April 6, 2002
Return to Civilization

We took a break from cruising recently to visit family and friends in the UK. Aside from the shock of sub-zero temperatures, we were still able to continue some aspects of the sailing and cruising life because our trip coincided with the London Boat Show.

Cruising Spirit

One of the icons of the show is the Guinness tent, a bar in the center of the show selling only Guinness. Here we met friends who sailed across the Atlantic with us in 1994 when we took part in the ARC. They are now in the Caribbean and we had not seen them for 3 years. There were two sets of fellow cruisers who sailed across the Southern Pacific at the same time as us last year, both making trips back to the UK for Christmas. Last time we saw them was in Vanuatu and New Caledonia. A Guinness or two was also shared with old friends whom we used to sail with in the Solent (south coast of Britain) before we went cruising, and who updated us on changes to our old sailing grounds.

Our old friends met our new friends and soon views and experiences were being exchanged on everything from new gadgets to favorite cruising spots. Everything was shared: information, experience, hopes and fears. It seems always the way whenever sailors get together, and it is particularly true of cruisers. The barriers of secrecy, jealousy and competition seem not to be present in the same proportions as they are in life generally. Perhaps it is respect for the sea and its omnipotence, dwarfing our petty concerns.

We find wherever we cruise that other cruisers are willing to share, whether it is weather information, advice on how to effect a repair, where to shop/eat/check in, etc. There is a great spirit of camaraderie, and it is one of the pleasures of cruising, especially in a world where selfishness and suspicion seem to be increasing.

After the Show we visited one of our non-sailing friends who commented that our trip back to the UK was a return to civilization for a while. We had sat in a traffic jam for an hour to drive the 5 miles to their house, struggling to edge our way on to main roads where no one would give way to us, failing to attract the attention of head-down power-walking passers by to ask for directions. On the contrary, we thought.

New Toys

We did not have a shopping list for the London Show. Instead we were just interested to see what was new, improved or soon to arrive.

One of the main areas of development since our last visit to the show in 1999 was weather forecasting services for small yachts. Historically we have had to rely upon either the Internet ashore--which is fine for planning but not once you are at sea--or a weather forecaster who will send a personal forecast by e-mail. The latter tend to be expensive except for Bob McDavit in New Zealand (the only one we have used) who charges US$20 for a five-day forecast but he only covers the South Pacific. Bob also sends out, for free, a weekly forecast for the upcoming week. As he works for the NZ MetService his forecasts are usually pretty good. (Bob McDavitt, Weather Ambassador - mcdavitt@metservice.com)

Things have changed significantly of late with companies offering forecasts by e-mail for anywhere in the world at modest cost. Because the ease and cost of receiving e-mail on board has improved markedly, these services are viable for cruisers.

Another product that has been launched since our last visit to the show is a detection device for use with personal EPIRBs. It looks like a table tennis bat, and it is used to locate a man-overboard who is wearing a personal EPIRB. We carry personal EPIRBs, so it seemed like a good device to have. However, we felt that the cost at US$2000+ was a prohibitive price. No doubt in time they will become smaller and cheaper and thus more attractive to cruisers.

With regard to boats, it was noticeable how many designs now incorporate some type of deckhouse/pilothouse/rigid canopy. Before we bought THETA VOLANTIS we sailed for 15 years with only a small canvas canopy covering the hatch opening. Having now sailed with a deckhouse for the last seven years, no one would get us to sea without one. We know lots of cruisers who have fitted a deckhouse to their boat after cruising without one for a while. But it seems as if buying a boat which is designed with one is going to become much easier from now on.