{"id":6728,"date":"2021-01-14T23:05:27","date_gmt":"2021-01-14T22:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/?p=6728"},"modified":"2021-01-28T11:04:35","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T10:04:35","slug":"keel-haul-the-captain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/index.php\/2021\/01\/14\/keel-haul-the-captain\/","title":{"rendered":"Keel Haul the Captain!"},"content":{"rendered":"
Position: 36\u00b007’45″N 115\u00b009’0″W<\/a><\/h6>\n

Having entered the post-truth epoch four years ago, the nautically inclined are now entering the era of post-captaining. Boat owners and their boats can look forward to a time when the experience and nous of a skilled captain is entirely optional. Nay, even undesirable – if you ask the more militantly minded crew members. What!? How?! Outrageous!, you sputter. But it\u2019s true. To find out more, read on.<\/p>\n

Apprenticed to a Pilot<\/h6>\n

\"the-pirates-of-penzance\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Automated steering systems predate electronics by decades. Lashing the tiller aside, mechanical wind vane steering dates back to the early 20th<\/sup> century. Electromechanical devices followed and hand steering on long passages became the thing of lore, or plain bad luck.<\/p>\n

Long range weather forecasting keeps an informed crew snugged up in the marina waiting for a weather window. No need to risk spilling your gin on the poop deck when better weather is just around the corner, is there? Of course not!<\/p>\n

The introduction of Global Positioning Systems made the complex work of navigation simple. Even novices can find their way from A to B without compasses or slide rules. Captains of Stink Pots and Fornicatoria<\/a> of all stripes now program in their GPS destinations, switch on the engine and retire below for grog and games.<\/p>\n

Head-on collisions miles out to sea are a direct result of attractively placed waypoints and a brutal lack of systems integration. Indeed, there is no way the radar or AIS<\/a> can instruct the autopilot to stop or change direction without human intervention. Alarms are only inversely useful to the sobriety of the crew. (It\u2019s not that the systems aren\u2019t capable of controlling the engine or steering, it\u2019s a question of product liability.)<\/p>\n

Berth of a New Age<\/h6>\n

With no need to steer, no need to fear the weather, and plenty of refrigeration for drinks, what then is a captain good for? Well, like golf, sailing is both a long game and a short game. Thanks to the gear mentioned above, the long game is easy now. Tournaments are lost<\/a> on the short game, however. Our \u2018greens\u2019 are marinas, where docking tests the uninitiated and bankrupts the uninsured.<\/p>\n

Controlling a full keel sailboat in a narrow harbour fighting currents and winds takes nerves of steel, a cool wit, and lots of practice. My buddy Mark<\/a> is blessed with an actor\u2019s voice. He would project his fear of reversing into a slip every time he docked his Catalina. \u201cI hate this!\u201d, he would mutter. His voice echoing across Constitution Marina<\/a> loud enough to be heard high in the cheap seats.<\/p>\n

Post-Captaining<\/h6>\n

\"Assisted<\/a><\/p>\n

Fret no more, friends! The final nail in the captain\u2019s coffin was just announced at this year\u2019s (online) Consumer Electronics Show. Volvo Penta says it has solved the docking challenge. Assisted Docking<\/a> is the answer to every first mate\u2019s reluctance to mutiny. Nothing now stands between a captain\u2019s leadership and bloody insurrection. Not only will electronics guide you to your destination, they will dock your boat and all but snug the lines.<\/p>\n

\u201cAssisted Docking is a hybrid between automated docking and manual docking,\u201d says Ida Sparrefors, Director of Autonomous Solutions and New Business Models at Volvo Penta. \u201cEven though, in some ways, it would have been easier to implement full automation, the beauty of this system is that it gives the captain enhanced control. With our team of experts – from software developers to test drivers – we have made it behave intuitively in all situations, so that anyone can feel like a seasoned captain.\u201d \u2013 Volvo Penta press release. <\/em>(Translation: Our lawyers told us to leave control in the hands of humans. We need to blame someone when things go wrong.)<\/p>\n

Wither the Captain?<\/h6>\n

What then should the redundant mariner do with his\/her\/their experience? Whittle? Braid dock lines? Tell tall tales of how sailing used to be? Arrgh! No. The last captains will reach for their accordions and Jew’s harps<\/a> and strike up a tune. A sea shanty that reminds the young of years past when sailing was a grand adventure. Man against nature! Rum, sodomy, and the lash!<\/a> Off to Davy Jones’s locker, you preening electronic bilge rats! Arrgh, mateys!<\/p>\n

And Now This\u2026<\/h6>\n