29 Best Sailing Gifts for Sailors, Racers and Cruisers

Every sailor wears through gloves, and most keep sailing in a tattered pair long after they should have been retired. The Deckhand is the glove you see on dinghy parks and yacht clubs everywhere: Amara palms that hold wet sheets without burning, and cut-down fingers so they can still tie a bowline or work a shackle pin. A safe size-L choice for most adult hands.

Black-soled sneakers leave scuff marks on a white deck, and a skipper will notice. These have the non-marking, siped sole a boat owner expects, plus a mesh upper that drains after a wet ride home and a heel that folds down so they slip on at the dock. They run large, so go half a size down.

For the sailor who has graduated from summer afternoons to early-season races and night passages, a proper three-layer shell is a real upgrade from a hiking rain jacket. Chest pockets sit above a harness or PFD waistband, and the double-ended zip lets them vent without opening up to spray.

Giving someone a life jacket sounds unromantic until you remember that the bulky foam vest is the one that stays in the locker. This Coast Guard approved inflatable is light enough to wear for a whole day of racing or cruising and inflates on its own if they go in, which makes it a gift that says you want them back on shore.

Baseball caps fly off the first time the boat tacks into a gust. This bucket hat has a chin strap that cinches tight, a full brim for neck shade on long reaches, and it folds into a jacket pocket when the sun goes down.

Polarized lenses are not a luxury on the water: they let a helmsman see dark patches of wind moving across the surface and spot crab pots before the keel finds them. These grip without bouncing and cost little enough that losing a pair over the side is a shrug.

Almost every sailor has a story about a pair of sunglasses on the bottom of a harbor. These foam retainers keep glasses around the neck during a tack and float them to the surface if they do go over. Four colors means one for each crew member.

This is the gift for anyone who races, from Wednesday-night beer can series to championship regattas. The start sequence is pre-programmed with beeps at 5, 4 and 1 minutes, the digits are huge enough to read while trimming, and the bracket lets them mount it on the boom so the whole crew sees the countdown. A general sports watch simply cannot do this job as well.

A handheld VHF is the backup every boat should carry and the primary radio on a dinghy or small keelboat without a fixed set. This one floats, takes a dunking and pulls NOAA weather forecasts, so it earns its place in a cockpit pocket on every sail.

7x50 is the magnification sailors use because the image stays steady on a moving boat. The built-in compass lets the navigator take a bearing on a headland or a converging ship without putting the binoculars down, and they float if someone fumbles them.

Sailors argue endlessly about whether it is blowing 12 or 18 knots. The Kestrel settles it, reading current, average and gust speed in knots or Beaufort. Dinghy sailors and windsurfers use it to choose a sail size before rigging, and it is tough enough to live in a kit bag for years.

Dry clothes for the drive home are the difference between a good day and a miserable one. Twenty liters fits a fleece, towel and lunch, the backpack straps make the walk down a long pontoon easier, and the clear sides mean nobody tips everything out looking for the car keys.

Phones are now chart plotter, tide table and camera in one, and spray is their enemy. These pouches let a sailor use the screen in a downpour and float the phone if it goes over the side. With two in the pack, one goes to a crew member.

Car keys, especially the electronic fob, are the one thing nobody wants to drop between the dock and the hull. This floats with a full key ring and hides a waterproof pocket for a fob or a spare twenty. A small, sensible stocking stuffer for sailors.

A sailing knife is personal kit, and the marlinspike is what separates it from an ordinary pocket knife. Use the spike to tease apart a knot that has been loaded up all afternoon and the serrated blade to cut line cleanly. Every sailor should have one in a pocket and this is a good one to start with.

For under $15, this is the knife to toss in the boat's ditch bag or toolbox: blade, marlinspike, screwdrivers for a loose cleat, and a corkscrew for the anchorage. It makes a fine add-on alongside a book or a larger gift.

Ask a rigger where to find a knot and they will tell you its ABOK number. Clifford Ashley spent eleven years drawing almost four thousand knots, and the book is equal parts reference and maritime art. It is the gift a sailor keeps on the shelf for life and still opens on winter evenings.

If the person you are buying for has just finished a learn-to-sail course or bought a first boat, this is the book that takes them from crew to skipper. It covers sail trim, docking, anchoring, weather and heavy-weather tactics with clear diagrams on nearly every page.

Chapman is the reference that settles disputes about lights, sound signals and right of way. The 70th edition covers modern electronics alongside paper-chart piloting, making it a solid gift for a cruising sailor or a new boat owner studying for a captain's license.

Beginners always forget the second half of a bowline. These waterproof cards clip to a bag or a lifeline so they can check a knot on the boat, and the practice cords mean they can drill hitches at home before the season starts. Great for a teenager in a sailing program.

The handle is a cleat and eight knots wrap around the outside, so the morning coffee comes with a lesson. It includes a short length of rope, which means there is no excuse not to practice a rolling hitch before work.

Before forecasts came on phones, sailors tapped the barometer every morning and watched for a falling needle. This handmade English brass instrument still does that job, adds a clock, thermometer and hygrometer, and looks equally good on a cabin bulkhead or above a desk at home. A strong retirement or milestone gift for a lifelong sailor.

Celestial navigation is how sailors crossed oceans for two hundred years, and plenty of modern sailors still love the romance of it. This decorative sextant in its own wooden box suits an office or bookshelf and makes an easy gift for the sailor who dreams of an ocean crossing.

A pull-out brass spyglass sits somewhere between instrument and ornament. This one genuinely focuses, so it can watch the boats come in from a waterfront window, and collapsed in its leather case it looks right on a mantel or shelf.

Winter is long for sailors whose boats are on the hard. This laser-cut kit gives them an evening project with no glue or paint and a classic ship model at the end, a good choice for a grandparent and grandchild to build together.

Wet foul weather gear needs somewhere to hang that is not the back of a chair. These cast iron cleats are strong enough for a dripping jacket, look at home in a mudroom or beach house, and tie the house to the boat in a subtle way.

Traditional rope mats were once tied by sailors on long voyages. This small cotton trivet carries that tradition into the kitchen, protecting the table from a hot teapot. Pair it with the knot mug for a themed bundle.

In the off-season, twelve months of sailing photography keeps the next season in view. The grids are big enough to write in regatta dates, launch day and haul-out, making it a practical gift for under $20.

Rope bracelets are the unofficial uniform of sailing camps and yacht club bars. This pair in white and natural cotton is a nice small gift for a junior sailor or a crew member, or an easy add-on to a bigger present.