Charlie's interview in GOB

LIstmates: I was wondering why I had missed the /Good Old Boat/ article on Charlie Husar, and then on Saturday the latest issue arrived out here in the hinterlands. We're just a bit behind you folks on the coast. There's Charlie! It was a good article except for the author's repeated references to the Cal 25's "sloth-like speed." C'mon, these may be older boats, but "sloth-like" is a considerable exaggeration and likely to discourage people considering buying one. At least they quoted Charlie about how one-design racing depends on good competition, not absolute speed. Luckily, the same issue contained a nice article entitled "Go Cheap and Go in Comfort" about how older boats may be inexpensive to buy, durable, and comfortable. It explains that in bad conditions they may be as fast as the modern go-fast designs, and considerably kinder to the crew. It cites two offshore races in which Westsail 32s (!!) competed favorably with ultralight displacement racers. The article also made the point that we old-boat sailors understand, which is that the durability of fiberglass results in depressed used-boat prices for sturdy, functional vessels. Yes, you can sail on the cheap and do it safely and in comfort. We live in a throw-away culture and the concept of repairing and maintaining things is odd to many people. When I was a kid, there were things like radio & TV repair shops, because they could be fixed and because it was cheaper than new. Now those things generally aren't repairable and it's cheaper to buy a new device. Our boats are a glaring exception to that concept. They are generally simple devices, they use standard components, and the skills and knowledge needed to work on them are generally available. I also read my letter in the same issue. It is a bit confusing because it was a reply to Jerry Powlas, and he asked if he could run it as a letter. It made more sense in the context of his comments that I was addressing. Chris Campbell