Dear Boat Doctor,
I often need to be in cell phone contact when my husband and I are sailing. The cell phone coverage in my area is great, but I am looking for a good way to mount my phone in the cockpit. It would be great if I could charge it at the same time but I could live without this feature.
Sally Knight
Brisbane, California

Dear Sally,
I would suggest that you leave your phone down below and connect to it from a Bluetooth device. Cobra Electronics (www.cobra.com) makes a great Bluetooth microphone, the MR F300 BT that you can mount on deck and then leave your phone down below on a charger. The microphone is completely waterproof and loud enough to hear outdoors. You can typically find them for less than $100.

If you need to make outgoing calls, your best bet is a waterproof case that can be lashed or mounted onto the binnacle or in a removable cup holder.