Sail Far Live Free

"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." -Jonathan Swift I’ve only tried one pair of Shady Rays , but I can confidently say that these are affordable, quality sunglasses that look good and get the job done.   And if you’re the type of person that wants to feel good about the companies you do business with, Shady Rays gets some points there too.   They are an independent sunglasses company that provides 11 meals for every order to help fight hunger in the U.S. through FeedingAmerica .  To date, they've provided over 2.6 million meals to fight hunger. " Making the best shades for 24/7 action." &  " Live Hard. We Got You. " Those are the bars that Shady Rays has set for their brand of sunglasses.  They're aiming for an audience of active outdoor types...like sailors.  To see if they can live up to the slogans, let's look at how they are constructed and what Shady Rays does to stand behind their product.  Each...

"Always look on the bright side of life." -Monty Python And what better way to literally do so than with a quality pair of sunglasses that are built for life on the water? After all, some of the most intense, bright light you'll ever encounter will be sun glare reflected off the water while sailing. I've recently been trying out  Hobie Polarized Cruz sunglasses  and Gill's Sense bifocal sunglasses . The first thing you'll notice about both is that these are from companies that knows active watersports and sailing in particular, so already I'm feeling a connection. But are they worthy of respected sailing brands? First lets start with the features. Both are a wrap style frame, meaning they're a bit curved, sleek and form-fitting for your face, as opposed to other styles that "sit" on your face/nose and don't offer much in the way peripheral protection from glare and wind. Both  Hobie  and Gill market these as multi-use for waters...

 "Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." - Jonathan Swift Sailors have great vision, speaking from a mental perspective. We see what's beyond the horizon. We see the journey being equally important as the destination. Physical vision is important while sailing too, so it makes sense to invest in a quality pair of sunglasses that can combat the intense glare off the water and UV rays from the sky. But can't any frame and lens do that just about the same as any other? Maybe on land, but when you factor in spray and wind bombarding your eyes and the high level of activity sometimes required to sail a boat in challenging conditions, a specialized pair of sunglasses begins to make more sense. Julbo Wave sunglasses handle the job of providing excellent optics by cutting glare and protecting your eyes extremely well, thanks to quality vented and polarized lenses that are light weight and shock resistant. That's...

"With my sunglasses on, I'm Jack Nicholson. Without them, I'm fat and 60." -Jack Nicholson There's a certain duality associated with sunglasses. As Nicholson points out, they do a fair job of making us look a certain way. In Jack's case, that look is cool if not outwardly vain while watching an indoor LA Lakers basketball game. But sunglasses also serve a much more functional purpose, a purpose those of us who spend time on the water are very familiar with. That purpose is, of course, to protect our eyes from intense glare and UV radiation. Heck, even the Mayo Clinic recommends sunglasses based purely on their functional purpose. And so, I've taken it upon myself to try out some more sunglasses marketed at outdoor adventure types and boaters. [ You can check my previous review of sailing sunglasses here ] First up, a pair of offerings from Tifosi Optics . The Mast SL model is a full frame for medium to Mast SL from Tifosi large sized faces....

" I was afraid that by observing objects with my eyes and trying to comprehend them with each of my other senses I might blind my soul altogether ." - Socrates Sailing is a very sensory dominated activity. You can feel the wind heel the boat and heal your worries. You hear the music of the water in waves lapping at the hull. And you see shades of blue in nearly every direction. Senses working to capacity are a big part of what makes sailing so rewarding, and so, I think it's wise to protect those senses. You have a lot of choices when it comes to eyewear and protecting and enhancing your vision on the water. ZEAL Backyard sunglasses ZEAL Optics offers a unique product with their line of sunglasses. Many sailors relish the sustainability of sailing as a means of transportation (i.e. no motor/gas required), so it's only natural that bio-based plastic ("Z-Resin") sunglasses made from castor bean oil instead of crude o...