NUTS & BOATS
The twice monthly newsletter for to-be and already-are cruisers Issue #12 - December 15, 2003
Publisher: Trish Lambert
www.takehersailing.com
(C) P. Lambert 2003
Welcome to new subscribers who have signed up through www.takehersailing.com! IN THIS ISSUE
THIS ISSUE'S COOL CRUISING QUOTEHouses are but badly built boats so firmly aground that you cannot think of moving them. They are definitely inferior things, belonging to the vegetable, not the animal world, rooted and stationary, incapable of transition. Arthur Ransome
Send me your cool cruising quotes and I will include them in future issues!
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THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM IN THE ANCHORAGE! The Virtual Anchorage, the new Take Her Sailing online discussion board, has been buzzing with activity in its first week. As of this writing, we are 61 members strong...and there's plenty of room for more! Many thanks to the great moderators who are hosting specific topic areas. With their help and interest, we've got the makings of a great community! Try this link...if it doesn't work, go to the Take Her Sailing home page and try one of the links posted there.
A (LITTLE) CRUISING CONTROVERSY
Holiday Gifts #1: To, from, and for Cruisers by Trish Lambert Last month I was thinking about good newsletter topics for December. Hurricane season is over, many boats are mothballed for the winter, and others are in winter cruising grounds. Most of us are taken up juggling the extra tasks that come with the holiday season along with the real and psychological stresses that arise at this time of year. "What would my readers find interesting and entertaining?" I asked myself. I did not find the question easy to answer, and I mulled for some time. You've already seen the result of half of my mullings in the December 1 issue of "Nuts & Boats." Once that issue got sent out, I started thinking about this issue, still stumped for subject matter that suits the season. I looked through current sailing magazines and Internet sites-what were they talking about? It didn't take long to see an obvious trend among the sailing media for holiday season journalism: No matter where I looked, someone was talking about good gifts for cruisers and sailors. Okay, I thought, maybe that's the ticket. I've bought and received cruising/sailing gifts over the years-I am certainly qualified to offer suggestions. Not only that, but my web site, after all, IS a commercial business: I could use the opportunity to push my products and services even more than usual. I compiled lists of potential gifts for cruisers, categorized them by type, then categorized them by price...then stopped. This wasn't going to work. It wasn't a lack of ideas that stopped me. My lists were great, ranging from wire drink holders and boat-friendly CD storage products on the low end to night vision binoculars and hand held anemometers on the high end, the latter items geared toward the (traditionally) male side of the crew. State-of-the-art pressure cookers, vacuum sealing machines, and nesting cookware were some of the items that slanted more toward the areas that first mates normally oversee. Great stuff...but there was something wrong with the picture. Actually, several things were wrong: First, I had a problem listing lower priced gift ideas as candidates for non-sailing folks to give their sailing friends. Living aboard a boat underscores the requirement to keep things simple and demands that we avoid loading ourselves up with stuff we don't really need. A lot of the low end boat-oriented giftie items I had on the lists were just frivolous. I can't in good conscience promote buying things like wire drink holders and anchor-adorned napkin holders as "good" gifts for sailors. If they really can use that stuff, they will purchase it for themselves. Second, my gift-giving philosophy got in the way. I think that while a gift one gives to a partner or spouse should be useful, it should also be something that he or she would not have bought on their own. Many things on my list were items that would naturally be on a cruising team's list, to be bought sooner or later. Next, while I might be pleased if Skip surprised me by installing a composting toilet aboard Nehalennia as a holiday gift, I don't know that (female) first mates in general appreciate receiving boat gear (ESPECIALLY gear that would have been purchased eventually anyway) as gifts. Last, I don't think the reverse is true-I suspect that most cruising men LOVE getting boat toys of any kind as gifts from their significant others; for them, these gifts make the dream more real, both by adding gear to the boat and by symbolizing their partners' support of the plan.
