Sailors as a rule tend to be quite responsible when it comes to protecting themselves from the sun - Hats, caps and plenty of sun screen are as much part of your kit as your knife and beer bottle opener.
However, have you ever been burnt on a cloudy day? You see it's not the sun you need to worry about so much as the UV light. Invisible to the eyes, UV at high levels is very damaging to the skin and eyes and with too much exposure you run the risk of later developing skin cancer and cataracts.
Technology has finally found an answer in the form of a wrist watch with built-in UV sensor. Located on the front of the watch, just under the LCD screen, the UV sensor provides a reading every ten seconds that indicates the UV index number as well as a simple bar graph to show how high the UV index is.
The higher the index, the greater the chance of sunburn and the greater the need to cover up. The watch even comes complete with a UV alarm. Just set what UV index you want the alarm to go off at and soon as this is reached your alarm will beep to warn you to cover up. This is especially good if you fall asleep in the sun! No more waking up looking like a lobster!
The waterproof Seawatch also packs essential functions such as the time, date, alarm, stopwatch and chronograph.
The watch retails for just £29.95 and can be bought from http://www.skyview.co.uk
Used by yachtsmen worldwide, P20 is the foremost choice of sunscreen for sailors as it lasts all day, regardless of sweat and spray.
Absorbing 95% of damaging UVB rays, it binds to the skin within 90 minutes of application and gives long lasting protection, even when swimming or after towelling down. It lasts all day, so you only need to apply it once, and does not leave you feeling greasy or slippery, so it won't compromise those of you hiking out on the rail.
Importantly, P20 allows tanning UVA rays to penetrate, so you needn't worry about remaining pasty-faced for long. Having used this product for many years I swear by it. The only criticism is that it's absorbed so quickly you can easily forget where you have and haven't applied it.
P20 retails for £21.95 for a 200ml bottle and £11.95 for 100ml. Available from John Lewis stores or online at http://www.johnlewis.com
