Gone Sailing - Sailing Watches for the Rest of us

Sailing Watches for the Rest of us

When you mention sailing watches, everyone has in mind the James Bond type, that are always being hawked in the Sunday colour supplements. Granted they are ideal for showing off in the yacht club, but are they really that practical? I don't doubt that they are well constructed, reliable and have lots of cool features, (waterproof to 12 Atmospheres, multiple time zones, stop watch, space time continuum worm hole finder etc.), but isn't it all a bit of an overkill? If I'm out sailing and suddenly find myself a thousand metres below the surface, knowing the time wouldn't be my main priority, and the only feature on a watch I would want would in that situation would be an aqualung!

Race sailors might want to be able to time their tacks to the nearest split second, but for us mere mortals who just need to know what the time is so we can get back before they stop serving food at the pub, that's not so important.

So if you simply want to know what the time is, and want something that can both take a few knocks and is waterproof, here's something you might find interesting

Snap Watch

This watch consists of a length 4mm climbing rope fastened by poppers to a small waterproof barrel with an LCD screen. The buttons for setting the time and date are inset into the back of the barrel, so can't be accidentally pressed without the aid of a pin.

I spent a week with this watch, and didn't manage to do any harm to it at all. Soaking it with salt or fresh water doesn't seem to phase it, and I discovered that the rope dried quite quickly, so having a soggy watchstrap wasn't a problem either. The last watch I bought for sailing ended up in my bilges - like most things on my boat - so thought it was only fair to give this one the same treatment (call it real life testing!). After a few days in the disgusting depths of my boat the watch was still functioning, but the strap certainly needed cleaning. Luckily the company produce spare straps, in fact they come in 7 different colours, and are priced at less than a couple of quid.

Most of the time was spent on dry land, and some of it in an office environment – OK not the harshest conditions on earth. As the watch is so lightweight, I hardly noticed it, but got a few curious looks from my colleagues - well it does look a bit like a friendship bracelet.

Surf Watch

Aimed at the surf crowd, this has a similar barrel but features a latex band instead of the rope, so is easy to slip on and off over your hand.

Like the Snap Watch, this watch is also 100% waterproof and should stand up to a bit of rough and tumble.

I also put this watch through the same treatment as the Snap Watch and it stood up admirably as well, and in fact the watch floats, so should you accidentally drop it over the side, it will be easy to rescue with a boat hook.

On the downside, putting the Snap Watch on is a bit fiddly until you get the hang of it, and the screen on both is bit small. Also the watch has no light, so won't be much use on deck in the middle of the night. Although not a serious contender for the Swiss watch fraternity it is ideal for fun watersports or extreme land sports. Tough enough to survive, cheap enough not to worry about the odd splash of antifoul, and accurate enough to get you to the bar before closing. Or are doing something where you don't want to damage your Rolex Oyster, then you should grab one one of these, come to that, they're also ideal for the kids.

Flash stuff

Also in this range are some clip on flashing lights. You have two options, one, the Zipper Pull Light, is just a light that is fastened to a crocodile clip, and the other, the Zipper Pull Watch & Light, is as the name implies, a watch barrel with a light on the end.

Both are activated by twisting the top of the light, and when activated alternate between red or green flashing LEDs. The idea behind this is so you can easily be seen at night, and are intended to be clipped on a zip or backpack, so the wearer can be seen at night. As they are also waterproof, they're also useful for boat use, such as keeping an eye on the bow man when he's moving aroud a dark deck (of course he should be wearing a harness!,

but we all know people too macho for those!) I've attached one to my life jacket - just in case! I wasn't really keen to jump into the Channel at night and see if anyone could see me (especially taking into consideration my colleague's last attempt at man over board drill!) but I'm guessing that it might help locate someone in the water slightly quicker.

The only thing I would say is that the clip on the Watch and Light looks more reliable the crocodile clip on the other, so this is the one I would recommend to clipping onto anything or anyone important.

Both watches are priced at £4.99, the Zipper Pull Light is £3.75 and the Light and Watch, £5.50.

All items come with a 2 year warranty and are available from a number of stockists around the world. In the UK, they can be ordered from www.thepiedpipershop.com and our American cousins should visit www.hogwildtoys.com.

Eddy Mack

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