To Sea In A Hi-tech Boat

[duckie]

I loved this.

Originally from MultiHulls magazine (author unknown).

I spotted a beaut website - owners of a 10m Seawind Cat that they have sailed far and wide.

http://www.katiekat.net

The original poem entitled Sea-Fever or The Call of the Running Tide by John Masefield (1878-1977) -

I MUST go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again to the vagrant gypsy life.

To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

As Joe wrestled to instal some more technology onto KatieKat, he thought this modern version of the poem was apt:

To Sea in a Hi-Tech Boat

I must go down to the sea again, in a modern high-tech boat,

And all I ask is electric, for comfort while afloat,

And alternators, and solar panels, and generators going,

And deep cycle batteries with many amperes flowing.

I must go down to the sea again, to the autopilot's ways,

And all I ask is a GPS, and a radar, and displays,

And a cell phone, and a weatherfax, and a shortwave radio,

And compact disks, computer games and TV videos.

I must go down to the sea again, with a freezer full of steaks,

And all I ask is a microwave, and a blender for milkshakes,

And a watermaker, air-conditioner, hot water in the sink,

And e-mail and a VHF to see what my buddies think.

I must go down to the sea again, with power-furling sails,

And chart displays of all the seas, and a bullhorn for loud hails,

And motors pulling anchor chains, and push-button sheets,

And programs which take full charge of tacking during beats.

I must go down to the sea again, and not leave friends behind,

And so they never get seasick we'll use the web online,

And all I ask is an Internet with satellites over me,

And beaming all the data up, my friends sail virtually.

I must go down to the sea again, record the humpback whales,

Compute until I decipher their language and their tales,

And learn to sing in harmony, converse beneath the waves,

And befriend the gentle giants as my synthesizer plays.

I must go down to the sea again, with RAM in gigabytes,

and teraflops of processing for hobbies that I like,

And software suiting all my wants, seated at my console

And pushing on the buttons which give me complete control.

I must go down to the sea again, my concept seems quite sound,

But when I simulate this boat, some problems I have found.

The cost is astronomical, repairs will never stop,

Instead of going sailing, I'll be shackled to the dock.

I must go down to the sea again, how can I get away?

Must I be locked in low-tech boats until my dying day?

Is there no cure for my complaint, no technologic fix?

Oh, I fear this electric fever is a habit I can't kick.

[Trim50]

I'll have to print that out and post it on my office door.

[Lighthouse]

I must go down to the sea again, how can I get away?

Must I be locked in low-tech boats until my dying day?

Is there no cure for my complaint, no technologic fix?

Oh, I fear this electric fever is a habit I can't kick.

What did we do before all the high-tech "stuff" that is such a magnet for our hard-earned $?

We learned to navigate, plot positions and stand a proper watch - and made it to that far-off port.

[Auzzee]

This is a very cleverly written poem. It is funny! There is also a degree of poignancy which is totally sobering.

We really only need a sound hull and deck, good sails, a sextant and compass, something to cook on and someone to share it with.....But......

............some of the other stuff is really GUD!

David.

[Nausikaa]

John Masefield new what he was writing about.

He spent three years (I think it was 3)as a young teenager as a cadet in H.M.S. Conway. The Conway, which had seen service at the Battle of the Nile, was a hard school. The ship was eventually lost after running aground and then catching fire in the Menai Straits.

Masefield also wrote the Conway Song. The words can be found here

Aye // Stephen

[imagine2frolic]

I hold no grudge against the sailor who wants the latest technology. It is the same as when Magellan left, or Columbus. They too left with the latest technology.

When you are a single-handed sailor, or just a crew of 2. The more comfort, the easier it is to get things accomplished. I do agree not all is needed, and vessel can accomplish a lot with just the necessities, and the capt needs to be able to accomplish a lot with just the necessities. Everything else makes it much more fun.

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

I hold no grudge against the sailor who wants the latest technology............

I agree completely, providing the knowledge of basic principles is there and can be reverted to when technology goes south. Having said that, I prefer bulletproof basics to high tech toys which can easilt break or are unsuitable for the marine environment

Aye // Stephen

[Aquaria]

oh yes, but you tend to forget the 'knowledge of basic principle" and I have to be honest, I can't revert to them to, 'when tecnology goes south'.

Instead I bought a back up GPS years ago and the Sextant stays at home, dry and safe, the nautical almanach stays in the book store and I forgot almost all about celestrial navigation.

This is the way it goes because I am too lazy to keep up the once learnd skills...

Uwe

SY AQUARIA