Here I go again. I have written ad nauseam about the consequences of complicated systems on a cruising sailboat. I would stop except that at every new harbor we visit, we hear the radio crackle with skippers looking for knowledgeable technicians or waiting desperately for parts to arrive. Lots of money then changes hands. With North America being comparatively rich and most Caribbean island nations comparatively poor, this transfer of wealth is probably a good thing. Yacht systems repair has become a significant part of island economies, and technically challenged owners of complicated boats can find consolation in the humanitarian gesture of contributing to the prosperity of those less fortunate.
However, boat repair dollars are not all yachtsmen spend, and those that give up the enterprise early, worn out by seemingly endless breakdowns, take with them the dollars they would have spent on food, booze, transportation, communications, entertainment, etc. More to the subject at hand, a long-planned cruise ends early and badly.
So, I thought I would just share with you the wisdom of first-hand experience and provide a list of equipment you need to go cruising and also a list of equipment you don’t need. Neither list is all inclusive, nor are they intended to be, but I hope the items I have elected to place in one camp or the other will provide food for thought. The point is that the less equipment you have aboard, the less there is to fail. As a side benefit, you end up with a larger cruising kitty when you start out, all of which you can still hand over to islanders, but hopefully deriving more enjoyment from the exchange.
Continue reading here.
No comments:
Post a Comment