I've been thinking what it means to be among the 99% - the financial group of us who are, well, not in the top 1% as that group has been characterized by the media over the last year. I still read the glossy sailing monthly magazines to stay informed about all things sailing, and the ads and many of the boat and equipment reviews never cease to amaze me: who but the 1% could afford all this shiny new stuff? Can a "regular" sailor still get by without a second mortgage to stay current - or do we really need all this? Nowhere is this more apparent than in marine electronics. While most of us can still get by with inexpensive paper charts and basic navigation skills, for example, for the 1% there are stunning new large color touchscreen arrays that superimpose charts and radar and sonar and weather imagery while beaming it all to your iPad so you can relax in your berth while your autopilot steers and your push buttons handle sail trim and halyards. But is that really sailing? And do the reviewers of this expensive equipment really need to disparage the humble sailor with a smartphone and a few apps who can have most of the same electronic benefits? Of course this is mostly just advertising, not something one can really rail against. Still, as long as you're cautious and take the time to do it right, you can use an iPhone or even a cheap iPod Touch or Android tablet for navigation, weather, and many other functions. I've been doing this for a couple years, along with my paper charts and tide tables for backup, and haven't run into problems yet. And with the thousands not spent on luxury gear, I'm better able to take sailing vacations. Here's to the sailors of the 99%!
