Low Tide

What will the famous cruisers of 2020 look like? Will they be high tech canting keel carbon fiber wonders, or will they be simple wooden boats with few “modern” “inconveniences”. We have gone through a phase…the 1980’s-90’s…..of cruiser’s expecting to take it all with them. Boats got bigger (fatter and heavier), sailed less and motored more, carried generators, watermakers, sat phones, and on and on. Will that continue? Or will sanity prevail and cruisers realize that they go to sea to escape all the modern tech problems? Simpler boats go further and cruise longer…this is been asserted for many years by those who have been out there.

So what will the modern cruiser look like? Her waterline will be long, minimal overhangs, beam will be moderate so that the boat is easily driven. Would a modern cruising boat perhaps have no engine? She will definitely carry photovoltaic solar panels plus a windmill or water-driven charger. The power will go to run LED lighting. She may also have solar collectors to provide heat or cooling. Her mast or masts will be partially or completely un-stayed, this is simplicity. She will have a lifting keel to enable her to dry out, self reliance is important for cruisers. And she will carry several proper small boats, again self-reliance and simple transportation.

We’ll develop this concept more in future…..