An ugly development
South Pacific Familyadventure 2008
Claes Brodin
Fri 28 Jul 2023 13:45
That´s only 6-7 years ago but circumstances have changed since then.
Most notably is the explosion of the fleet of megayachts.
They were common already then but today the fleet of megayachts have outnumbered the ordinary blue water cruisingfleet and subsequently also the infrastructure for cruising in the Med.
The marinaprices have tripled and so has prices for service and repairs.
This can also stand as a metafor for the general development in the Western world as well as in Russia and China.
Fewer people for every year own more and more of this planet (often named the "stinking rich") while the middleclass is struggling to manage higher interest,inflation as well as greedflation.An almost religious belief that "The market" will regulate and manage everything have led to this development were politicians in many ways have lost control.
From history we learn that when a very small elite own and dominate everything it ends with violence.
During the seventies the world was much more to the left in politics with conformistic Sweden on top. I was never left but always remained conservative. The development today though is ugly. It´s rarely the welleducated important contributors to society you find in these megayachts but with a religious belief in "The market" and mammon as the meaning of life,this is what you get.
With large crews constantly cleaning,varnishing,polishing,a fleet of motorboats/waterjets,and sometimes helicopters coming and going,every megayacht must be a local environmental catastrophy wherever they anchor.
For a hopelessly romantic cruiser this development is ugly.
On the pictures from Patmos Dora Mac is the only ordinary boat anchored in Koumana Bay surrounded by megayachts.