Crew Available: For Old-School Cruiser . . .

[toosail]

Originally Posted by bunter

Why bother? You could buy a handful of gps's for the price of a sextant. Kerosene is probably more expensive than led lights as for the engine you dont need to use the one that will be in a boat. Hope you take your horse and cart to meet this potential boat and throw your computer away you wont need the internet where your heading. Maybe take a pigeon. Haha

Wow bunter, I would love nothing more than to set sail with someone like you, sailing on a boat that you can't understand because it doesn't come with a computer compatible explanation of its design, full of electronics skippered by a person that relies solely on electronics( hopefully knowing full and well that electricity + water don't mix, plus salt water and metal equal corrosion ) and if part or all would fail, would be making the call for someone that can sail in those circumstances after everything else has failed to come save you. imho, its cats like this that have turned the art of sailing into a mainstream "sport" or "past time" that have no understanding of sailing, mainstream being a key point. Just like the guy who buys the biggest and best motorcycle, but has to get the three wheeled version, because they never quite learned nor understood the art of riding a bike in the first place. Sad state of affairs, anyways, I believe you need to know,understand and appreciate what sailing has evolved from....man,boat,water and wind. Anything else is an aid.
Sail on lads sail on.

[jyoung]

if gadgetry is what makes people feel secure or modern, then what the heck more power to em!! that being said, In my mind there is something to be said for the ones who take the time to learn the skills and utilize a good old fashion know-how.. people navigated oceans for thousands of years before gps and chartplotters.. myself, I hate technology and wish it were 1900 again.. but then again, there wasn't half a million other boats in the water in the way in 1900... so, whatever floats your boat, or sinks it if it's insured and you want a new one!

[boasun]

The one reason the old timers left on the out going tide and returned on the incoming tide was that it was the era before there were tugboats, and they used the wind & currents to their best advantage.
When Tugboats came on the scene those sailing ships could leave on any state of the tide. Then the ships became powered and the art of sailing went down hill ever since.
98% of today's sailors can not do what Capt Bligh did in an open boat for 3000 miles or Josua Slocum's trip either without electronic help in one form or another. Yes sailing is opened up to the masses, but do they have the skills of a true seaman? You decide.