Quote:
Originally Posted by AdamLein
Are airplanes and cars making sailboats obsolete?
Nobody needs a sailboat. I can't think of any reason for somebody to use a sailboat that isn't also a reason for somebody to use a sextant:
1) Sailboats are fun (for some people). Sextants are fun (for some people).
2) Sailboats are a new skill to master; so are sextants.
3) Sailboats are a show of wealth; so are sextants.
4) Sailboats connect us to our traditional roots; so do sextants.
5) Sailboats don't fundamentally depend on modern technology; neither do sextants.
6) Sailboats bring us closer to nature; so do sextants.
7) Sailboats help you get from point A to point B; so do sextants.
It's astonishing to me that anybody on this forum can think that sextants are becoming obsolete.
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Adam has posted what should be the last word on the subject. An excellent post that gives due to each side. Modern sailing itself reminds me of an old saying about the Porsche 911 sports car. "The ultimate execution of a fundamentally bad idea." For those not familiar with the breed, the bad idea was hanging the engine out the back of the car.