CHRISTMAS KIT BAG

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE GIFT GUIDE

CHRISTMAS TRIVIA

QUESTION: THREE OF SANTA’S REINDEER HAVE NAMES BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER D. WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES?

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Here is the ACR Bivy Stick two-way satellite messenger and app, a simple satellite communication device. Working with a smartphone, the 100g Bivy Stick offers boaters an innovative option for sending SMS messages, tracking and sharing location information, accessing GPS maps, viewing live weather forecasts and initiating a distress call. Working anywhere with a view of the sky, it is ideal for a range of boaters, whether day sailing or ocean cruising, as well as all kayakers, paddlers and outdoor adventurers. £260 / www.ACRARTEX.com £260 / www.ACRARTEX.com CHOOSING A CHARITY

BOARD OF GIFTS…

Not boating related, but defi nitely festive fun, the Christmas Eve Puzzle Board is all set to help you leave out Santa’s milk(!), mince pie and, of course, a carrot for Rudolph, and it can even be personalised. The board is made from hard-wearing, responsibly sourced and sustainable bamboo. £15 / www.personalisationboutique.co.uk Many charities have struggled over the past year or so, and so whether purchasing a membership, donating, buying a virtual gift or buying from their shop, there are numerous ways to help charities this Christmas. Here are a few charities to consider: Marine Conservation Society (www.mcsuk.org) Blue Marine Foundation (www.bluemarinefoundation.com) Ocean Conservation Trust (oceanconservationtrust.org) RNLI (rnli.org) Sea Life Trust (www.sealifetrust.org) Jubilee Sailing Trust (jst.org.uk) Tall Ships Youth Trust (tallships.org) Sail 4 Cancer (www.sail4cancer.org.uk)

NAUTICALIA DID YOU KNOW?

www.nauticalia.com Submariner Sweater, £99.99 Ultimate Guide to Knots, £12.99 Spiced Rum Ship in Bottle, from £85 Beken of Cowes 2022 Calendar, £16.99 One of the most popular Christmas songs, Jingle Bells, was originally written in the mid-19th century as a Thanksgiving song called ‘One Horse Open Sleigh’ before being given a new title in 1857 and the rest, as they say, is history…

POSTAGE

Beat the festive rush and get all your letters and parcels in the post before it is too late. 17 December - Royal Mail Bulk Mail Economy 18 December - 2nd Class, 2nd Class Signed For, Royal Mail 48 21 December - 1st Class and 1st Class Signed For, Royal Mail Tracked 48, Royal Mail 24 22 December - Royal Mail Tracked 24 23 December - Special Delivery Guaranteed

Do not forget those stamps! This year’s Royal Mail’s Christmas stamps feature a modern take on the Nativity story.

GIFT OF ADVENTURE

We all hope to be ticking off more adventures on our bucket lists in 2022. To help a loved one on their way, a Kraken Travel gift card could be just the ticket. Kraken Digital Gift Cards are available in £50, £100, £250, £500 and £1,000 and can be used against any adventure on their website. Or you could go the whole way and gift them an entire get-away; a full-on yacht race experience gift card to a day, weekend or fi ve-day mile builder on a high-performance Volvo 70. kraken.travel

VIRTUAL GIFTS

Rather than giving a physical gift there has been a growing trend of giving virtual gifts instead. This is great for the friend who ‘has everything’. It might be a monetary charity donation or it could be buying a gift that will directly benefi t someone or a service connected to a charity. Some examples from the RNLI… Fuel a lifeboat (£10, £20), Crew sea gloves (£25), Crew wellies (£55) or Crew pager (£115) shop.rnli.org/pages/virtual-gifts

WATER GREAT GIFT!

Head over to lomo.co.uk for loads of great gift ideas for fans of all kinds of watersports. Whether it is a stand up paddle board or a pump for an infl atable SUP, there are ideas here for all budgets. How about the folding bucket (£8.99), which has all kinds of uses on board or a folding sailing knife (£12.50), with the main tools to help with rope work or perhaps a new pair of sailing gloves (£8.50). www.lomo.co.uk Turn to page 37 to win with Lomo!

Image: Mahesh Patil/Shutterstock Image: Mahesh Patil/Shutterstock

TURN TO PAGE 18 FOR LOADS OF GREEN CHRISTMAS TIPS!