Walt wrote:
Authentic? On a tourista charter?

I've been on some of those "sailing" excursions where they motor out of
the harbor, hoist a sail or two for show, motor around for an hour, then
pull the sails down and motor back.


Depends very much on the boat. I don't generaly go on such
things... the last one was a skipjack charter... but some of
the boats are more tourista-y than others.


Hey, I wouldn't waste my time complianing about not having every stich
of canvass flying, if you could just get them to turn off the frickin
motor you'd be way ahead on the authenticity scale.


A lot of times, those touristy "sailing" excursions cover
the sound of the engine by playing Jimmy Buffet real loud.


Bart wrote:
You have a point Walt. I've seen that sort of thing happen.

On the other hand, sometimes, people do like putting on a show.
A schooner with topsails set is a pretty sight--it should not be
discouraged. And certainly not in light wind situations.

The skipper should be making such decisions based on wind
strength and point of sail--not because of a CG edict.


It's also a question of crew... are they busy running around
handing out funny-colored drinks with little umbrellas? Or
are they actually sailors?

DSK