Give the Gift of Sailing

Foreign visitors observing the frenzy of manic shopping that will take place this Friday — ‘Black Friday’ — might think it is some sort of pagan ritual, perhaps to gather material possessions in advance of impending doom. Just the thought of those hordes of shoppers makes us want to run for cover — especially since half the stuff that’s purchased will probably be re-gifted or returned.

There’s a better way. Why not give ‘the gift of sailing’ instead? Whether you need a present for a diehard sailor or a non-sailor who’s curious about the sport, there are all sorts of great possibilities — none of which is likely to be re-gifted. Here are a few ideas:

• A sailing course to learn the basics or upgrade skills
• Personal safety devices such as a PFD or a personal transponder
• The electronic navigational gadget that the sailor in your life has been lusting after
• A new foul weather jacket to replace the stained and leaky one he or she uses now
• A down payment on a sailing vacation in some dreamy tropical destination
• A top-rated nautical adventure book to read this winter
• or — perhaps best of all — some official Latitude 38 logowear from our online chandlery

Look for more ideas in Sightings, Max Ebb and World of Chartering in the December issue of Latitude 38, coming out on December 1. Good luck. We’ll see you out there — on the water, that is, not in the shopping malls.