Issue 144: May/June 2022
Holding an inflatable globe, I point out the equator and describe that at zero degrees latitude, it divides the earth into northern and southern hemispheres. Next, the prime meridian, zero degrees longitude running through Greenwich, England, and splitting the earth into eastern and western hemispheres, which meet at the international dateline on the other side of the world. My sons, 7-year-old Magnus and 8-year-old Porter, stare at me with wide-eyed fascination.
From the globe, we look down onto a paper chart and identify the parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude that are closest to our current position. We write down the numbers and turn back to our globe to find exactly where we are on this big, beautiful planet.
This is our first navigation lesson, and later I contemplate all the other ways that we as sailors and boat owners navigate this pastime, sport, and lifestyle that we cherish. Indeed, we go to great lengths to keep hoisting our sails and harnessing the wind.
So much of what we do involves navigation, metaphorically speaking. Like finding our way through a rocky set of coastal islands, complicated and multifaceted boat projects take time, effort, planning, preparation, and then action to complete successfully. Hopefully, when we do make it through the thorny path of fiberglass, epoxy, paint, and scraped knuckles, it’s with a deep sense of accomplishment.
Likewise, we navigate through our own experience, as well as a multitude of choices and often strong opinions from fellow sailors, to decide which equipment and gear will make our boats safer and more comfortable.
When we finally get out on the water, it’s easy to leave all of this figurative navigating behind and enjoy some of the real thing. But when our sails have been furled or folded and we nose back into the marina or towards the boat ramp, the realities of life ashore are there to catch our docklines. Paying for our boat and its accessories, the slip it resides in, or the trailer it sits on is an inevitable part of it all. How do we ensure that if an accident happens, all the time, effort, and money we’ve lovingly invested in our floating treasure chests isn’t wasted?
For this, of course, we turn to insurance companies—and a whole new process of navigation begins. Lately, these waters have become increasingly difficult to find our way through with our good old boats. A tsunami of research, quotes, surveys, and seemingly endless terms and conditions flow forth in a wave that can threaten to upend the experience of slicing through a calm bay with our hand on the tiller and our face pointed towards the breeze.
In this issue of Good Old Boat, writers Alison O’Leary and Christine Myers—both experienced boat owners who’ve been here, too—guide us through the rocky set of islands that is this ever-evolving feature of the sailing, boat-owning life. Along with firsthand input from Good Old Boat readers about obtaining—and keeping—insurance for their boats, Alison and Christine help us understand how this industry is changing and how we might weather the storm and come out sailing safely on the other side.
As in my navigation lessons with Porter and Magnus, our writers explain the globe and then help us pinpoint our position on it. From there, it’s up to us to use this knowledge to chart a course of our own. Fortunately for my boys, I’ll stick to teaching them traditional navigation, and they can leave the slip payments, required gear, and necessary insurance up to me… for now, anyway.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
