As we move from late summer toward Autumn, Gill’s new Windproof Fleece might well prove a great addition to your sailing kit. The fleece has a 100 per cent windproof and waterproof lining, and a soft outer fabric with a water-repellent finish, making it really warm but comfortable to wear. The styling is based on an outer shell jacket, and incorporates fleece lined inner cuffs, a drawstring waist, and highlighted zip and trim details. It can therefore be worn either as an outer jacket or as a warm mid-layer. Given its obvious inter-season versatility, the price of £85 looks like extremely compelling value for money.Thursday, 02 September 2010 10:59
A new DIY package called the 105-K Glass Fibre Boat Repair Kit has been added to the current WEST SYSTEM product range. Developed to assist customers who wish to carry out small basic repairs to glass-fibre boats, the kit includes everything required to successfully complete a range of repairs. The instructions provide detailed step-by-step explanations for the four most common repairs to glass-fibre boats - namely repairing minor cracks and scratches; repairing cored deck, hull and bulkhead delamination; repairing holes and punctures; and refitting and replacing hardware. The kit contains the resin, the glass tapes, the hardener, the filler, the pots, the brushes and even the re-useable mixing stick - in short, everything you need to erase all evidence of that unfortunate prang. It’s extremely good value too.Price: £29.65
01794 521111
www.wessex-resins.com
Digital Yacht has launched a new high-speed compass sensor called the HSC100. It is designed to provide electronic heading information for plotter, radar and PC-based navigation systems, enabling the use of features such as radar overlay or MARPA target tracking. The HSC100 has a simple two-wire NMEA output and runs on either 12V or 24V with minimal power consumption. It is waterproof and also features an automatic calibration/deviation routine to compensate for the effects of any nearby magnetic influences. A heading offset can also be applied if the sensor is mounted at an angle to the boat’s centreline. Most low-cost compass sensors only output NMEA heading data once per second, which is too slow for proper stabilisation of a radar overlay or MARPA target tracking function, but the HSC100 sends data at ten times this speed to enable a more stable presentation of overlay data. 
Here’s something a little bit different. If you don’t want a full boot and you don’t want a traditional deck shoe, how about these high-quality Redwing boots? Hand-sewn by skilled shoemakers, comfort comes from durable rugged soles and thick leathers that soften and improve with age. These boots have a rough and tough upper with a sand-waxed canvas panel and a contrasting white sole and leather laces. They are very attractive indeed but their price does put them up in quite exalted territory, alongside leather sailing boots from the likes of Dubarry and Musto. Only time will tell whether the aspirational boater will be tempted by this less conventional marine option.