Bebi Shuttered
Weve tested Bebi Electronics lights in the past (PS May 2010) and recently mentioned the companys photo-sensitive Beka anchor light in our report on do-it-yourself onboard security projects (PS August 2015). However, we recently learned that the Fiji-based, sailor-owned and -operated business has closed its doors. According to Bebis website, www.bebi-electronics.com, the company reluctantly went out of business because of mounting political problems in Fiji that put the owners safety at risk.
We found one online store that still stocks some Bebi products, Hot Wire (www.svhotwire.com), and a few makers that appear to offer products that are comparable to the quite popular Bebi Beka anchor light. Hot Wire sells the Basic Beka and a Marine Beam hanging cockpit light (www.marinebeam.com, $35-$42), and Davis Instruments offers the Utility Mega Light ($46 at West Marine), which has a cigarette-lighter plug and a built-in photo cell similar to the Beka. (We have not yet tested these, so we can not speak to their performance or durability.)
Bebis closure means that the lifetime warranty it offered on its hand-assembled lights will no longer be honored. If you have a Bebi Beka cockpit light that has failed, its more than likely the photo sensor is the problem, according to vendor Hot Wire. The photo sensor can’t be replaced, but it can be disabled. Hot Wires solution is to drill out the photo sensor with a 3/16-inch drill bit, about a quarter-inch deep, then seal the hole with some 3M 5200.
If you know any other comparable alternative lights or ways to repair tattered Bebi lights, shoot us an email at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.
iSailor for Android
The Transas iSailor navigation app-Practical Sailors pick for an iPad navigation app for the budget-minded sailor (see PS March 2012 and April 2013)-is now available for Android devices. While the iOS-compatible iSailor app, which PS tested, has been around since 2010, Transas released the Android version this past summer.
The iSailor for Android is compatible with phones and tablets running Android operating system 4.4 or higher. It features the same primary functions and options required for navigation included in the iOS version, and is powered by Transas iTX-97 marine vector charts. According to the company, developers are also working on a feature that allows Android tablet and smartphone users to restore all chart folios and options they previously bought for the iOS version of iSailor; this feature, due for release in late 2015, would benefit those users operating multiple devices.
Downloading the chartplotter and AIS viewer app is free; chart folios are available for purchase in the apps chart store. For under $10, users can get the basic navigation app and coastal vector charts for a major U.S. area. Charts for other sizable areas are about $5 each. Transas has shown that its very active in regularly upgrading the iOS app, and wed expect the same for the Android version. Also, if youre sailing foreign waters, their chart packages are worth checking out.
For more information, visit www.isailor.us.
Grundens for Women
The womens foul-weather gear market will have a new addition to the market this year: Grundens USA (www.grundens.com), best known for commercial fishing apparel, plans to launch a new line of professional-grade, oil-skin foulies designed specifically for the needs and shapes of women.Grundens worked with professional women mariners to design the new jackets and bibs, which will debut this fall, according to the company.
Practical Sailor plans to review the new womens gear in a future issue. We last reviewed foul-weather gear in the February 2015 (mens) and March 2015 (womens) issues.
