Some after-movie thoughts, a needful read, and in the “just can’t fix stupid” department…
There’s a story line floating around in my head about a couple who cross the Atlantic and when they arrive everything is different. Maybe it’s a speculative fiction story, maybe it’s something else entirely like a political thriller, but the essence of the story is simply that sailing across an ocean in a small boat is a change worthy event.
Way back when we crossed on Loose Moose 2, our electronics consisted of a VHF handheld radio, a B&G Focus depth/log, a Trimble handheld GPS, and a Sony SSB receiver.
I’m pretty sure we never talked to anyone on the radio or saw another cruising boat for the entire passage. There was one commercial ship that got close but the theme of the voyage seemed to be a whole lot of solitude. Which is pretty much what we’re all about.
Solitude, for me at least, is what sailing is all about.
The great disconnect if you will.
That said, I know we’re an odd duck in a world where being connected is a given. Buddy boating, cruising rallies, and people can’t seem to imagine being without phone or internet 24/7/365.
Out of touch pretty much describes us.
Out of touch works for us.
Yeah, there’s this couple crossing an ocean and when they get to the other side every thing is different…
I can imagine the insurance claim form…… “we were approximately mid Atlantic when the collision happened, no one was on watch as we were live-streaming a football match via Starlink”
I can imagine the Garmin type trackers are useful for keeping relatives up to date about progress, but the 24/7 thing seems to be technical innovation and one many enjoy. It is good to unplug, we didnt find out about 9-11 until 10 days later.