$ Wine Cellar. The original winner of the America’s Cup – the America — raced with several cases of fine wine stowed aboard. Today, you can bet that wine isn’t aboard. But what’s more is the fact that some cruisers are reluctant to head out with wine bottles aboard for fear of filling the bilge with fine grapes, should the boat hit a big wave and the bottles break. The STORViNO case ? built out of tough, high-density polyethylene — holds up to six 750-milliliter bottles of wine (or spirits), which it protects regardless of the sea state. Simply slide a bottle into the case and you’re all set. The cases are modular, allowing them to be stored together or apart; are made in the USA from 100-percent recycled materials, and come in three colors. $19.99. www.storvino.com
$ Green Water. No, we’re not talking about water coming over the bow, but rather greener ways of serving water to your crew than wasteful, non-reusable plastic bottles or reusable plastic bottles that could potentially leach harmful chemicals into their contents. Meet Sigg’s “Classic” water bottle. This Swiss-made extruded-aluminum bottle comes with a non-toxic, non-leeching liner and a threaded, screw-top cap, which has a permanent eyelet for accepting a lanyard. The Classic and other Sigg bottles bottles come in a variety of sizes, colors, lids, and styles that are sure to match the tastes of everyone on your list (or to help everyone on your crew recognize which bottle is theirs). From $21.99. www.mysigg.com
$ Bucket List. Ask most sailors, and their dream list of places to explore via sailboat would take several lifetimes to complete, let alone the single lifespan that they have. The moral of the story? Life is short, so enjoy the ride while you can. Author Chris Santella offers sage council on 50 places that have clearly made his bucket list, so if you know someone who is looking to round out his/her dream list, 50 Places To Sail Before You Die: Sailing Experts Share The World’s Greatest Destinations, will likely be great inspiration. And even if your special someone already has their “final” list drafted, thumbing through this book may elicit some ratification. $24.95. www.amazon.com
$ Once Bitten. Spend enough time sailing, and eventually you’ll get a rope burn. Ronstan’s Race Gloves end this worry. The Race Gloves come in either three-finger or three-quarter-finger models, allowing you to select the glove that best matches your sailing needs. The gloves have a palm made of “Amara” synthetic leather that provides fantastic grip on all lines. $33 (model depending). www.ronstan.com
