVC, so it’s possible to see what’s inside. That is so useful when protecting cameras and the like, where it’s possible to reach inside, sort out what you need and keep everything protected while doing so.

Best of all, you’ll see change out of £20 on our special offer.

Buy the 2018 Gul Dry Bag 50 Litre here.

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2017 McMurdo Fast Find 220 PLB with GPS

Okay, let’s just start this one by saying the whole concept of being able to buy a Personal Location Beacon (PLB) that features a 406MHz and 121.5MHz EPIRB with a GPS, in a pocketable unit that costs no more than a decent night out, seems incredible. While the night out is fun, the McMurdo Fast Find 220 PLB with GPS can save your life, whether standing a watch on a yacht at sea, or out dinghy sailing, running around in a RIB or kayaking.

McMurdo has a brilliant reputation for boat safety kit, with leisure sailors and commercial vessel operators alike. So, you know the claims it makes for the Fast Find 220 being waterproof to a depth of 10m, and robust, are sound.

You are remarkably hard to find even in a calm sea if a manoverboard victim or you lose touch with your small boat when in the water. The Fast Find 220 PLB overcomes that by using the 406MHz emergency network for global alerting, 121.5MHz for fine positioning as assistance gets closer and the GPS for an absolute fix. It has a six-year battery storage life and a high brightness LED light too, plus a safe stow antenna and flotation pouch. It is registered to you, so it’s perfect to carry around if you charter, deliver yachts or hire boats anywhere in the world.

It’s on special offer, just to further tempt you. Buy the 2017 McMurdo Fast Find 220 PLB with GPS now!

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Gill Folding Personal Rescue Knife

Anyone who has wrestled with cutting a rope of any diameter will know that the straight-edge blade of a traditional sailor’s knife is no good. You saw away and barely make an impression, especially on the modern, very strong strands you find in rigging, sheets and mooring lines these days.

So, a serrated blade is the way to go and I like the look of the Gill Folding Personal Rescue Knife. Small enough to keep handy, but with a large enough 70mm blade featuring an aggressive set of teeth ready to free you if entangled in a sailing dinghy capsize or cutting a lobster pot line wrapped around your yacht prop.

I can show you the scar on my finger that proves you also need a positive latching mechanism on a knife like this, having had a blade chew down onto my unfortunate digit while freeing a boat prop mid Channel. Sufficiently, the Gill Folding Personal Rescue Knife has a linear lock to prevent accidental closure.

Buy the Gill Folding Personal Rescue Knife here.

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Gul All-Purpose 5mm Neoprene Boots

Ostensibly you’d be looking at sailing footwear like a neoprene boot if all of your action is close to the water on a sailing dinghy, kayak or windsurfer. However, I’ve got a slightly tatty pair of well-loved boots that have also seen much action now on RIBs and my motorboat and yachting adventures. Personally, I’d rather always have bare feet when afloat, but the reality is it can often be a bit too chilly for that, or the deck surfaces are wet (I wasn’t born with grippy soles).

Hence, I’m on the hunt for a new pair of lightweight sailing boots and chances are I’ll be waving my plastic in the direction of the Gul All-Purpose 5mm Neoprene Boots. The bit I warmed to was mention of them having a ‘Thermospan central heating system’ – as the owner of feet that always get cold that sounds attractive. However, beyond that it’s also good to see features like reinforced uppers, toes and heels, a durable non-slip sole and a YKK zip and Velcro zip strap.

That’s a lot of boot for less than £30. Buy the Gul All-Purpose 5mm Neoprene Boots here. BO1267-black-grey.jpg


If, like a lot of people embracing winter right now, you're feeling a little bit chilly whilst on the water, why not 'Layer like a Pro' to ensure your sailing experience is somewhat enjoyable and has you craving for more.

Written by Kim Hollamby

@wetsuitoutlet

Published on 14th February 2018 in Sailing

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