Sailboats and Spaceships...

From time to time random thoughts give way to coherent ideas. As I write them down, I will post them inbetween the updates of what I'm currently working on with BeBop. I'll give a update on what was accomplished over the weekend in a couple of days. Until then here's some brain food.

Sailboats and Spaceships have a lot in common. Think about the following two sentences:

Scotty: "She can't take much more Captain! The ion storm is causing fractures in the dilithium chamber!"

First Mate: "She can't take much more Captain! This gale is causing fractures around the mast step!"

Not much difference is there?

Sure I could of used a more terrestrial comparison using say a example from the Apollo 13 mission but I think you get the idea. Both have to endure the worse of conditions and safely deliver their crew to their destinations.

Up until the invention of the steam engine in the 19th century being a sailor on the seven seas was the final frontier. Now with modern technology comes transistors, plastic polymers, computers and rocket propulsion that allows a select (and very lucky) few the chance to leave terra firma for a journey into space.

We have to be little miniature worlds unto ourselves while we travel. To start with, we both have a propulsion system and a means of generating power such as solar panels. We have batteries to store that power. Each must carry enough food and water to last for the entire journey. A navigation system is required as well and a basic way to repair the ship underway should it be necessary. Communications are very important in case of emergency. Entertainment is required to prevent boredom and depression such as good books and music to listen to, but a keen sense of adventure in my opinion is the most valuable thing of all. A willingness to make the journey so to speak.

The similarities don't stop there. Water tanks play a important part. On a spaceship all the water onboard is typically recycled over and over again and on a sailboat they can replentish supplies via a rain cluster or storm but it's pretty much the same if you think about it. Waste disposal work in a similar fashion. Astronaut's just jettison it overboard in much the same manner as sailors. (3 miles or more offshore mind you) If you need to leave your spaceship for a short period of time, you wear a spacesuit with a maneuvering pack vs on a sailboat you take the yacht tender with a engine on it. Both carry GPS as a primary means of navigation with a sextant as a backup. Yes that's correct, even on the space shuttle you can use a sextant to determine your position in space. Bet ya didn't know that. As you can see there isn't much difference afterall besides the fact you don't have to drag oxygen around with you on your boat!

To many people such as myself a sailboat is their last frontier. A final dream to be lived. Not I, nor anybody I know will probably ever be able to take a trip to the moon on a spaceship but right here on our little blue sphere I can take a trip to a far off place in my sailboat. Sure you could get on a jetplane and be anywhere in the world in under 16 hours- a trip that would take a fast sailboat 6 months but sometimes it's about the journey, not the destination. I guess it could be said sailors are the sea based astronauts of earth, traveling from place to place on our miniature spaceships. Just looking to discover something about ourselves and maybe have a grand adventure along the way.