I want to wish everyone good cheer in the holiday season and a safe and happy new year filled with great days out on the water. For those that are struggling to find that perfect gift for your significant sailing partner, here are some suggestions put forward by long time Nonsuch sailing guru Kristen Posey:
Update International Nonsuch Association Summer 2007
NAUTICAL GIFTS FOR GIRLS
The Girl’s List – Some of these items might get you shot, unless your little lady loves being on the boat almost more than she loves you.
I also make the assumption of traditional pink and blue jobs - i.e. most of us ladies are doing the cooking, while the men are grunting, scratching, sniffing, and comparing engines, or getting into the rum locker.
In all seriousness, there’s plenty of reasons many women don’t like being on the boat. But the best theory I’ve ever heard towards keeping them on the boat, and with you, is to treat them like the queens they are when they’re on the boat. I heard that from a guy, too, and his wife is still sailing with him after 30 years.
Cooking Pots and Pans – I found a nice set of stainless non-stick with aluminum bottom pads and it nests with removable handles, and I’ve been keeping my eye on it to see when it goes on
sale. http://shop.trailersailor.com (I have used a similar set from T-Fall for years. They’re promoted for campers. Ed.)
Tupperware Spice Holders – make sure you’ve already mounted a rack that they fit in. The spice holders are expensive, but they apparently are the best at keeping things dry and fresh.
Marriage Savers – Vox Enabled FRS/GMRSS radios - it’s time to stop fighting over anchoring.
Solar Shower – make it two of them – women tend to like to go to bed feeling clean and fresh. Unless you have a hot water tank and don’t mind using it
4
International Nonsuch Association Summer 2007
Surprise her—have them warming where she won’t see them, and then before bed, hook them up for her.
If you’re really on the ball, you’ll have bought a set of her favorite shampoos, soaps, and lotions (the stuff she normally won’t indulge in because they’re expensive), and be able to hand a basket of them to her with a fluffy clean smelling fresh towel and bathrobe.
Combination cockpit table and drink holder – makes entertaining in the cockpit a lot easier, as well as grilling, and general feeding of the crew. They come in plastic and wood. The wood one I have my eye on folds up and down, and also has leaves that fold out.
Don’t forget a new pedestal cover, if the old one no longer fits. You don’t want to be varnishing all that stuff all the time.
Tecma Toilet (and perhaps an Electra San to go with it?). Now, listen here, unless she really appreciates trying to teeter-totter over that dinky little toilet you currently have on board, and she really likes pumping afterwards while you guys are close-hauled in 15 knot winds, you really need to look at this: http://www.tecma.net/nautica/index.html
You push a button to fill the bowl prior to doing business, and push a second button to make it go away. The ad looks dumb, with a lady in some lingerie type bathrobe sprawled out on a toilet trying to emulate sexiness. However, the ad makes no sense till you actually use this new toilet. These are quiet, and they are strong— someone threw a bottle cap in one, it jammed, and when the owner reversed the polarity, it threw it back out, and worked just fine again. You are supposedly able to throw anything in there. That sounds like the end of the “don’t put anything in there that didn’t come out of you” lecture.
A Mattress – We don’t care to wake up aching in the morning. It makes us cranky. You don’t want us cranky, do you? There are a number of companies that will now make mattresses for your boat. Example: www.artisansmattress.com/ These folks will make tempur-pedic mattresses for you. If you can’t afford this, how
about buying a sheet of thick memory foam—it works wonders on it’s own
Your boat is your vacation home, you might as well enjoy your sleep.
High Thread Count sheets. You just bought the mattress, silly. Yes, they’ll be expensive, and yeah, she’ll be really happy. Would suggest no satin—sounds like a recipe for disaster if someone suddenly changes tacks.
For Our Cruisers – if you happen to know you’re headed somewhere on your next Nonsuch cruise, how about booking her a day at a local Spa when she gets there? She’ll come back to the boat relaxed and in a fantastic frame of mind.
Jewellery – Russ found me a Nonsuch catboat pendant online at a place called Rose Petal. He said you have to look really hard in their website for it too. Their customer service isn’t the best: he ordered me asterling one, and they sent a gold one. Darn.
Vanity Lighting in the Head – it’s very hard to put on make up, when the light in the compartment happens to be making your head a giant shadow in the mirror. You don’t mind us without makeup, but we don’t care to scare the natives.
Night Lighting in the Cabin or Cockpit – she doesn’t like bumping around in the dark, so if you could use some red LED’s to light the floor for her, she’d really appreciate it
Locker Lighting – how on earth anyone finds anything in lockers without a flashlight is beyond me.
Chocolate. Always applies. Keep it in the fridge, so it doesn’t melt.
Strawberries and Champagne are never amiss.
Den Haan Vase. Flowers go in it, by the way. At least some plastic ones
Kristen Posey
Kiddie Cat (Crew) NS26 #131
Update International Nonsuch Association Spring 2007
NAUTICAL GIFTS FOR MEN
Friday evening, after a horrendous storm blew through, Russ and I were on his hurricane damaged Hans Christian 38, “Silent Partner.” He’s been working on her for about a year now, and has plenty more work to do on her, but she’s taking shape. He was rummaging around below while I sat in the cockpit, thinking about this Wish List article, so I decided to go below and ask him what he’d put on his Wish List. Turns out, he only had a few specific items he wants. 
