The top guy at Walmart mentions that their customers (spelled almost everyone in the USA) are running out of money... Of course, the folks who make our laws and run the economy don't shop at Walmart so maybe that's the problem.
I don't really have to go into the whole hard times bit for the bulk of the Boat Bits audience as, like most people with an IQ above freezing, they are feeling the chilly breath of something nasty blowing on their neck.
It used to be the bulk of our mailbag was all about folks wanting the "BEST" or telling us that they would not even consider going cruising in a boat unless it was a Hallberg Rassy or whatever was hip in the catamaran slot that month. Now the emails reflect a whole different mindset...
Folks writing to the blog these days are asking about just how cheap or small on a cruising boat they can go, looking for less expensive alternatives to boat gear and systems with an emphasis on how stuff will hold up or if it is user repairable... Maybe that is the silver lining to the whole economic FUBAR... That folks are looking at the cruising gig and its trappings in a seaworthy, affordable, sustainable, and DIY manner rather than the whole "we want to impress folks" vibe.
Which is to say, the readers of Boat Bits who want/need to go cruising on a blue-collar-cheapseats budget (spelled sensible) are not alone.
On the other hand, if everything I just said is just so much Rhubarbgarbage to you, you're in the wrong place and you'd be happier over here...
Listening to Toots and the Maytals
So it goes...
Plans Change, Martinique version
1 week ago
