Commercial Forces
South Pacific Familyadventure 2008
Claes Brodin
Fri 20 Jan 2012 10:39
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When we sailed to the Caribbean 1980,our navigation
was based on dead reconning corrected with celestial navigation at sea.Our
electronical aids consisted of a VHF and a depthsounder(that rarely
worked).We had a liferaft that was supposed to be surveyed every fifth
year.
Today blue water cruisers are equipped with loads
of more electronical equipment and aids to manage cruising on the ocean.A
liferaft is supposed to be surveyed every year.
If you are not eqipped with radar,several VHF´s,SSB-radio and/or satellitetelephone,electronic charts,GPS (with at least one reserve),AIS(automatic identification system),Epirb and autopilot,you are considered to be an irresponsible cruiser.How can the picture of what´s irresponsible in terms of seamanship change so dramatically in only 30 years? In my field of medicine there are many
similarities.The last 30 years the treatment for high levels of cholesterol have
become more and more agressive.There are today suggestions of accepted levels
for cholesterol that would make half of the Swedish(and most other western
countries)population sick! I cannot help wondering when I see old patients who
hardly eat or drink, still are being served there pills for high
cholesterollevels.........
How could the picture of what is good semanship,and
what is sick or healthy,change so dramatically in only 30 years?
I guess the answer is best found
by questioning who benefits from this
change of picture into todays "truth".
The medical industrial complex is today enormously
powerful worldwide,and the yachting industry have taken over our way of looking
on safety at sea.(Try to argue against safety.It´s certainly
difficult)
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