In 1811, a gang of disgruntled English textile workers destroyed mechanized looms and other weaving apparatus in Nottingham. Called Luddites, after Ned Ludd, a weaver’s apprentice who had supposedly done the same thing 22 years earlier, the group was against new industrial technology replacing skilled workers. I understand how they felt, but not because of economics; I think today’s technology often takes away from the joy of doing things using learned skills. However, it sure comes in handy sometimes: Who wants to navigate through fog without a radar, GPS and chartplotter? Been there, done that, and now my nerves are too old for so much excitement. But there’s still some Ned Ludd in me, as I discovered during a recent conference with other Power & Motoryacht folks.
One of our editors said he thought digital switching systems, showing up on many new boats, would make a good topic for this column: While the ultra-sophisticated systems designed for OEM installation are complex to spec, install and program, Garmin,
