Are we becoming Control Freaks because of technology

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Technology is a wonderful thing and has given us the opportunity to purchase luxures and toys for our boats even more so.
We want the engine to start at any time under any conditions at the turn of the key, full control any time and why not
Instant hot water the moment we turn the tap on
Cabin heating and air conditioning control
The beer has to be cold in the fridge and always ice cubes for the drinks
And always plenty of fresh water in the tap not just for drinking but for hot showers as well
TV on when at anchor and naturally access to internet and wifi to control the entertainment
Adjustable lights for better control
Able to see in an instant who is within proximity on a dark misty night by turning on the radar and AIS
Knowing at any instant in real time, where we are, displayed in a multitude of fixed and portable screens
Too hard to turn the manual winch, electric gives easier control
Remote control for the anchor windlass allows easy control of anchor when singlehanded
Controlling the main by using in-mast electric reefing and similarly for the genoa
Plenty of electric power to keep all those gadgets going

So, are we becoming control freak yachties, (unlike the well know "control freak" personality disorder) or are we just enjoying the available technologies. I think, the majority of us enjoy being in full control of everything around us on a yacht, with the exception of people, I hope.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

The best thing about the list above is that it is a choice ..... as an individual you don't have to have any of these things - shun them all and use paper charts, compass, dividers, sextant and pencil if you want to.

I personally like the choice and would tick every option box possible if I could afford it.

 

[Blueboatman]

Great post, if er a touch subversive ???

I can still sail with the electrics turned off, and a compass and silence , no whirs, cheeps, clicks, squarks, radio checks, alarms, error messages .
As can we all

The boat seems to bumble along just fine with the helm clamped , or the mechanical wind vane engaged .
There was a cliché’d view of passionate French sailors when I were a lad, where the sailing, the journey was everything !
And thus, bits would be removed as and when they broke. Quite a few bits in some cases !
Chacun à son goût

 

[Rappey]

I'm sure the majority would like much on that list but for many it's about what they can afford or justify.

 

[stevie69p]

This is not the type of sailing that I personally recognise. Sure, I have some gadgets (GPS, wind instruments, etc) and I certainly like my engine to start when I ask it to, but I can manage without. I work with engines, mechanical and electrical technology every day, so in some ways I like to get away from it, and have set up the boat on a 'keep it simple' principle.

The things that you state may well be true for some folk, just as technology and 'mod-cons' have become commonplace in everyones lives, but when you boil it all down, they are 'nice to haves', not really essential.

I also recognise that I am indeed a control freak, but that's a whole other discussion for my therapist hehe...

 

[lustyd]

Add to your list displacement hulls allowing us to float on water and wheels allowing us to get to the sea easily. It's all technology, get over it and go boating in any way you see fit, the date of the invention is irrelevant, as are the luddites who moan about advancements.

 

[Chae_73]

First boat i ever sailed was a Wayfarer. It had sails and oars. And a hole in the bottom, but we didn't know that at the time.
Next, a Drascombe Longboat. Sails, oars and an outboard.
Then, an Anderson 22. Sails, outboard, cabin, cooker, VHF radio! What a life!
Next up Samphire 29. Inboard engine! A Decca set!

30 years later, do I want all of those things above? Yes, many of them. But not to the detriment of the pleasure of sailing.

 

[lustyd]

Depends how you define the pleasure of sailing. To many people a hot shower and a cold G&T at the end of the day is included in that definition. Some people take pleasure in rope work, some don't. Some like paper charts, some don't. Some like to see through fog, some prefer living on the edge

 

[Chae_73]

Depends how you define the pleasure of sailing. To many people a hot shower and a cold G&T at the end of the day is included in that definition. Some people take pleasure in rope work, some don't. Some like paper charts, some don't. Some like to see through fog, some prefer living on the edge

Completely agree.
I'm not adverse to a G&T myself

 

[mjcoon]

The boat seems to bumble along just fine with the helm clamped , or the mechanical wind vane engaged .

