When you have lemons you can't always make lemonade (at least if there is a cop around), Lectronic Latitude follows the money (why I carry a backup sextant), and old soldiers may die but taxes never do...
You now, I really like it when I'm right... Way back when, I was boring everyone I know about the new tech ropes that were out there and how it was going to revolutionize a lot of sailing gear/rigging and bring marlinspike skills back in a big way. Then all of a sudden it's "Hey Presto" and these days everywhere I turn, I find folks splicing and doing the happy dance (check out Odda Sea and ZTC for proof positive). Synthetic rigs are no longer a freak show and are simply accepted as a normal type of rigging these days in spite of some serious Luddite and ill-informed opposition...
Of course, I'm not exactly a stranger to Luddite and ill-informed opposition... Building a cat when all the sailing rags were writing articles equating multihulls with death traps and an embarrassment to nautical tradition sort of set the stage for all future endeavors. That said, looking around that cats (though mostly badly designed and less than they should be) have become the "Bee's knees"... Who'd have ever thought?
We've also reached a point where electric propulsion is now simply a growing part of the scene... Sure the Luddites, idiots, and those folks who make big bucks repairing and selling over-priced internal combustion engines still say it is not ready for prime time but everyone knows they are fighting a losing battle. Today I can no longer remember all the folks around who have electric propulsion systems as there now a lot of us... Sad though, it was kinda nice being part of a very, very exclusive club.
For those who actually listen to this drivel, "Maker" made electronic anti-fouling is a glimpse at things to come!
The future be geeky...
Listening to Lee Rude
So it goes...
Other Boaters
2 days ago