Almost the End of the Future...

Only one more day left in our group writing project about the future of sailing, Sailing in the Second Space Age. Four more entrants crossed the finish line since our last report...

The Bursledon Blogger wants to take us Back to the Sailing Future with Tillerman's writing challenge. I have to admit that I have no idea what his post is about. He says that it wasn't written while "experimenting" with mind altering drugs, but you be the judge. Personally, I think he's way past the "experimenting" stage.

Then we have Andrew of Sadler Bootwerk who has submitted some Laser Maths. "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Thirdly, SailSox who writes AddJuncture has contributed Looking Backwards at Sailing. (Great title by the way. I feel like I've been looking backwards (or sideways) at sailing for half my life.) He foresees a divergence in our sport and concludes that he is "quite happy with sailing's stubbornness." Hmmm. Anyway, check it out.

Finally, Zen is Fresh from Japan into space age sailing in which he offers a uniquely depressing perspective on where our sport might be heading. I hope he's wrong.

Check them all out. And then write an entry yourself. Today is the last day. Full details of how to participate at Sailing in the Second Space Age.

A Run, a Sail and a Pasty

On Saturday morning I went for a run along the roads bordering the Sakonnet River, from the Emilie Ruecker Wildlife Refuge to Seapowet Beach and beyond. It is a corner of Tiverton where you are unlikely to meet many other visitors, a road that meanders through farmland bordering the river and past salt marshes, with views up and down the river. I could hear the calls of sea birds and the honking of geese, two of which flew low across the road in front of me as I pounded along. Not a Dunking Donuts, or a Rite Aid, or an Exxon station in sight.

After an early lunch I took my Laser back to Seapowet Beach for a solo practice session on the Sakonnet. The winds were initially in the 5-10 knot range from the NW and I worked for a while on some of the faults in my light air skills (of which there are many.)

At 2:11 pm precisely (I checked my watch) I saw the wind line of the sea breeze coming in past the peninsula of Fogland to the south of me. I headed for the line and was soon enjoying 10-15 knots and was able to stretch my legs on a long beat down the river, followed by a delicious run overtaking waves all the way back. Plenty of time to work on some of those faults in my medium air skills (of which there are even more.)

That's the good thing about being a crap sailor who has received feedback from some excellent coaches. You always know plenty of stuff to work on.

After I had had enough sailing in the sunshine I went home. As I entered the house my nose detected a most excellent smell drifting from the kitchen. Tillerwoman was making Cornish Pasties for dinner.

Yes!

Some days are just beyond perfect.

Five More Futures...

Five more entries today in our April group writing project Sailing in the Second Space Age.

Welcome to first-time contributor, the author of Master of None, who describes himself as "an urban technophile with a music fetish who is also a finance geek." He has written a fascinating article on the predicted future rise of commercial sailing vessels in April 2025: Cargo Cat Debut Heralds Second Age of Sail.

Some_day_soling, who writes a blog called Skipper of the Starboard Racing Vessel, admits that there will be advances in the materials used in our boats but feels that the sport will essentially stay the same. However, she does predict that sailing will become more popular because the exploration of our solar system in the coming decades will awaken the spirit for exploring among the people left on the ground, and they will find an outlet for that in sailing. I hope she is right. Check out Maybe Sailing and Mars are Equally as Awesome.

Joe Rouse of The Horse's Mouth takes a shot at the subject in The Tillerman Time Space Continuum. What Will Sailing Be Like In The Future (2025)? in which he warns us of the dangers of "playing with the space and time thingy" and advises us to "be here be now".

David Anderson of David Anderson's Small Boat Sailing Adventures doesn't see a lot of change coming to Sailing in 2025 because "tradition and resistance to change are sailing's strongest forces." Hmmm.

Finally, the legendary (and possibly delusional), O Docker takes A Glimpse Into The Future and like David Anderson concludes that "sailing will be pretty much the same old same old." He would like to think that he and other keelboat sailors will have replaced their smelly, unreliable engines with electric motors, but based on his deep knowledge of electrical engineering warns us of the difficulties of solving the encabulation problem. Double hmmm.