I would rate a mechanical wind vane as technology. So is a self-tailing winch. (Which we certainly did not have when I first went sailing.) Even anti-fouling calls for lots of research...

 

[johnalison]

You're behind the times. A friend had satellite TV on board his IP 46-ish many years ago. His not-very-nautical wife would watch the football in the middle of the North Sea.

 

[bedouin]

Technology is a wonderful thing and has given us the opportunity to purchase luxures and toys for our boats even more so.
We want the engine to start at any time under any conditions at the turn of the key, full control any time and why not
Instant hot water the moment we turn the tap on
Cabin heating and air conditioning control
The beer has to be cold in the fridge and always ice cubes for the drinks
And always plenty of fresh water in the tap not just for drinking but for hot showers as well
TV on when at anchor and naturally access to internet and wifi to control the entertainment
Adjustable lights for better control
Able to see in an instant who is within proximity on a dark misty night by turning on the radar and AIS
Knowing at any instant in real time, where we are, displayed in a multitude of fixed and portable screens
Too hard to turn the manual winch, electric gives easier control
Remote control for the anchor windlass allows easy control of anchor when singlehanded
Controlling the main by using in-mast electric reefing and similarly for the genoa
Plenty of electric power to keep all those gadgets going

So, are we becoming control freak yachties, (unlike the well know "control freak" personality disorder) or are we just enjoying the available technologies. I think, the majority of us enjoy being in full control of everything around us on a yacht, with the exception of people, I hope.

I don't have hot water, cabin heating or air conditioning. No fridge and certainly no ice cubes

Showers are in the marina, and who on earth has a TV on their boat.

My lights have an on/off switch - does that count as controllable?

The only electrics that matter are the depth sounder and the VHF.

 

[capnsensible]

I don't have hot water, cabin heating or air conditioning. No fridge and certainly no ice cubes

Showers are in the marina, and who on earth has a TV on their boat.

My lights have an on/off switch - does that count as controllable?

The only electrics that matter are the depth sounder and the VHF.

Isn't diversity and a whole host of options in sailing a fantastic thing?

Lots of liveaboards have some sort of TV or computer screen btw.

 

[Graham376]

New technology is fine if you want it but, not if forced to, as is increasingly the case.

 

[DJE]

I have most of comforts that come with a reasonably modern boat. But I do find that a lot of my maintenance effort goes on systems that are nothing to do with its sailing or navigation. And sometimes I wonder.

 

[SaltyC]

Technology is a wonderful thing and has given us the opportunity to purchase luxures and toys for our boats even more so.
We want the engine to start at any time under any conditions at the turn of the key, full control any time and why not
Instant hot water the moment we turn the tap on
Cabin heating and air conditioning control
The beer has to be cold in the fridge and always ice cubes for the drinks
And always plenty of fresh water in the tap not just for drinking but for hot showers as well
TV on when at anchor and naturally access to internet and wifi to control the entertainment
Adjustable lights for better control
Able to see in an instant who is within proximity on a dark misty night by turning on the radar and AIS
Knowing at any instant in real time, where we are, displayed in a multitude of fixed and portable screens
Too hard to turn the manual winch, electric gives easier control
Remote control for the anchor windlass allows easy control of anchor when singlehanded
Controlling the main by using in-mast electric reefing and similarly for the genoa
Plenty of electric power to keep all those gadgets going

So, are we becoming control freak yachties, (unlike the well know "control freak" personality disorder) or are we just enjoying the available technologies. I think, the majority of us enjoy being in full control of everything around us on a yacht, with the exception of people, I hope.

Agree with nearly all comments, technology is fantastic. Do I want to go back to an unreliable Stuart Turner, hand started, anchor hauled up with brute force, cabin heating - close hatch and put cooker on - Whats CO?, beer cold, Ah not old enough but anything cold 'lived' in the bilges, TV ???????, Adjustable lights - Aah turn the wick up on the oil lamp ( See earlier - more heat!),
Now the fun bit, you could see as far as you could see, Radar?? thats for ships, GPS?? We didn't even have Decca, later we got RDF - an electronic version of hand bearing compass but the NIL point was less accurate.

