A rant:
The "safety equipment" attitude goes well beyond lifejackets and
harnesses. It is the major marine companies and magazines that have convinced most of us we can't leave the dock without
radar,
SSB, chart plotters and the myriad other stuff that makes the marine business money. It is fun to think that just a couple decades ago most of this didn't exist and there were still many boaters. While some of it is good to have, most of it is just plain unnecessary for the average guy. How often do small yacht
radars actually get used? How many people actually can use them correctly? This is recreational sailing. Most of it coastal. If it's foggy don't go. Look at a chart, take a real fix (if you can). Keep a visual lookout at night. Take bearings of
lights and other shipping. Calculate CPAs, ETAs and SMGs. What about some of the old skills that folks used before electronics? Does anyone double the angle on the bow any more? What about running fixes. Can you calculate sunrise and sunset? Can you remember the rule of twelfths? For a lot of boaters that stuff was too tough to learn. The
GPS and
Chartplotter enables them to get out on the water. Some wouldn't dare leave the dock if it broke. Those are the guys wondering what
lights they need......
Gaz