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| Selections from "Sail Away" | ||
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Part 3 - Outfitting |
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I should admit at the outset that I (Paul) am a gadgeteer! Outfitting for me means an opportunity to wander the aisles at boat shows and to peruse the fantastic marine catalogues looking at new gear. But it also is about equipping our relatively small boat (wandering at a boat show makes Two-Step feel positively minuscule) on a relatively small budget. I am always trying to strike a balance between improving the safety and performance of our yacht and having enough money left over to cruise. To that end I feel it makes sense to stay up to date on new technologies that affect sailing, but to be quite cautious about purchasing additional equipment. There are probably few aspects of sailing that have not been examined by a budding entrepreneur to determine if a market exists to sell more gadgets. From fender line adjusters and gimballed drink holders to electric winches and computer monitored wind indicators, there is no shortage of potential "essential gear" to outfit your boat. Not even a 100' mega yacht has room for all of them! Upscale inventors have bigger inventions for mega yachts -- our favourite was an automatic retractable gangplank that we saw on a mega-yacht that sailed in when we were docked at Marina Bay in Gibraltar. The gangplank slid out from a covered garage extending 15 feet astern, then handrails folded up on either side with discreet lights shining on the walkway. Finally a computer system monitored the height of the end of the gangplank above the dock. This controlled a motor that kept the tip exactly 2 inches above the dock surface when surge and tide moved the boat. I'm not recommending one of these: I just had to describe this gadget! For us spending the winter on board in Gibraltar, walking the dock was good exercise and provided an insight into the rarified heights of extravagant yachting as well. But we also saw the other end of the spectrum. We met countless cruisers happily living and sailing on boats from 22 to 30 feet long -- boats without many of the modern conveniences we have on board. The owners are sailing about, some of them travelling great distances, enjoying their boats. Meanwhile, many of the largest yachts are being tended by crew -- their owners are only able to spend a short time each year sailing. 
The typical cruising boat is between 25 and 40 feet in length - and whether it has sailed the Bahamas or around the world, most skippers are still looking at adding an extra gadget or two. Few people have it all. Most of us have to carefully choose how to outfit our boats, do it reasonably, and get to the important business of going off cruising!
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