Preparing for Uncertainty and Self Reliance

[Montegriffo]

Wasn't just the navigation of the canal itself, the difficult sailing conditions of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean made the shortcut to the Orient impractical for sail.

That was interesting, and basically confirmed the time=money formula was the death knell of sail. Ships had been sailing the Med and the Red seas for millennia, but it was faster and more dependable by steam. None of the modern proposed designs are engineless, many are not even designed to be under sail alone, just using sail to cut fuel consumption. Just another example of the options we have that we don't take because fuel is cheaper. For now.

EDIT: Just ordered The Last Grain Race on Ebay for $4!

Worth every cent. I know it's a cliche to say it captures a lifestyle now gone but it really does. You won't be able to put it down.

[brewster]

Sailing will likely comeback for trans-Atlantic passenger transit.

I bet a clipper outfit will beat airline prices by quite a lot after peak oil.

Only for those for whom 3-5 weeks of their time is worth less than the fare. It's possible airfare will be in the range that a Concorde flight was, only for those with no cares for money, but I doubt it. Markets adapt. Aviation biofuel has been made already, create a market and supply will follow. Oil at $300/bbl will surely do it.

[brewster]

Worth every cent. I know it's a cliche to say it captures a lifestyle now gone but it really does. You won't be able to put it down.

Are you a reader of the "Age of Sail" genre? Patrick O'Brian etc? I've been since I was a teen.

[Montegriffo]

Worth every cent. I know it's a cliche to say it captures a lifestyle now gone but it really does. You won't be able to put it down.

Are you a reader of the "Age of Sail" genre? Patrick O'Brian etc? I've been since I was a teen.

No, but I have got a couple of thousand sea miles logged on a gaff rigged Cornish Pilot Cutter.
I had a small yacht of my own on the Norfolk Broads and sailed on the same stretch of water as Nelson.
Flying along, heeled over, powered by nothing but the wind is a fun ride.
I see no reason that sail/wind power couldn't be part of future transport solutions.
Solar panels on the sails could provide power for propulsion in and out of ports and on the canals.

[brewster]

Worth every cent. I know it's a cliche to say it captures a lifestyle now gone but it really does. You won't be able to put it down.

Are you a reader of the "Age of Sail" genre? Patrick O'Brian etc? I've been since I was a teen.

No, but I have got a couple of thousand sea miles logged on a gaff rigged Cornish Pilot Cutter.
I had a small yacht of my own on the Norfolk Broads and sailed on the same stretch of water as Nelson.
Flying along, heeled over, powered by nothing but the wind is a fun ride.
I see no reason that sail/wind power couldn't be part of future transport solutions.
Solar panels on the sails could provide power for propulsion in and out of ports and on the canals.

In my googling I came across a Japanese design for combination rigid sails with solar panels.

I grew up sailing small craft. Never did any blue water sailing, but it's on my bucket list. Sadly, my wife hates sailing, the slightest heel freaked her out even on my parents 30' sloop. If I put the gunwale in the water she'd be screaming at me! My only salt adventuring now is in a kayak.

You should try the O'Brian books. They have a huge following because they're meticulously researched and exquisitely written with with healthy dose of dry humor, like Horatio Hornblower as written by Jane Austin. The 2 protagonists aren't 'Mary Sues' like is typical of the naval historical fiction genre, they're flawed but fascinating characters.

[Hastur]

I love the Aubrey–Maturin books. O'Brian was a great author. He worked in intelligence during WWII and used a lot of that experience in his writing. Ric Jerrom did a great job narrating them for Audible.

Every yachtsman is longing for the day when solar cells that are lightweight and flexible enough to be used as parts of sails are developed. Electricity is often in short supply and we don't want to run the motor unless absolutely necessary. A lot of people would replace their diesels with electric motors if there just was enough power to be had. Cheaper batteries will help as well but reliable charging is the biggest obstacle today.

[C-Mag]

Everyone hopes that electricity and solar cells are the answer. A future without fossil fuels. But it's just not reality for us in the early 21st C.

Although, in another generation it will likely be an impact on the market.

[Speaker to Animals]

Seems like it might be a lot more economical to buy a large tract of pasture and just work at converting a few acres for personal food production, and going down the livestock route.

I wonder how much work you'd really need to put into corn if you wanted to grow your own cattle feed. You'd for sure need to rent an expensive tractor to harvest it.

Even if you purchase your own feed.. pasture land is super cheap. Your monthly costs could be lower than expensive farmland.

[C-Mag]

Biggest bang for your buck with livestock is hogs. Always has been. Chicken and Pigs are the animals of the poor because they can live on almost nothing and will produce for you, even with limited care.

Plus, people can process them without a big investment into equipment. They are small enough to handle easily, etc.

[Speaker to Animals]

I do not each much pork, though. I still want to produce as much of my own food as possible, which relies heavily on chicken and beef.

I was planning on raising my own meat chickens no matter what.