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Wednesday, November 2, 2022

I was wrong about bug out boats



I used to think that a sailboat was a pretty good bug out vehicle. Sailboats have a lot going for them. The big one is that they don’t rely on fossil fuels to get around. Theoretically a decent sailboat can go around the world using just the wind. In reality most will use at least some gasoline or diesel. However,   electric propulsion has come a long way. 


Sailboats are pretty self contained. Almost all of them have solar and/or wind generators. Many can produce their own fresh water from sea water. In a way they are really excellent off grid houses. Sailors generally like to keep their boats well provisioned. Some can go weeks or even months without resupply. Line fishing and spear fishing often stretched those provisions even further. 


So what’s not to like? 


During the lock down phase of the pandemic live aboard sailors had a hard time. It was especially bad if they were in a foreign country. Some countries just forced boats to leave without even getting a chance to provision. There were people forced to make long dangerous journeys with few provisions and little fuel. 


Many countries shut their borders completely. The few countries that did allow foreign boats could make any rules and charge whatever the market would bear. In the United States it was even difficult for domestic boats. For a while all the marinas were shut down. It was a stressful time. 


Once in a while real world events reveal the holes in what looks like a good idea on paper.


There are still good reasons to bug out by boat, but that’s a case by case basis. It certainly helps if you have a capable, well provisioned craft and a place to go. 


-Sixbears


9 comments:

  1. Think about this post. You are in port and need to refuel/resupply and some government makes an arbitrary rule. Ha ha - no compassion, no science, no humanity. SO GLAD big pharma didn’t snag me

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    1. Big stupid did instead. Seriously tired of this sort of thing.

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    2. I'm not following this line of thought. What does big pharma have to do with supplying your boat, and why or how would it snag you? thanks

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  2. In a true Without Rule Of Law (WROL) situation, I don't think anyone would be able to enforce those rules excluding others from showing up. They would be too busy scrambling to get their own survival needs in order.

    There were plenty of people in early Covid days who kept the common sense approach (wash your hands frequently and stay away from crowds), but they were shouted down by the people who wanted the power to tell others what to do.

    I still think sailboats could work, especially if a small group of like minded individuals sail together for better security. Besides needing less fuels, a boat can stay in roadless areas, with no evidence of they being there. If they aren't causing anyone any problems, I don't think the authorities would bother them much.

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    1. People were kicked out of remote Hatian waters. How the heck do you get kicked out of Hati? I still like sailboats for bugging out but you've got to know their limitations, especially in a world wide disaster.

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  3. Bugging out doesn't necessarily have to be motivated by a conflict or some sort of disaster, say a Zombie Apocalypse, We might just be tired of dealing with every day stupid and go for it on our own a bit.

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  4. All those problems exist because there are still rules and people to enforce them. Things go south far enough there won't be any rules except the ones made up ad hoc by people not governments.

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  5. Are you saying problems exist because of rules or rules exist because of problems?

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