So here I am. After all my mulling, research, and soul-searching, here are my recommendations: If you are a non-sailor buying for a sailor (or a sailor offering land lubber friends and family gift-buying guidance), consider a gift certificate or gift card. Amazon, West Marine, Sprint, Barnes and Noble, and Starbucks are just a few examples of places that offer certificates or cards. Guys, unless you are absolutely certain that your partner or spouse will be thrilled with that pressure cooker, fancy rigging knife, or set of foul-weather gear, I suggest you avoid practical boat items as gifts. You can still maintain the boating motif, though. Consider nautical jewelry, which really can qualify as a useful gift. There are lots of choices available to you. One of the most recognizable (from magazine ads and boat shows) is AGA Correa, who makes beautiful gold Turk's Head pieces. Gals, just go for it. Get him whatever boat gear suits your fancy. I'm sure he has a list of stuff he wants for the boat that he frequently shares with you. If he's like the cruising men of my acquaintance, this list will never end, so you can't go wrong, no matter what you buy!
SURPRISE!! A GIFT CERTIFICATE! As Margaret Dumont said in a vintage Fred Astaire movie,
"I am an entrepreneuse!" I've always loved that line! Do you live with or know someone who has the itch to live aboard or cruise and who would love to talk about it with someone who's been there and done that? MY HOLIDAY GIFT CERTIFICATE IS JUST THE THING! I am offering a certificate for a half-hour cruising teleconsultation. As usual, the teleconsultation includes a pre-session email questionnaire to provide me with background information as well as a cassette of the session sent afterwards. You will receive it electronically, so you can either print it out or email it. And it's $10 off! Through December 24th, purchase the gift certificate for $27.
A CRUISER'S EYE VIEW
Holiday Gifts #2: Feedback from the Front Collected by Trish LambertMy online discussion board launched last week, and I took the opportunity to ask the folks who came over to talk about their view of holiday gifts. What do sailors really want, especially from their non-boater family and friends? First, I offered a poll (a cool feature of the board) and gave five choices. To date, 13 people have registered their choices, and the votes tally like this: Nautical-oriented "decorator" items (napkin rings, coasters, place mats, etc): 0% Tools and small items (leatherman took, rigging knifes, flashlights, etc.): 15% Gift certificates (West Marine, Amazon, etc): 54% Nautical books: 23% Nothing nautical...we'll buy what we need ourselves: 8%
Further suggestions were offered: "If you know their beverage preferences from your prior association, liquor is always a great gift. It's never the wrong color, or size, or is a duplicate that will go to waste. And every time it is consumed, you think of the giver, right?" "Many of us boaters/cruisers have been in the process of downsizing our personal stuff to get on with the dream, when gifts come into the picture I always come straight forward and tell people the thought is appreciated but... whatever amount that they were budgeting to spend would be appreciated in cash!!!" "DVDs or Tapes also work well. They are small and most can be used in the boat/home." "I always give either boat stuff I KNOW they need or want...or else money or gift certificates....and never had a complaint. Space when living aboard, as you all know is limited, so unless you REALLY know what a person wants or needs...cash is best...be it $5 or $50 or whatever." "Gift certificates for online stores or chain restaurants (like Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Outback, etc,... no, NOT McDonalds!) Digital pics of friends and family on an autorun CDROM are nice." "The best gift I've gotten in a long time is a pair of binoculars with the compass in the display -- great for taking bearings and plotting. Also, I seem to like flashlights; can't seem to have too many, and little ones for here and there by bunks and in engine compartments and such are always appreciated. Ditto on CDs, DVDs, and gift certificates for food or supplies."
I also ran across some intriguing new toys, like the Coleman Hot Water on Demand unit ($300, check out www.basspro-shops.com for details) and the Storm Hawk personalized weather mapping system (pricey at$1595, www.storm-hawk.com). It seems like there is always something new to tempt us!
Whatever happens on the gift front, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a fulfilling holiday season, and I look forward to continuing our cruising conversations in 2004!
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