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I’ve been wearing these shoes for six months now

and they are now not only my favourite footwear

on the boat, but possibly my favourite summer

kick-about footwear too. They are enormously

comfortable and have stood up well to wear and tear.

OUR VERDICT

PROS

■ Snug, sporty fi t

■ The sole is durable enough

for use ashore

Price From £80.00

Contact Musto

Tel: 01268 495824

Web http://www.musto.com

CONS

■ Less robust than a heavier

pair of shoes

■ Slightly absorbent material

TRIED & TESTED

Musto Clarks Dynamic Light deck shoes

Fernhurst waterproof

Shoe giant Clarks has teamed
up with Musto to bring the deck
shoe into the 21st Century. Theo
Stocker put their latest sailing
trainers to the test.

These garishly bright, trainer-
style shoes (also available in a
more muted black) are based
around a well-cushioned foam
sole, which offers a surprising
amount of support without
adding much weight. The
rubber outer sole is divided
into sections to keep the shoe
very fl exible on deck. The sole
curves up like a running shoe
to add to the trainer styling
and to offer protection for your

toes, although this is showing a

bit of wear now. The tread is a

combination of narrow grooves

and conventional razor-cut grip,

which works as well on tarmac

as on a wet and heaving deck.

I wore the shoes extensively

on both and despite my fl at feet,

the heel of the sole has worn

much less than I expected for

soft, non-marking rubber.

The fi ve-hole lacing ensures

a good snug fi t and the mesh

material offers necessary

ventilation whilst being

comfortable with or without

socks. The Agion anti-microbial

technology does actually stop

the accumulation of the usual

odours, as claimed.

The shoes performed well

even after full submersion,

though they took a

while to dry. Any

water that didn’t

run straight out of

the mesh drained

through the holes in

the heel cup.

The Dynamic

Lite sailing

shoes grip well

and hold your

foot more

securely than a

traditional

deck shoe

As smart as smartphones are, sometimes
nothing beats a notepad and pen – except
rain. Theo Stocker tests a notepad that
even water can’t ruin

Whatever gadgets you have on board, a
good old-fashioned notepad and pencil
always come in handy, whether for noting
a forecast, sketching out a pilotage plan,
taking fi xes, or writing a provisioning list.
It only takes a light drizzle or a splash
of water, and the notepad disintegrates
into a useless mush. Being able to keep
a notebook in my waterproofs pocket

Price From £3.99 (Pocket sized)

• £6.98 (lined)
  Contact Fernhurst Books
  Tel 01926 337488
  Web http://www.fernhurstbooks.com

knowing it won’t fall apart is a boon.

The new Fernhurst waterproof books have

the bases covered. Their plastic spiral spines

allow them to be folded back on themselves

and left open at the requisite page, and they

won’t rust as others of my notebooks have.

The matt-textured plastic pages feel

remarkably like paper. They can be written on

with any writing material – pencil, chinagraph,

biro – even when dripping wet, without

smudging. If you use pencil, you can rub out

your work and start again.

The original ‘pocket sized’ version measures

126 x 85mm and has blank pages, but for

longer or more detailed notes on

one page there is now the larger

lined notebook (170 x 125mm),

which has lines on one side of the

pages for notes but is left blank

on the reverse for sketches.

Stick one in your oilskin jacket

with a stub of pencil and you’ll

always have it to hand.

The plastic pages

feel remarkably

like paper

MARCH 2016 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 73

9/

Modern construction

combined with a

razor cut sole

A spiral binding

means these

notebooks will

stay open on

the requisite

page

PHOTOS: TOM FARMER

PHOTOS: THEO STOCKER

OUR VERDICT

The smaller size is ideal

to keep in a pocket.

The large book has

more space for pilotage

plans. Tough, reuseable

(with pencil) and a rust-free binding

make them good value for money and

a great addition to any chart table.

9/

PROS

■ Waterproof and tough

■ Spiral binding won’t rust

■ Pages can be reused if pencil is used

CONS

■ A5 notebook not available

■ 32 pages per notebook may be too

few for some people