Now it's your turn. Write anything you like about sailing (or any other aspect of recreational boating) in the years 2025 to 2035. Full details of how to participate at Sailing in the Second Space Age. Entries accepted up to the end of April.

Top Ten Thoughts That Went Through My Mind As I Tried To Think of Something To Write For The April Group Writing Project

10. Sailing in the Second Space Age? Who thought up that subject?

9. 2035? Let's see I'll be.... ummm.... 87.

8. What's the chance I'll still be sailing a Laser when I'm 87?

7. Maybe I could write about all the operations I will need... artificial hips, artificial knees, artificial eyes... to still be sailing Lasers then. Eyes? They will have complete artificial eye implants by 2035 won't they?

6. Let's see, Peter Seidenberg will be 97. He'll probably still be beating me.

5. Maybe I could just write about one of my grandkids? Emily 'Bones' Garvey - doctor of space medicine on the 2034 UNASA mission to Phobos - first woman to land on a Martian moon.

4. Or I could write about the continuing decline of sailing, and how the average of age of yacht club members is now 89, and how we need to find a way of attracting the youngsters in their 60's into the sport.

3. Or maybe a spoof on all those wooden boat nostalgia blogs with a post about how old duffers in 2035 are spending their time restoring classic fiberglass dinghies from the 1960's and 70's.... the beautiful sheen on polished gelcoat... the evocative scent of polyester resin...

2. Geeze. This subject is hard.

1. Who said I have to write an entry myself anyway?

More Futuristic Sailors...

Three more entries today in our April group writing project Sailing in the Second Space Age.

Adam, who writes a blog about messing about in sailboats called Messing About in Sailboats, has given a lot of thought to what sailing will be like 15 to 25 years from now. He foresees major changes in the technology used for engines in sailboats, in communications and navigation technology, and in the information available to racing sailors. He predicts knock-on effects in the aesthetics of sailboats and in the skills required of sailors. Fascinating stuff. Check out Lighter, more efficient, smarter and a lot simpler.

My2fish, who writes a blog about Sunfish sailing called my2fish:a blog about Sunfish sailing, has offered a wild series of predictions about the possible consequences of "global schwarming." Sharks with laser beams on their heads to fight pirates, the death of frostbiting, the Great Lakes as the "new Cape Cod", and the continuing popularity of the Sunfish with over a million sold by 2025. But watch out for those carp! Crazy! It's all at sunfish sailing: 2025 and beyond.

Greg of Log of the s/v Clarity takes a different tack and simply tell us of his own plans for the sailing he and his wife Kris will be doing In the Year 2025.

So, in the six entries so far we have... three science-fiction-style stories about the America's Cup, the Racing Rules and Sunfish sailing, two personal dreams of future sailing plans from Sam and Greg, and some predictions about future sailboat design and technologies from Adam.

Great stuff.

Now it's your turn. Write anything you like about sailing (or any other aspect of recreational boating) in the years 2025 to 2035. Use the first six entries as jumping-off places for your own ideas, or check out some of my suggestions for topics at Sailing in the Second Space Age, which has full details of how to participate.

Cape Cod

"Cape Cod is not really a movable feast. It does not stay with you that way. It is not like Paris so much as like Lourdes. Being there is the important thing. It is more like a reliable dope connection: People keep coming back."

Discuss.

In the year 2028...

This month's group writing project Sailing in the Second Space Age looks like it will break all records for lowest participation ever. Only three entrants so far... and I'm struggling to think of what to write myself after some Dutchman beat me to the punch on my first idea.

So I especially appreciate the effort made by Captain JP in his hilarious piece of science fiction sports writing America's Cup 2028. Classic!

Come on. What's so hard, people? Just write about sailing (or any other aspect of recreational boating) in the years 2025 to 2035. Full details, and plenty of suggestions for topics, at Sailing in the Second Space Age.

I am an actor in Hollywood

“Being a sailor in Newport is like being an actor in Hollywood,” says Amanda Callahan, the Roger Williams University sailing coach in an article about the RWU sailing team published recently in Rhode Island Monthly.

