Can't Afford A Sailing Watch?

They are quite expensive 😞

Sailing watches start around £60, which if you drop it over the side or stand on it and crack the display makes for a very sad sailor.

I have used a cheap Casio watch for starting, though the controls are very fiddly on the water. It is not very intuitive to reset, so I usually end up just working out the start time from when the warning signal goes. The display is rather small. I am often late to the start.

What would be ideal is a watch with a bigger display and controls that can set up a 5 minute or 10 minute countdown easily (and can be reset easily for a general recall). I don't necessarily want a wrist watch either - might be better to mount the watch on the boat. It is not always easy to check a wrist-mounted watch when you are also holding the tiller and mainsheet. YMMV as they say.

Oh, and it would be great if it cost less than a tenner, right?

Behold My New Sailing Watch

Ok you probably noticed it is a cheap kitchen timer. It costs less then a fiver on Amazon or Ebay (plenty to choose from). It is not waterproof. But if you buy a zip-loc plastic bag (you already have one, I expect) it is fully waterproof - the buttons work well through the bag.

and these timers are very easy to set. Press the Min button ten times for a 10 min countdown. Press Start/Stop button to, well, you know? Press Min and Sec together to reset to zero.

With some sticky tape or some double-sided Velcro you can either tie it to the boat or mount it somewhere you can see it easily. I did make a Velcro strap for mine so I could wear it like the watch, but I prefer it mounted on the boat myself.

If you are at open or national-winning level, this won't do for you. But if you are a club sailor or a young person learning to race, this might tide you over for a bit.

Footnote: I was in a pursuit race today. The Solos started at 16.5 mins after the first start. I set my kitchen timer to 16 mins and 30secs and started it as the first start got underway. A bit later I had a few Solos come past me looking confused. "How long to the start Ian?" they each asked me. I gave them a very accurate answer - I am generous like that - and I am sure they were secretly amazed. "What sort of super clever sailing watch does he have?" they were asking themselves... 😎

Footnote 2: Further experience suggests the plastic bags are easily damaged, leading to timers getting wet and not working! But one solution is to use the bags that are designed to hold a mobile phone when swimming - they are tougher and definitely waterproof... get them on several online stores for less than a fiver...