On Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:15:01 -0400, Gogarty
wrote:

In article ,
says...
On Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:21:07 GMT, (Richard
Casady) wrote:

On Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:28:18 -0500, Geoff Schultz
wrote:

silverdragon wrote in news:91685a8a-6561-44c5-
:

This is probably a stupid question but I haven't come across an answer
in any of my sailing books.

How would you go about getting e-mail and an internet connection while
on the open ocean? What kind of equipment would you need to buy, and
what is the cost of the service?

Learn to disconnect from the Internet. I know it's not easy, but I used to
run an Internet company and am very used to being connected. However, with
Sailmail/Airmail you can still be connected and not need the web interface.

Remember, cruising is about letting go of your land based connections. And
believe it or not, you can do it!

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

Slocum got along without an engine or anything electric.

Casady

I wonder how many people would be satisfied in cruising the way that
Slocum did it?

And, if Slocum was alive today would he would want a GPS or chart
plotter?
Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)

This raises another issue. Here and there we have historic ships maintained in
just the way they were when built. No electronics, no engines, no labor saving
ship handling equipment, etc. But my belief is that any such ships that might
have remained in profitable service would have been continually upgraded
throughout their working (or fighting) lives until the entire platform (the
ship) just got too obsolete for any more retrofitting. So putting an engine in
the Half Moon (or Spray) is not an anachronism.

Didn't Slocum use an ordinary beat up alarm clock for a chronometer? Do you
think today he would have made do with a $10 Cassio?

The Bugis people of Sulawasi Island, in Indonesia, were famous
seafarers and traded all over S.E.A. They built, and still build, very
distinctive vessels and I remember seeing them late as the 1980's
moored side by side, bow into the dock, in both Singapore and Jakarta
- looked like an 1800's photo of Gloucester, Mass.

In the 1990's we were building a plant in Central Java and had some
commissioning engineers over from the States and one weekend I took
them down to the harbor to show them some "Bugis Schooners".

The harbor was still full of them but every one had the masts removed
and a big diesel engine slung over the stern to power it.

It appears that the people who actually make their living with water
craft are quite interested in modern technology and are quite
indifferent to the fact that "traditional" ways are being ignored.

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)