‘tis the season

‘Tis the night before Christmas and all through the boat, not a

gadget is missing, let’s hope it’ll float.”

If Santa was a sailor, I wonder if his sled would be “turbo’d?”

Everytime I hear the word sled, I think of Taxi Dancer, Pyewacket,

Magnitude, Front Runner, Vicky and the first of all the sleds, the

timeless classic, Ragtime.

Turbo sleds are sleds with a different keel and bulb shape, more

stick, more material and definitely, more bucks.

Turbos have all the trick gadgets you can find, but leave much to be

desired when it comes to crew comfort.

No TV, stereo, settees or book shelves, and some don’t even have a

place to sit when you want to read the morning paper (Daily Pilot, of

course).

So if you don’t know a lot about boats, but would like to give a

nautical gift to a relative, spouse, friend or foe, how do you determine

what to give?

Most boaters have specific ideas and prefer selecting their own brand

or model of high-tech equipment.

“It’s probably better to leave the high-tech stuff alone if you’re

thinking about giving a boater a gift,” said Dale Ince, general manager

of Basin Marine.

“We have lots of other gear that would make terrific gifts that are

not only sensible, but also very practical. We have things like fire

extinguishers or emergency equipment.

“Barometer-thermometer wall-mounts, or how about about a cleaning and

waxing kit for your boat,” ince went on to say.

Another item that shows you care would be an inflatable jacket or

vest. These look exactly like a normal wind breaker. If you fall in the

water, all you do is reach in the front pocket and pull a trigger on a

small Co2 bottle and the jacket (or vest) fully inflates into a life

preserver.

These attractive jackets list at $219, but are sold at Basin Marine

for $179. The vests are only $125.

Dave New, president of Basin Marine, suggest “how about a gift

certificate for a haul out.” Basin can handle boats up to 60 feet in

length and has a very competent staff of professional marine plumbers,

mechanics and shipwrights.

“People should book reservations now for haul outs in April, May and

June. We have reservations up through the entire next year, but if you

wait ‘til the last minute, you might find it difficult to find a place

that can take you out.” Basin Marine is at 829 Harbor Island Drive in

Newport Beach.

Nautical clothing is usually the No. 1 seller this time of year.

You can’t go wrong with a pair of Top Siders, or how about a Reynn

Spooner shirt. You can find a great selection of nautical and Hawaiian

shirts at any of the Gary’s Island Stores (949) 640-2371. Gary’s Islands

are in Fashion Island, next to California Pizza Kitchen, and the

CheeseCake Factory, as well as on Marine Street on Balboa Island (949)

673-8208.

Well, that’s about it for the last Christmas column about boating for

the 1900s. We wish you a safe holiday season and a happy ho, ho, ho!