Dismal, Black, Sooty Future

According to this WaPo article, sailboats have slipped from 2/3 to just 10% of the entire boat market since the 1990's, as more and more boaters switch to power boats. The switchers suggest that they defect not because they don't love sailing best, but for more practical reasons: it just takes less time to get someplace on a power boat and you actually know when you're going to arrive.

But since when was anything about boating practical? Sailing's not about the place you're going, it's about the getting there. Or so I thought. Anyway, I've been on a lot of power boats that break mid-stream.

The article did make me laugh, though, in how it described power boaters (gold-chained). And I appreciate the river distinctions - South River gets the power boaters while the Severn has sail. Let's hope it stays that way.