The
very fastest sailboats have emerged in this century. In March, 2001, the
record-breaking 110-foot catamaran Club
Med took 62 days to circumnavigate the earth. She covered 26,500 miles at
an average speed 18.2 knots. One day she sailed 650 nautical miles-—a 24-hour
average of 27 knots.
But
she was a highly specialized boat. Most small sailboats cross oceans at a rate
of about 120 miles every 24 hours, a distance that takes only two hours in a
family car (and less in a decent one).
Luckily,
one of the great charms of sailing is that speed, time, and distance lose the
importance we grant them on land. They mingle, dissolve, and gel into a form of
joy unknown to landlubbers. Yes, sailing is slow, but that only means its
delights last longer.
Today’s Thought
Ease and speed in doing a thing do not give the work
lasting solidity or exactness of beauty.— Plutarch, Lives: Pericles.
Tailpiece
“I
stayed up all night to see where the sun went.”“And what happened?”
“It finally dawned on me.”
(Drop
by every Monday, Wednesday, Friday for a new Mainly about Boats column.)
1 comment:
Oh I had a good laugh, I'm an avid trike rider. Not your grandmothers, two wheels in front, tops 45mph down hill, and corners like a Jag, and I can cruise at 15mph for many hours! Even after just finishing an 805mile multi week ride, I can say most any sailboat will beat me in 24hrs and most certainly 48,96 etc. I can knock out 100/day but no way 3 in a row! I'll take my Tiki for any real voyage:)
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