Page 10: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2024)

Back to the Drawing Board cheap to wrangle a ship somewhere far from land in uncertain and tedious for those who are not actively engaged in the op- weather conditions. eration of the ship, but would it be possible to design ships

With ubiquitous internet would it actually make more today that can create such communities?

sense to move entire families aboard large ocean going ships I can certainly see some bene? ts. As a family it could be as crew? economically and socially quite attractive to sail on a ship

Today’s ships are big and designing nice accommodations for, say 10 months and then to go ashore in a nice location for, say, 20 families would not be impossible. Some of those for two months. families may be couples and maybe both work the ship. Or Family based communities also provide higher levels of maybe one works the ship and the other has a remote job or is mentoring and training. Almost certainly a ship would not just working on a remote advanced degree. Maybe some families be families with kids, there would be a mixture of social ar- have kids. Other couples may have a spouse that is a quali? ed rangements each with speci? c community assets.

teacher or at least would work as a babysitter, so parents with On a personal level I think that my wife would have been kids can enjoy a few hours off while the kids are swimming much more supportive of a sailing career for me if she would in the pool. be able to join the crew as the teacher for our, and other ship-

Really what I am describing is ships arranged like the board family kids. Even if my wife’s pay would have been

Enterprise in the Star Trek, The Next Generation. The ship- very modest, our free cash? ow would have very signi? cantly board society is no longer crew with its peculiar social dy- increased early in our marriage providing us with a signi? cant namics; it is now a moving community with its own peculiar increase in our ? nancial choices later in our marriage. Free social dynamics. board, short commutes and no need to own a car certainly

Pre-internet the sailing family concept would be complex makes a very signi? cant difference, even if we would have

Courtesy Rik van Hemmen 10 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • December 2024

MR #12 (1-17).indd 10 12/4/2024 11:16:29 AM