on the new same old same...

Some really good news, where that money goes, and in the "Now we know where the next big Covid spike is going to happen" department...

Watching the news, talking to friends, and just getting a feel for what's going on via osmosis I'm pretty sure we can all admit that whatever the new normal becomes it won't be anything at all like the old normal. 

That said, the jury's out on what the new normal is going to be for folks cruising but my gut instinct says it will be a mashup of a lot of things. There won't be a single new norm but rather a lot of different versions of ordinary depending on your mindset, economic status, and political inclination.

One thing you can say about living in interesting times is it's going to be fascinating.

Offhand, as the overall trend of polarization continues, a lot of the places that were standard cruising destinations will no longer be as welcoming or affordable as they used to be. Which, I suspect, will have a two-fold effect of shifting the standard cruising routes to take advantage of locations more open to cruisers while the more affluent cruisers will continue to do the same old milk runs which will escalate greatly the cost to cruise those areas.

Which, when you think about it, would be no bad thing as it has always been natural that the less well-heeled and more adventurous cruisers have always been the explorers who discover while the more affluent tend to follow in their wake once those places have become trendy.

Which is all a roundabout way of saying that most of the interesting cruising in the new normal is going to be to places where there is not much in the way of cruising guides. Personally, I kind of like the idea of a new age of discovery and rediscovery.

Listening to Liraz

So it goes...

Maybe some boat stuff tomorrow...

Regarding habitat protections, something I should have linked to yesterday, and in the "Stupid things, people do have consequences" department...

Here's something you need to read about risk and safety in the current pandemic.

Really.

Listening to Jack Nitzsche

So it goes...

on enabling a problematic side of cruising...

Something worth watching, a very good point about riots, and a needful read for the perspective of privilege...

On the night that Obama won the election in 2008, we were sailing between Sint Maarten and St Thomas listening to a radio program from St Kitts on the early night watch. I was happy to see out the end of a war-mongering presidency and excited by the idea that a president of color would be a much-needed thing and help put down the ongoing thread of racism that poisons the American dream.

In point of fact, that night I was a very happy camper. That said, the DJs in St Kitts were downright ecstatic and doing the happy dance over the fact that the US of A had just elected a black man and that in their eyes a better day was soon come. So, I listened to Obama via St Kitts give his acceptance speech, and fiddled with the self-steering gear. It was a great night.

Well, unless you've been in hibernation, you're more than aware that a black president did not so much bring about that better day. Racism was a lot more deeply entrenched in the American psyche than I thought and instead of withering away as I expected it became stronger, more in your face, and dog-whistles became bullhorns.

The worst part for me is I saw this bloom of up-front racism manifesting itself in the cruising community. Cruisers saying things in public that were cringeworthy and hateful both about Obama and anyone that was not white or shared their religion. One day standing in line waiting to do customs & immigration, a couple of cruisers began talking to another cruiser on how inept and stupid the ladies working there were and how things would run better if they just used monkeys. Of course, the folks having this excretable conversation were speaking loudly enough for the various officials to hear and I am in awe at how the officials continued to perform their duties while being confronted by such blatant assholery.

Not too much later in Sint Maarten, a well kept American-flagged Bendytoy came into the lagoon and anchored with a middle-aged black couple onboard. The next morning on the morning VHF net another American boat got on the radio and informed the net that there was a black couple on the boat so it must be stolen, in the drug business, or criminals of some sort so be aware. The couple in question happened to be a surgeon and a college professor from Chicago.

Judging from what I see in the cruising community is that it's pretty much a whites-only affair and folks of color are not exactly welcomed with open arms.

This is not to say that all cruisers are racists but there is a big enough chunk of folks who are to be problematic. While I hope the majority of cruisers are not racistly inclined, the fact that cruisers often choose to ignore racist behavior to avoid confrontation and embarrassment. Ignoring racist behavior just empowers and enables it.

Any wonder why you don't see a more diverse racial mix out sailing or cruising?

Just saying.

Listening to an Iron Leg radio show

So it goes...

What is tiny anyway?

The wrong man for the job, a Caribbean earthquake, and something on the subject of mass extinction...

The other day I came across someone going on about how difficult it is living in a tiny space (spelled s-a-i-l-b-o-a-t) and as I'm currently writing about how to make a 26-foot boat more livable over at VolksCruiser I thought it worth checking out to see how someone else might be handling the same set of issues.

As it happens, the tiny space in question was actually a modern 42-foot sailboat.

So, not expecting to find any tips, solutions or cunning plans on making a small living space more livable from that source but it did get me thinking.

Being an old fart, who's been doing this gig for more decades than I prefer to dwell on, one thing I've learned is that the bigger the boat the less inclined it is to have a great use of space.

Two of my favorite production designs are Philippe Harlé's Tonic and the Sangria NV/Fantasia from Jeanneau because they both had an incredible use of space in a small envelope. The Tonic at 23' and Sangria NV/Fantasia at 27' were both innovative and comfortable cruisers which had interiors that might surprise some for their size or, if a Dr Who fan, bring up thoughts of TARDIS.

Which brings me back to that 42-footer and terms we use to denote size these days. For me at least, I categorize sailboats along these lines:

• Small (20-29 feet)
• Medium (30-39 feet)
• Large 40- 49 feet)
• BFB (50 or more)
• Tiny (19 feet or less)

Admittedly, I do come from a time when the average cruising boat out cruising was somewhere around 30 foot, the $500 a month cruising budget was a reality, and a candy bar cost ten cents. But, at least for me, when I hear someone referring to their boat as "tiny" I expect it to be something like Yann Quenet just crossed the Atlantic in and not something over 40 feet.

Listening to Rodrigo y Gabriela

So it goes...

What happens when you avoid politics...

Not exactly the way I'd deal with a neo-nazi robo-caller but it does bring a smile, USPS in peril, and this is just all kinds of neat...

I got the following email from Budget Marine yesterday.

Dear Valued Customer,

The United States has recently implemented additional tariffs on a variety of products like steel, aluminum, and a number of finished products.

Although the effect of these tariffs might not affect Budget Marine and its customers immediately, if not reversed, prices on the affected products will eventually experience an increase.

As the leading retailer of marine equipment in the Caribbean, we feel compelled to properly inform our customers of issues that affect their spending power and any price increase that might eventually result from the additional levies on selected products.

Budget Marine is committed to closely working with its vendors and will explore all alternatives to mitigate the effects the tariffs might have.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank each one of you for supporting Budget Marine over the years and along with our suppliers, we will keep you informed of any changes if and when the occur.

So yeah, politics do affect cruisers and boat folks so best not to leave politicians unsupervised by the people they work for.

Just saying...

Listening to Judee Sill

So it goes

Payback...

Something from the 'Pathetic Asterisk Of Condescension' department, a book to keep an eye out for, and a boat doing some good works...

Reading the news it appears that Trump and his stooges think that mass deportation of illegal aliens to Mexico is a good idea even if they are not from Mexico. It is not going to make Mexico a happy camper and, as is normal with politics at this level, if we do something to piss off Mexico it is normal for Mexico to retaliate in some way or other. All governments tend to take the tit for tat thing seriously and if the USA starts dumping non-Mexicans off at the border things will get interesting and not in a good way.

It has also not escaped my notice that the whole large-scale-round-up-immigrants-of a non-white-variety-and-send-them-home-two-step will also include lots of people from the Caribbean and other island nations where folks on boats like to visit.

Something to think about.

Any readers out there know anything about cruising in Russia?

Listening to Warren Zevon

So it goes...