Technology and freedom.

As I lay in bed last night, sweltering in the heat, my mind started mulling over technology and what it means to me.

I suppose it was at the front of my thinking as we had rather caned the batteries yesterday and in penance had to switch most systems(including the fans) off to allow some recovery! There is a price for everything on the boat.

With two computers working pretty much all day it is asking a lot of our power system to cope with the demands. I think we are very fortunate that most of the time we manage to satisfy all our need whilst out here at anchor and living life 'unplugged'.

As coverage of Yalaworld grows we are dealing with many inquiries every day. I wonder what the prospective customers would make of where our 'office' is situated? Anchored in an idyllic bay, no roads anywhere near, linked to the internet via a wifi connection that is fed from an aerial on top of a distant hill surrounded by deep jungle.I guess a lot of them would be a little jealous!

And yet in many ways I have rejected much of the technology that surrounds everyday life, even though we are working at the bleeding edge of business development. Strange isn't it.
I have no microwave, no washing machine,dishwasher, food processor or television. Yet I find a simple satisfaction in my choices.

Have I got some strange perverse kink in my personality, some would say yes! As I lay in the silence last night, the atmosphere unpolluted by the humming of an electric fan I felt connected to the world in a different and visceral way. The boat was a living creature, nurturing me safe within her shell, breathing softly to the gentle movement of the water. I thought about what we would do if the batteries died, dead in the water so to speak, but of course we wouldn't be. We are a sailing boat, designed to live by the forces of nature.

Even in our own way we allow a separation from the elements that dilutes the experience. How much more that must be for many of the cruisers we meet who rely totally on their electronics and gizmo's. Why would you be out here without feeling that deep sense of connectivity with the natural world?

I dreamt of freedom. To me the thought of sailing the oceans propelled by the wind, reliant on my own resources was the answer. Was I naive? Maybe in some respects but generally I've found what I was searching for and it is freedom...