Hmmm. I've never thought of it like that. Next time I'm thrashing around Newport harbor at the back of the Laser fleet on a cold, dark, Sunday afternoon in January I'll try and remember those words. I've never met the inspirational Ms Callahan, even though I can see RWU from my house and often see her sailing team out training or competing on the waters of Mount Hope Bay.

Check out The Great Race by Ged Carbone for one of the best articles I have ever read about college sailing, and specifically about the rivalry between two young Laser sailors.

Fantastic Lifestyle Product

I don't understand Internet marketing...

Today I received an email...

It's from someone who claims to be a "co-founder" of a website which apparently is an online publication dedicated to covering a certain European luxury car brand, established with the intent of bringing content about the brand from across the globe to one centralized location... blah blah blah... etc. etc. etc.

This person (he/she has one of those androgynous first names so I don't know if he/she is a he or a she) wants me to tell you about a certain item they are giving away. A bag. Apparently they think sailors need bags. They say the bag is a "fantastic lifestyle product."

Actually there are two different bags. I suppose they do have a vaguely nautical theme. Or at least the name of the bag manufacturer does have a vaguely nautical slant. According to the aforementioned website the bags -- sorry, fantastic lifestyle products --- are worth around $200 each. Personally I might consider buying them if they were around $20 each.

Check that. I would not buy one of these bags. I have a closet full of similar bags. They were given away by sponsors to all the entrants at sailing regattas in which I raced; or I won them at regattas for such achievements as "Third Place Old Geezer Between 55 And 65 Who Was Wearing An Orange Hat"... or something similar.

Apparently the bags are "inspired" by an even more obscure and elitist sport than sailing. The aforementioned luxury European car manufacturer is sponsoring one of their obscure, elitist events.

To win one of these bags -- sorry, fantastic lifestyle products -- "all" you have to do is sign up for an account with the website that is an online publication dedicated to covering a certain European luxury car brand, established with the intent of bringing content about the brand from across the globe to one centralized location... blah blah blah... etc. etc. etc. and leave a comment on the website. Two of the people who leave comments on the website will be selected at random to receive a bag -- sorry, fantastic lifestyle product.

Of course you know how this goes. You never receive a bag. On the other hand you will receive about five emails a week for the next ten years telling you about all the reasons you should consider buying one of those European luxury cars and/or winning other fantastic lifestyle products.

I have no idea why I received this email. Do they think that the readers of Proper Course are a good target for emails urging them to buy luxury European cars, or that they will sell their mothers to win fantastic lifestyle products?

I didn't bother to respond to the email.

I didn't think you would be interested.

I don't understand Internet marketing.

Can someone please explain it to me?

Oh, and Happy Earth Day.

Golden Cloud and E-Rules

Here are the first two entries in the April group writing project, Sailing in the Second Space Age, in which you were invited to speculate on what sailing on the waters of Earth will be like when human beings are landing on asteroids and exploring Mars.

Sam Chapin writes a blog called How to Sail the Laser, which is a wonderful source of sensible, practical advice on... well, how to sail the Laser of course. But for our futuristic writing project he has written a much more imaginative piece. The title LASER GUY STOPS WEARING HIS LIFE JACKET is an accurate, if somewhat misleadingly mundane, title for the account of how and where Sam imagines he will be sailing 15 years from now. He has even drawn a picture of his vision of his future. Actually I hope he's wrong, but if he isn't, I wish him fair winds racing into the sunset on his golden cloud with Chris, Francis and Arthur.

Jos Spijkerman writes Look to Windward, the best blog on the planet about the Racing Rules of Sailing, also full of excellent, useful information for the racing sailor. Jos has let his imagination run wild in speculating about how his field of interest will have changed in the next 25 years. Don't let the title of his entry Transcriptburst > 2034-10-21-14:03:09-LTW-RRS-P17-Mech12-v-Harder^2 scare you off from reading it. It's all about how systems for location tracking of yachts and automated rule interpretation will fundamentally change the Racing Rules and how they are enforced. Fascinating stuff. Except it was a topic I was thinking of addressing myself in the next day or two, before Jos beat me to it. Damn him!

There's plenty of time for you to write something for this group writing project. Give it a shot. Full details of how to enter at Sailing in the Second Space Age.