PAGE 14 • SPRING 2006 THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SAILING ASSOCIATION
AMERICAN
SAILING
R ASSOCIA TION
ASA MEMBER PRODUCT REVIEWS
by Bruce Royce
I
’m tough on shoes. The work I do is
making long boat deliveries, teaching
advanced sailing and evaluating potential
instructors for ASA. My past record for the
transformation of alleged boating shoes into
scraps of leather flapping on worn-flat, non-
skid soles has been seven months. I have
witnesses to this.
My friend, Kathy Christensen, handles
product reviews at ASA and has seen the
quality of my footwear abuse. She has also
put up with my badgering requests to test
drive a pair having some spine rather than
poof.
I was rewarded for my
persistence with two
Bruce Royce can enjoy his Timberlands which “stick like glue to a pitching boat
pairs of footwear from
deck.” Here Royce teaches ASA students in somewhat calmer weather.
Timberland, The
Annapolis Rootbeer 2 Eye Moc Toe,
and the Crosscut Tan Open Toe
To find out more about the excellent products
Sandal, “to wear in as many
Timberland offers, tap into www.timberland.com.
different conditions as possible,
from mild to extreme.”
loot straps for easy off and on. The out soles have a solid
arch and active lugs on their perimeter. It’s a well-
The two boat deliveries I had scheduled offered the
thought-out sandal. I did, however, have a nagging
proper description of the extreme and I would cover the
concern about open-toed shoes on boats. I would buy
“mild stuff” on the way there.
bronze toed boat shoes if they made such a thing, and
I’ve always told new students to wear closed-toed shoes
Trial by sea
to shelter sensitive toes.
The first delivery was a short 10-day, 1,100-mile bash to
weather from Manzanillo, Mexico, to Marina del Rey,
I would try these sandals and find out if my prejudice
Calif. The second delivery covered 4,500 miles from
was properly placed. After 5,500 ocean miles and
Nicaragua to Honolulu, Hawaii. The 5,600 ocean miles
about 50 land miles marched out, I feel I can
would serve up both mild and extreme conditions to test
pontificate with some authority on these Timberland
these shoes.
shoes and sandals.
The boat shoes have full-grain uppers, an orthotic insole
The shoes stick like glue to a pitching boat deck. They
that added shape to a non-marking outer sole that had,
provide excellent protection for your feet and toes. They
of all things, an arch. I have never had a boat shoe with
stay on your feet because of the 360° lacing. They’re
an arch.
comfortable enough to wear for weeks at a time. No need
to break them in. They float, which I found out the hard
When I first tried the shoes on, they felt like bedroom
way. They perform well whether wet of dry, and they’re
slippers. Never had I felt a pair more comfortable than
tough, handsome and well-made.
these Timberlands. The outer sole has a rounded edge
for the entire circumference of the shoe. The outside
curls up both the toe and heel leaving a surface that is
When they dry, they will percolate a milky dusting of
shaped like the bottom of a foot with a grip of a fly. I’m
salt. Simply soak them in fresh water, dry them in the
serious. They stick!
sun, add a dressing like mink or neat’s-foot oil, and give
them a brisk brushing. They will serve you well, no
The sandals also sport full-grain uppers with hook and
matter what level sailor or boater you are, beginner or
continued on page 22
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