81I was introduced to the Cobb when a friend offered me a hot dog- which he was cooking in the boot of his car. Once over my initial
amazement, I discovered why there is a bit of a cult surrounding
these fully insulated barbecues. The stainless steel dome-
shaped Cobb has a clever design that allows fat to drip through
to a moat. An inner fire basket is designed to take a round
cobblestone (a coconut husk fuel brick), which is easy to light,
heats to cooking temperature in minutes and burns to ashes.
The downside to the Cobb is the clean-up, but my answer
this season is not to be too precious about keeping it clean.
The carry bag is useful, but deserves a better zip.
The Cobb’s excellent insulation makes it a must have. I’ve
even been mid-barbecue on the beach, picked up the Cobb
and its contents, rowed the tender back to the boat and
carried on cooking in the cockpit.
Price: £99.95. http://www.cobb-bbq.co.uk
£99.95
Take-anywhere barbecue
Lotus Grill
The German-designed Lotus is
smokeless and, thanks to a built-in
battery-operated fan which blows
air onto the charcoal, uses 90per cent less fuel than a standard
barbecue. It’s ready to cook
within four minutes of being lit.
Price: £145
http://www.cuckooland.comALTERNATIVE
ALTERNATIVE
A powered esky like this is a good solution to increase galley
refrigeration volume and provide a portable means to keep drinks cold
in the cockpit or on the beach. The negatives of the Powerbox Plus
are that the compressor fan obviously takes up some of the cooling
space and it is not the most robust build. But it has proved reliable and
a good way to transport cold drinks to the boat and keep them cool
without monopolising fridge space.
It has 30 per cent more insulation than its predecessors and can
run on 12V or 240V. An antimicrobial treatment injected into the
plastic combats mildew.
Price £129. http://www.campingaz.com
£129
Keep drinks cold
Dometic’s new Coolfreeze line
is a hybrid of coolbox and fridge
that uses up to 35 per cent less
energy than its predecessors.
Smart electronics start up the
compressor gently to save energy,
a turbo compressor can alsokick-in and it auto-switches to
energy saving mode at the desired
temperature. The 35W has 32lt
volume and can be powered by 12V
or 24V DC supplies, as well as any
AC voltage from 100-240V.
Price £760. http://www.dometic.comPowerbox Plus 36L
Gul
The bulk of Gul’s mask is
made up of its tempered
glass lenses, so when taking
a quick dip off the bathing
platform, you get maximum vision
without seeing too much of the
silicone skirt that locks water out.
The snorkel has a splashguard,
snorkel keeper and purge valve.
Price: £20. http://www.gul.comTyphoon
The bore tube on the Pro
Adult Combo Set’s snorkel
is pretty large and the top is
designed to minimise water
ingress, making breathing
underwater easy. The purge
valve is easy cleaning and the
lens is tempered safety glass.
Price: £29.99
http://www.typhoon-int.co.ukMares
We love the camo version
of Mares’ Vento set.
But will it give you gills?
Yes, and then some. The
soft silicone mouthpiece provides
comfort on extended snorkelling
expeditions while the system of skirt
buckles allow speedy adjustment of
the mask’s straps.
Price: £29. http://www.mares.comSpeedo
Parents of young sailors keen to
practise their snorkelling skills can
rest easy. The Glide Junior is safe
and comfortable, the silicone strap
is hypoallergenic and the TPR
mask seal makes it
super watertight. Also
available in blue.
Price: £19
http://www.speedo.comTusa
The Tusa’s Serene mask moulds
to your face like a glove to a hand.
It has a one-window-wide field
of vision and the snorkel
features Hyperdry Elite
technology that stops
water entering, as well
as a large-capacity drain
chamber and purge valve.
Price: £54. http://www.tusa.comCobb
Dometic Coolfreeze CFX 35W
5 OF THE BEST
Mask & snorkel sets