Keep it simple
Technology has transformed sailing, but just sometimes maybe back to basics is best
Sailing has become more complicated, at least in the technical department. If you compare a couple of boats of similar size but aged a couple of decades apart, the younger of the two is usually sporting more bells and whistles than a morris dancer.
I was recently on an ‘entry level’ (whatever that means) cruising yacht of recent vintage that sported an electrically driven pressure water system but only a 75-litre tank to sip it from. It also had in-mast reefing, a bow thruster, a chartplotter of movie house proportions and a sound system that at full pitch could have you bleeding from the ears.
Most of those ‘essential’ toys had been fitted on the orders of the owner who presumably wanted his boat to mirror his shore-bound requirements but no doubt the builders had made few attempts to dissuade him from such lucrative extravagances. So, our owner found that in more senses then one, the choices involved other sacrifices. The drains on energy sources, the need to return to the comfort of marinas for recharges and refills were inevitable.
Some years ago I was in Las Palmas watching the ARC fleet depart. Stirring, inspirational and remarkably touching it all was. But one of the strongest impressions for me was how mechanical our cruising had become. Almost every boat was groaning with exotic gear – mainly of the electronic persuasion. It seemed to me at the time that in the event of failure most of it was totally unrepairable by the average boatowner. ‘No problem’, one skipper told me. ‘We have two of almost everything’.
And there’s certainly some merit in doubling up. Back in 2016 in our 40-footer Shindig we set off from Lanzarote bound for Barbados. At the London Boat Show the previous year a manufacturer of electronic marine-ware had bestowed an electrically powered selfsteering gear on us at a very tasty price, bidding we try it out on Shindig, later that year to cross to the Caribbean.
And try it out we did on the leg from our then base in Lanzarote, heading south in the direction of the Cape Verde islands where we hoped to find the trade winds.
It performed flawlessly at first and was acceptably frugal regarding electrical consumption. However, and despite the recent ministrations of an expert in the field who had checked the set up for us, it became more temperamental; prone to occasional tantrums without apparent cause. Everything would be going well, then it seemed the gear became bored and decided it was time to amuse the crew by gybing; in doing so putting Shindig pretty much beam on to the mighty Atlantic swell. For some reason – perhaps simply as an attention-getting device – it usually chose the early hours to perform this prank.
I gave up trying to tame it in the end. The electronic prima-donna was stowed below, and we reset the Monitor windvane gear which had served us well for years. It performed flawlessly up to our landfall in Barbados.
As for such luxuries as electric galley and heads pumps, I find myself baffled. Many years ago, I was lent the use of a classical wooden yacht based in Mallorca. We were joined by an American couple, kinfolk of my Texan wife, who had never sailed before but had a yearning to do so. The greetings accomplished, I showed them round the boat, hove-to near the galley and sketched out some important practices – particularly emphasising the need to conserve water.
I explained that the galley came equipped with pumps, both for fresh and salt water, emphasising that drinking water is about the most essential commodity to carry on a cruising boat and that it should be used frugally. They nodded their understanding before demonstrating that they didn’t understand at all. Regular swims were on the cards followed by freshwater showers they considered mandatory. It followed that our cruise around Mallorca’s delightful east coast usually involved a search for freshwater stand pipes to top up the tanks.
Now, I wouldn’t want anyone to think I abhor modern developments. Satellite navigation has liberated sailors to roam far beyond visible horizons. The Automatic Identifying System (AIS) is of huge benefit to sea safety. The benefits of technology have transformed sailing. But life afloat cannot exactly mirror life ashore. The sea makes its own demands.
‘It seemed the electronic gear became bored and decided it was time to amuse the crew by gybing’