Every year, I get questions about appropriate gift ideas for family members who are in the middle of downsizing for a life afloat or have recently begun cruising. What would be really appreciated and not take up more room than it was worth?
Eleven of my favorite things for a cruiser or soon-to-be cruiser, ranging in price from less than $10 to several hundred:
2Talk Headsets. Make it easy for them to discuss boat operations such as anchoring, locking, or docking when at opposite ends of the boat. Instead of trying to decipher hand signals, they can calmly talk things over. There’s a reason these are called “Marriage Savers” — and this new model automatically pairs when turned on and has greater water resistance so they can be used in the rain. Voice activated, so totally hands free! My #1 gift recommendation.
Garmin inReach (Amazon). Give the gift of communications anywhere via two-way satellite text messaging. Can send a text message to any smartphone or email address from even the most remote location and get an answer back, as the inReach is powered by Iridium satellite communications. Also includes a tracker so that family and friends can see where the boat is. Can get basic weather forecasts and also has a search and rescue function, although not a full substitute for an EPIRB. The best model for most cruisers is the SE+ as it includes GPS (which the Mini doesn’t) but not the maps (Explorer does, designed for hikers). Bluetooth to phone or tablet to make messaging easier. Must purchase data plan separately; most cruisers opt for unlimited data plan.
Marine Weather Center subscription. Accurate weather information and forecasts are simply critical to cruisers’ safety and comfort. Chris Parker’s weather service is simply the best there is for boaters on the US East Coast, Bahamas, Caribbean and points between. Get the forecast either by SSB or email or both — I particularly like the email for being able to refer back to it and digest it slowly; others prefer SSB as you get to talk with Chris and ask questions. Chris also offers one-time custom forecasts, routing services and can send a custom forecast or route to your email or inReach (above).
Luci Light (Amazon). Wonderful solar light for the cockpit; can also work as a dinghy light (not legal in some places) or emergency anchor light. We’ve also used it inside the boat when we needed extra light when working on something in a dark corner. Clear is best for places where you want the maximum light; frosted is nice for soft light in the cockpit; mult-color is also fun in the cockpit and makes it easy to find your boat after dark in a crowded anchorage.
Luci Clear • Frosted Luci • Multi-Color Luci
Lunatec Odor-Free Dishcloths (Amazon). Ideal for life without a dishwasher. Enough texture to really get dishes and pans clean, yet food particles rinse out easily and they’re made of a very fast-drying material so they never, ever get stinky or sour-smelling. Don’t laugh — these will be seriously appreciated and are definitely budget-friendly (formerly called Scrubbr dishcloths; they’re the same thing).
Fast-drying towels. I have two suggestions for fast-drying and space-saving towels. Marmara Imports’ Turkish towels for a bit of true luxury and TaLii Towels’ microfiber towels for their ability to be customized with the boat name with a laser process. Both are decidedly higher quality and longer lasting than most that you’ll find — I use both and love them!
Marmara Imports Turkish Towels
FastSeas Passage Planning subscription. FastSeas is a weather routing and passage planning tool. It will calculate the fastest route to take a boat from point A to point B given the current weather forecasts, ocean currents, vessel performance, and the cruiser’s desired comfort (max wind and wave conditions, for example). Basic routing is free; but a subscription for just $10 per month ($60 for a year) allows unlimited passage and departure plans and the ability to get updates via email or the inReach when at sea.
FastSeas Passage Planning subscription
Towing service. No one likes to think about the possibility of a mechanical breakdown or running aground and needing a tow, but it happens. A towing membership gives free tows (with certain limitations on distance and severity of grounding, etc.) versus the hundreds of dollars that one would otherwise cost. Both TowBoatUS and SeaTow have excellent operations.
Mantus Anchor. Give the gift of a good night’s sleep with a great anchor, chain hook and other ground tackle. The Mantus just plain sets the best of any anchor I’ve ever used and re-sets quickly with any wind or tide change. Customer service is top-notch, too!
Q Flag (Amazon). Show them you believe in their dreams to sail away from their home country. Any time you arrive in a foreign port, you’re required to fly the Q (quarantine) flag until you have completed all the customs and immigration formalities.
I could easily list another 20 or 30 items, but I’ll leave it here.
Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Claudia Schneider says
Hello Carolyn, which headsets do you use?
Carolyn Shearlock says
We had the Sena SPH10. The 2Talk are made by Sena and are their “new and improved” version . . . at a slightly lower cost. The 2Talk auto-pair, are more rugged, and are more water-resistant, so you can wear them in everything but the heaviest downpair. I’ve used the 2Talk and love them — that auto-pair removes a significant frustration in using the SPH10. We now sell both the 2Talk and the SPH10.