Marine Knife

A week or so ago I purchased a couple of marine knives for Dave and I to take with us on our sailing trip.    I got them in the mail a few days ago.  At first, I ordered just one for him, but then I called them back and asked them to modify the order so I could have one for myself, too.   On past trips, we've always carried on our baggage and so we didn't even considering bringing a knife.  However, for longer trips and on trips in which we will fly into larger island airports, such as St Martin, we end up checking our bags.  So I thought it would be a good idea to equip ourselves with knives for this trip.

I actually didn't know much at all about the type of knife we should have, but my primary concern was that one of us or one of the crew could become entangled in the lines on the boat, and we needed a way to cut the lines.  The kitchen knives that are stocked on the boat are not suited to cut even a dill pickle,  let alone a line. 

I ordered these knives from Mauri Pro Sailing (http://www.mauriprosailing.com), an online sailing shop that I used once before to order some sailing gloves.  While they don't have a huge selection of knives,  it's fine for our purposes.    I ended up ordering the Gill Marine Tool for a very reasonable $29 each.  This tool has a knife with a 6cm serrated blade, a marlin spike, and a shackle tool.   It comes with a carrying case that attaches to your belt.  Some marine tools come with a smooth blade, but I felt the serrated blade would be a better choice for cutting through lines.  I think the marlin spike will come in hand for removing knots from lines that were overlooked by the boat preparation team.   

Since my knife  purchase, I have found out that the TSA  will begin to allow passengers to carry on small pocket knives beginning April 26, 2013.   I checked on the regulations for these knives, and I believe this knife will pass through the security checkpoint if we do need to carry on.  The TSA regulation permits knives that a a maximum 6cm non-locking blade that is up to 1/2 inch wide.    I am not sure if the marlin spike will be permitted, but the knife should not be a problem.

Now I just need to figure out how I'm going to attach mine to my bathing suit!