One of the neat things about sailing is the incredible variety of equipment that sailors use while doing it, whether crossing oceans or just out for a daysail—one of the many reasons why even after all these years SAIL magazine’s annual Pittman Innovation Awards remain as fresh ...read more
For the past couple of decades, the digital side of sailing has become increasingly important, to the point where it’s now almost inconceivable going offshore, even aboard a daysailer, without at least a modicum of electronics onboard—a trend that has been very much in evidence ...read more
Innovation comes in all shapes and sizes, and nowhere is this more evident than in the Pittman Innovation Awards Class of 2018. As has now been the case for a number of years, the latest in electronics is once again very much a part of the mix in everything from safety to ...read more
It would be hard to imagine a simpler bit of safety gear than a tether. That doesn’t mean, though, that the basic sailing tether isn’t without its problems. First and foremost is the problem of what to do with that 6ft of length webbing when you’re trying to move around and/or ...read more
As leisure time becomes an increasingly precious commodity and large crews harder to organize, more and more sailors have begun turning to shorthanded or even singlehanded racing. However, in doing so, these same sailors quickly find themselves having to figure out how to handle ...read more
While its name might not be the sexiest, the Racegeek d10 more than makes up for it with a tremendous amount of functionality, thereby providing smaller boats with the same kind of instrument performance once limited to big-budget grand prix programs. At the heart of the d10 are ...read more
Developed in conjunction with the Chinese-flagged Dongfeng team in the current Volvo Ocean Race, Zhik’s new Isotak X foulweather smock features a number of features designed to keep sailors as warm and dry as possible in the “firehose” conditions for which that event is known, ...read more
SmartAIS is a significant set of free new features that Vesper Marine has added to its existing Wi-Fi-equipped AIS transponders, like the WatchMate XB-8000, by deeply extending the hardware’s integration with Vesper’s WatchMate phone and tablet apps. For instance, the Android ...read more
It’s somewhat coincidental, but also very telling that all three 2018 Pittman Electronics awards involve phone and tablet apps working closely with dedicated marine hardware. In fact, Garmin’s new ActiveCaptain app, actually combines two existing apps with numerous other new ...read more
SkyMate has built a comprehensive communications system specifically for beyond-cellular bluewater boats by maximizing the same relatively inexpensive Iridium short-burst data (SBD) service that has proven its reliable global coverage in such portable devices as the Garmin ...read more
Sailors can now choose from three different MOB alarm-and-locate systems based on relatively inexpensive Bluetooth tags and smartphone apps. In addition to CrewWatcher—last year’s overall Pittman winner, now manufactured and distributed by Weems & Plath—there’s also Sea-Tags ...read more
Sailing has long been recognized as one of those few physical activities where people with disabilities can compete on the same level as those without, and now Scanstrut, working in cooperation with boatbuilder RS Sailing, has made it possible for even those who are severely ...read more
Usually, our Pittman Award winners are picked almost exclusively in recognition of their engineering and design, especially in the systems category. However, in the case of these composite studs, aesthetics also played a part. Not only that, but this aspect of their design was ...read more
It has been a long time since the majority of sailing yachts of any size were conned using only a rudder, its stock and a tiller. Over time steering systems have also grown tremendously in complexity, with many of today’s boats having not only twin helms, but also two rudders ...read more
For many years, Dometic has offered a wide range of portable refrigerators, but the Dometic CFX 95DZW is notable for having many more features than its predecessors. While described as a portable unit, it is not one you pick up, put under your arm and walk away with, even more ...read more
The concept of a stand-alone portable electric winch handle to help grind manual winches is certainly not a new one. Previous iterations, however, have been simple and straightforward, little more than oversized electric drills, while the newly developed Ewincher from France ...read more
It has been an enduring dilemma for sailors down through the ages: how do you stay both warm and dry when out on your boat? To solve this puzzle, the sailing gear specialists at Gill have devised a unique hydrophobic water-repellent down insulation that doesn’t clump up and ...read more
North Sails has been making 3Di sails composed of layers of filament tape incorporating exotic high-modulus fibers for some time, and these have come to dominate performance sailing in such demanding venues as the Volvo Ocean Race and the Vendée Globe. Meanwhile, the default ...read more
Looking back over the years we’ve been running our Pittman Innovation Awards, it’s incredible to see the variety of different products that have been featured. There’s been everything from sails to navigation aids to clever little gadgets that can’t help but make you wonder, “Why ...read more
Vetus has downsized the integral tunnel-motor bow thruster so that it will fit on boats as small as 45 feet. There are two Rimdrive models, the RD125 and the RD160, which both have internal tunnel diameters of 9.8 inches and are rated at 8hp and 9.6hp respectively. The propeller ...read more
Every year there’s a kind of competition within a competition as mechanical systems vie with electronics for primacy in SAIL’s Pittman Innovation Awards, and in 2016 it’s safe to say electronics won hands down. Whether it was a turnkey hybrid drive system, an LED-powered ...read more
One of the toughest parts of sailboat racing, especially for newbies, is keeping track of windshifts and visualizing how they affect your strategy and tactics—issues that can be especially critical on today’s demanding windward-leeward race tracks. Enter the TackingMaster, an ...read more
Seldén’s S-series winch simplifies tacking and makes handling a loaded sheet easier and safer by allowing you to tail the line to your heart’s content with it already running through the self-tailing mechanism and the winch handle in its socket—no more having to pop in the ...read more
Torqeedo, the same company that made a name for itself building viable electric outboards, now appears ready for the big-time with its new Deep Blue Hybrid system for boats from 40ft to 80ft. Employing the same motors found in the company’s larger outboards, Deep Blue ...read more