Reefing, go to the foredeck and drop the jib and change for the next size down - PS Waterproofs weren't to the standard of todays! Reef the main, wind it around the boom - forget the shape afterwards.

Electric power for gadgets - apologies for those wh willpick me up but a PP9??? in the seafarer echosounder?

No technology is great.

Do I miss it - YES, do I have GPS, Chart Plotters, radar, Heating, a Reliable Engine, Fridge, Electric Winch , in mast furling -YES, but when all else fails there is still a piece of paper on the chart table with X marks the spot, less than 1 hour ago, I like to think we can manage without all.

 

[duncan99210]

It all depends doesn’t it?
On one boat that we spend several months on each year we have as many of the whistles and bells as we can afford. On the other one, on which we potter about daysailing we have nothing beyond a compass, a chart and a couple of sets of Mk 1 eyeballs.
Thoroughly enjoy both of them, wouldn’t change either of them much.

 

[Blueboatman]

I would rate a mechanical wind vane as technology. So is a self-tailing winch. (Which we certainly did not have when I first went sailing.) Even anti-fouling calls for lots of research...

I would agree
I wish antifouling technology might advance a bit more!

 

[laika]

So, are we becoming control freak yachties

To what extent is the original question actually a question vs being the statement “You modern yachties are all a bunch of softies”?

 

[Concerto]

Technology is a wonderful thing and has given us the opportunity to purchase luxures and toys for our boats even more so.
We want the engine to start at any time under any conditions at the turn of the key, full control any time and why not
Instant hot water the moment we turn the tap on
Cabin heating and air conditioning control
The beer has to be cold in the fridge and always ice cubes for the drinks
And always plenty of fresh water in the tap not just for drinking but for hot showers as well
TV on when at anchor and naturally access to internet and wifi to control the entertainment
Adjustable lights for better control
Able to see in an instant who is within proximity on a dark misty night by turning on the radar and AIS
Knowing at any instant in real time, where we are, displayed in a multitude of fixed and portable screens
Too hard to turn the manual winch, electric gives easier control
Remote control for the anchor windlass allows easy control of anchor when singlehanded
Controlling the main by using in-mast electric reefing and similarly for the genoa
Plenty of electric power to keep all those gadgets going

So, are we becoming control freak yachties, (unlike the well know "control freak" personality disorder) or are we just enjoying the available technologies. I think, the majority of us enjoy being in full control of everything around us on a yacht, with the exception of people, I hope.

I am shocked you missed off the bow thruster.

To be honest as yachts have got larger over the past half century, they have become more powerful and require additional assistance over hand power to control a boat. As they have become larger so the internal volume has increased and the opportunities for more home comforts became available. They have become so much more like floating cottages/caravans. Do we need all of these, no but they do make life onboard a lot nicer.

On my 40 year old boat, I only need self tailing winches (oversize), my instruments are from 1996, there is a modern chart plotter and autopilot which could be linked but I could not be bothered, an Ebersparcher has been fitted, I do have a good stereo radio and recently added a cheap television (240V/12V) with DVD player and USB connections. The latest upgrade was adding an inverter.

The problem is I am now looking to add some further creature comforts. Replacing the mains/12V portable cool box with a proper refrigeration unit in the ship's cool box. The manual pumped cold water should be upgraded to add hot and cold pressurised water and a shower in the loo compartment. There might even be a microwave added for harbour use.

How many of you have a swung compass? Mine are not, but I have checked them against 2 hand bearing compasses and the digital compass on my phone, and they all tally. Rarely do I bother to enter waypoints in the chart plotter. Most of the time I use the Mark 1 eyeball and love to sail by the seat of my pants. So, I am certainly not a control freak.