Looking forward to the summer – aren’t we all? – one essential item in any sailor’s kit is a good pair of sunspecs. Gill’s range of floating sunglasses have been specially designed for use on the water, with high quality polarised lenses. They are also designed to be  comfortable and stylish – and not too hideously expensive.

The frames are made of a low density plastic for maximum buoyancy, and moulded in a wrap-around design so they should stay anchored to your face, whatever the weather.

Extra comfort and grip comes from the use of ingenious soft pads that cushion the temple, and a neat integral moulding for the bridge of the nose.

The polarised lenses give optimum UV protection, as well as allowing the wearer to see clearly through the surface glare of the water. Each pair of sunglasses is also supplied with a soft non-scratch pouch that can also be used for cleaning the lenses.

There is a range of adult designs: Breaker, Sprint, Horizon, Shadow and Women’s Spray,  all at £35, with a number of colours in each style, so you can match your glasses to the rest of your kit, should you want to!

There is also a Junior Seafly design ((£20) in a smaller size for children.

We’re not quite sure just how practical floating sunnies really are: most race skippers wouldn’t go back for them, and even if cruisers chose to, they might be quite tricky to recapture. But for extra security, Gill also offers an low-cost and equally buoyant retaining strap (£3) – also useful for those who prefer prescription glasses..