Over at the Cruisers Forum there is a renewed interest in the Electronic antifouling thread, but sadly it is just the same old same all over again...
Folks on boats simply do not appear to be able to deal with anything new in a positive or open-minded way, much to our detriment.
Don't believe it?
Within my lifetime, just about every major advance in boat tech or design has been greeted with disdain and derision...
Sails used to be cotton and when nylons came on the scene they were not exactly met with open arms... Well, until they started winning races.
When fiberglass was first introduced was it welcomed? Nope, not considered a proper material for building "yachts". It took years to gain a real acceptance.
Catamarans were considered death traps as well as meeting with the "not-a-proper-yacht" bigotry where they languished in their own little multihull ghetto until the French broke out through racing and charter companies realized that there was serious money to be made.
Even VHF radio was at one time considered a "cheat" or "crutch" that no self-respecting yachtsman should have anything to do with, and, as for Loran, Sat Nav and GPS you might enjoy the editorials cautioning sailors to avoid such electronic marvels and stick with the tried and true sextant and reduction tables as the only proper way to go...
Yep, we folks on boats are certainly an open-minded and free-thinking group of gypsies!
As I have mentioned before, electronic anti-fouling can work as we used it successfully on Loose Moose 2 for a number of years (in the Med, Africa and the Caribbean). Whether the currently available systems work is a conjecture on my part as I have not had up-close-and-personal experience with them, but since I know that such a system can work, I certainly think they are worth looking into and I am keeping an open mind...
... And folks, an open mind is the key to progress.
Plans Change, Martinique version
1 week ago