Hella Fans, the two speed version – these are small fans for the interior of the boat that you can mount on bulkheads. They move a lot of air, quietly, but work on the 12vdc system.
Hair Dryer. Men like them for MarineTex and other epoxy jobs, as well as heat shrinking labels onto their electrical wires.
A Man-Dust-Buster. DeWalt makes a vacuum that’s more easily portable than a shop-vac and Russell has decided it’s the best thing since sliced bread. It’s cordless and comes in the same fun yellow color as all his other power tools.
Russell really loves Den Haan lamps–we have some anchor lamps and trawler lamps and frequently burn anti-mosquito oil in them. Got him one of those.
Deck Prisms, which let light into the cabin and Nicro solar vents, which use sunpower to vent the cabin all the time. Russ would go nuts if I got him solar panels or a really good wind generator ‘cause he really likes natural energy.
Some DeWalt or Ryobi cordless stuff, including 2 batteries, the drill, sander, and the inflator (that’s really for me, since I get stuck inflatiing the dinghy pontoons).
Big Ship’s Bell – you’ll have to check, but I think that an 8" diameter bell is USCG approved, or some such. You can also get the ship’s name engraved.
Ship’s Clock and Barometer, if the boat doesn’t have a nice pair already.
ABI Chrome Dorade Vents and matching deck plates – nicer than the plastic stuff, and larger mouth diameter.
Power Inverter/Battery Charger – Russell helpfully specified a Xantrex Link 2000.
Big Balmar Alternator and Electronic Multi-Step Regulator. These seem to get better performance than most of the stuff that comes with
engines. The bigger the Alternator, the larger the house loads you can handle.
LED Lighting – Russ is a fanatic about LED’s, and uses them to light the interior. They’re now available in warmer tones than the original cold blue/white lights.
A Built in Electric Oil Change System
A Remote Oil Filter Mount, so it’s not on the engine (messy when you change the element.
Baja Filter – this filters your fuel, before you even put it in the boat. It’s really great if you plan on taking your boat somewhere
A Case of K100 MD – this is the new lubricant for our old diesel engines that the list has been talking about—it’s supposed to take care of the fact that new national standards in both the US and Canada have required lower sulfur levels, which have lowered the amount of lubricant that’s originally in fuel
Tank Level Guages – I think Xintex is the usual company
High Quality Stereo – unless your husband is already hard of hearing.
Dinghy with outboard, and Davits to handle it – you’ll probably need to check on the list for suggestions for your particular boat.
Solar System – Panels and Charge Controller
Diesel Heater/Fireplace – Dickinson. Or a hydronic type – Webasto or Espar.
12v Refrigeration – Adler Barbour, Sea Frost, or Glacier Bay
10
International Nonsuch Association Spring 2007
Watermaker – the PUR company is well known for their small ones.
Wind Generator.
EPIRB – unless, of course, you don’t want him back.
Inflatable Life Jackets with Built in Harness – SOSpenders, I believe, is the brand.
New Dock Lines – reserve the old dock line for extra storm gear
Anchor and anchor chain – you’ll have to ask his best sailing buddies what kind of anchor it was he’s been drooling over.
Electric Winches – you know you’ve been watching him put the sail up and down, wondering just how many more times he can do that before he has a heart attack.
Self-Tailing Winches – if he just refuses to go electric, make sure he has a self-tailer where it matters.
New Fire Extinguishers – one for every compartment!
Generator – diesel one for inside the engine room, or a stand alone one that you can keep at the house for emergencies.
Mosquito Netting – for hatches, portlights, and a bimini enclosure around the cockpit.
Take the Old Sail in for a Wash and Repair. A company called Sail Care is somewhat famous for making old sails look and feel brand new, but you have to mail it in for a few weeks.
New Lines – halyards and sheets.
This is a Free One – go by the fire station and ask for their old hose—it makes great chafing gear.
New Fenders, and a Fender Pump – keep the old ones for hurricanes or bad storms
Bigger Newer First Aid Kit.
Raymarine Autopilot, “the gyro version” – Russ already has a set of ST60 instruments, chartplotter, and radar, and this gyro version not only steers the boat, but uses a gyro to learn the seakeeping and wave motions of the boat. Thus, the more you use it, the smarter it gets, and the better it handles your boat. By the way, the gyro version is a good bit more expensive than the non gyro.
BBQ – I can vouch for this, since I already did it— he cooks a lot more and now all I have to do is make sure there’s a big salad or some other vegie to go along. I fronted some of the cash to help him get a Dickinson Sea-B-Que, although he was also interested in the Magmas. The lid is on a hinge, so no more losing it overboard. It’s aesthetically pleasing as well.
Trash Compactor – if you happen to be away from the dock for weeks at a time.
New Gloves – so he doesn’t come back with blisters from rope burn.
If you don’t have a cockpit table that is attached to the steering pedestal, you could get one of
those. There’s a very nice one in teak that has a drink holder and bronze hinges, etc
Solar Lanterns for every Stanchion – if you happen to be at the dock and around at night a lot, these make everything cheerful and inviting.
If all of these ideas are either too difficult to implement, or you’re just not sure of your husband’s personal preferences… I know Dad’s always willing to give a good bottle of Glenlivet a home.
You can always get them a gift certificate, or a picture of the item in question with a “Let’s Get This” note attached.
Kristen Posey
Kiddie Cat (Crew) NS26 #131