A few weeks ago past Rolex Sailor of the Year and one of America’s greatest sailors, Ken Read sent an email asking, “what lens tint would be best for me to see puffs and read breeze?” The ensuing chat with Kenny, and other sailors seeking our polarized lens technology has prompted us to offer advice on The Best Polarized Lenses for Sailing.
Why polarized lenses are important for sailors
A superior polarized lens will aid in identifying hard to read details such as wind velocity, direction, duration and even subtle current lines and water movement. Elements and indicators that are important to sailors.
While wind and current are important to read, the ability to see below the surface can be critical at the right time (think: navigating shallows, reefs, coral heads, anchorages, or seaweed and polluted waters, etc).
Quality eye protection from the sun, spray, and harsh environments is most critical and should never be overlooked as long-term sun damage to the eyes and surrounding sensitive skin areas are common among sailors. The difference between great polarized lenses and the naked eye or non-polarized lenses is tremendous.
So what did Kenny do? Like so many sailors learning about Tajima Direct™ polarized replacement lenses, he took our advice and bought a pair of gray polarized replacement lenses with black mirror for his favorite sailing frames. Our patented Tajima Urethane™ polarized lens is made in our factory in Tajima, Osaka, Japan where we’ve been producing industry leading lens technology for eight decades.
Tajima Urethane offers crisp optics of glass, is shatter and impact resistant, and offers superior scratch resistance all in one lightweight package with zero distortion. Tajima Direct polarized lenses are also available in prescription as Rx polarized replacement lenses. Read more on lenses here.
Title inspiration thanks to The Replacements.
