At the Headsync booth, Bryan Cooney introduced me to the Farallon 1800, an innovative new watermaker from Spectra that can generate 75 gallons of freshwater an hour drawing only a kilowatt of electricity. The system achieves unprecedented energy efficiency thanks to Spectra's Pearson Pump, which uses the pressure of the outgoing brine flow to help drive the pump. The Farallon 1800 weighs 225 pounds dry. For racers looking to keep weight and energy consumption to a minimum, the Farallon 1800 warrants serious consideration.

Euro Marine Trading is a great source for cutting-edge gear from across the pond. It's where I first learned about Antal's Low Friction Rings and where I heard about Karver's KB blocks. These lightweight lashing blocks come in a variety of configurations and, if you so choose, can replace just about every block on your boat. As opposed to the Antal rings, which are best for applications like inhaulers and vangs-where you're not making constant adjustments-the KB blocks are ideal for mainsheets, spinnaker sheets, and the like.

It's hard to get excited about marine coatings, but if you work in a boatyard, you'll have reason to rejoice over Awlgrip's Awlfair LW. The company has reformulated this fairing compound to work with its Awlfair Mixing Machine, which automatically mixes five-gallon buckets of the coating, eliminating the need to have one person hand-mixing the stuff while others apply it to the hull. Come to think of it, if you work at a boatyard, and you're the new guy, this new fairing compound/mixing machine might have just put you out of work. In that case, my condolences.