Personal Gear & Apparel

Ignoring the traditional style boat shoe, sailing sandals, and even womens sailing shoes for the moment, Practical Sailor acquired mens athletic-style boat shoes (deck shoes), from numerous purveyors of sailing apparel. We chose the models we felt were most applicable to mainstream sailing activities on both wet and dry surfaces. Testers assessed each pair of sailboat shoes with non-marking soles for best grip, comfort, construction, foot protection, grip, weight, performance, and absorption. In our quest for the best boating shoes, several marine performance shoes climbed to the top. Several could clearly be classed as racing shoes that might not appeal to cruising sailors.

In our opinion, the only sunscreens worthy of addressing in a sunblock review are those that offer broad-spectrum protection from sunburn. Formulas that ignore UVA protection and offer only UVB protection are as outdated as George Hamiltons suntan. Most products we tested combine UVA and UVB blockers to offer broad-spectrum sunscreen coverage. Physical blockers-metal oxides such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide-reflect both UVA and UVB. These offer the best protection and are not chemicals, so theyre less likely to cause irritation to sensitive skin, but they often leave a thick, white residue on the wearers skin. In terms of chemical UV blockers, Parasol 1789 also ranks high in protecting against sun exposure.

During our testing a of a harness without a crotch strap, the harness did ride up on the victim, but there was no tendency for the wearer to slip out. If the waist strap is tighter than the wearers shoulder width, its not possible for him to slip out. This answer begs the question: What about people whose tummy is wider than their shoulders? Harness waist belts should be worn as taut as is comfortable. If that practice is followed, then crotch straps should not be needed.

In February 2006, we compared four folding bikes, the Dahon Helios, the Dahon Cadenza, the Montague Paratrooper, and the West Marine Port Runner, with the Dahon Helios rated as our Best Choice. After the article ran, we received a pile of mail from readers offering their insight into folding bikes.

If you like trolling while you sail, and youre good at it, youll inevitably land some fish too big for the cooler or ice box. Heres a powerboat-oriented product that might save you the trouble of spilling blood, and guts on your nice clean deck, just so you can put that oversized striper, wahoo, or mahi on ice. Enter insulated fish bags. We looked at three bags capable of holding a fish weighing 50 pounds, plus ice.

Necessity, as the saying goes, is the mother of invention. And sailors tend to be an inventive lot. So, its not surprising that when Ed Kriese, a veteran racing sailor and the owner-founder of Oceanracing.com, became dismayed at the lack of a reasonably waterproof backpack for laptops, he invented one.

Stocking Stuffers for Your Nauti One

MARINE INSURANCE REDUXI have been reading with much interest your articles about marine insurance this year (April and May 2006).

Is it really worth dropping a few extra bucks for binos?

It was mid-July 1990 on the Caicos Banks, a stretch of shallow, gin-clear water extending for about 70 miles east to west in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Along with a dozen other cruisers whod chosen to thumb our noses at hurricane season (ah, those were simpler times), we were pausing in Providenciales before heading south. …