It just occurred to me that a very good idea for y2k would be to go out to sea. You'd be safe from intruders, you'd be able to supply your own food by fishing and your own water by distillation, and if you put a solar panel onto the boat you'd even be able to get electricity. If you got a sailboat, you'd have a petrol-free power source; however, any boat big enough to live on would also have an engine as well. They don't need electricity, since their engines ARE generators that power the lighting and everything else (to the best of my knowledge). Of course, this would require fuel, but that's what holds are for: FILLING with all the cans of petrol you can carry on board.

In the TEOTWAWKI scenario that I predict, fishing fleets will be out of business within a couple of months. This means lots of fish for the little guy. Storms? If you stay within a few miles of the coast, you'll be able to take shelter in the nearest inlet. And the really BIG waves don't happen close to the coast anyway.

Okay, guys.. start kicking holes in this ;)

--Leo

-- Leo (leo_champion@hotmail.com), November 20, 1998

Answers

The second oldest profession was piracy. Read about it. Nobody even finds the evidence of the crime, or in 2000, cares or even investigates. On the water, like a duck ready for plucking, with no witnesses, is the last place I'd be. Most of todays drug runner boats, I saw on a TV special, are tourist boats that were "separated" from their happy faced, naieve, owners at sea. Owners and boat then listed as "missing at sea"

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), November 21, 1998.

Better to find a remote island and sink your boat and hideout, Leo.

Kind'a lonely. And no "real" guarantee of survival.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 21, 1998.

If I had spent all those vacations sailing instead of camping, I may feel qualified to take up Leo's suggestion. Unfortuately, the only boat I'm familiar with is the Staten Island Ferry. Guess I'll just have to rely on those camping skills. I feel more comfortable on land.

Which reminds me, the other day I was on the subway, and looking around, the thought popped into my head that, in the worst case, anyone who had never been camping is going to be in BIG trouble. Most of the people I was looking at, I was fairly certain, had never been camping. Don't know if that means anything, but, it made sense in the moment.

Also, someone here said something to the effect that science fiction fans seem to "get it" easier than most. Makes sense. People who think in terms of Heinlein's "family clusters" might have a better chance of long term survival than others. Those characters are fictional examples of "rugged individualists" who are also willing and able to come together and cooperate in groups.

Stay away from boats if you don't know what you're doing (IMHO)...

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), November 21, 1998.

This summer, try to get an invite to a friend's boat in a marina. You will see so many Class III weapons you will think it's the navy on vacation. Most of the folks in this town who have blue-water capable boaqts are VERY leery of donating their boat to the drug trade and themselves to the fishes.

CR

-- Chuck a Night Driver (rienzoo@en.com), November 21, 1998.

Yes a great number of people do not know how to camp. My experience in the Northridge Quake taught me that one.

I suspect there will be quite a need/opportunity as part of community preparedness plans to teach people how to camp "at home." Maybe REI would like to sponsor that one.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 21, 1998.

Leo - I had the same idea as you - check out my sailboat thread under transportation.

-- Andy (andy_rowland@msn.com), November 21, 1998.

It can work, maybe even a bit easier on a lake than open ocean, but the numerous cautions in your "other" thread are worth noting.

Good idea, get on one for a little bit.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 21, 1998.

Well, a boat is a good thought. However, even with a sailboat you would probably want auxiliary engines (fuel?). How do you grow a garden on a boat? Gonna live on fish and saltwater? How much food can you feasibly stash on a boat? Fresh water? The idea is idyllic sounding, but imho not very practical. We thought of the boat idea ourselves, but then decided that we would be even *more* dependent upon the infrastructure in the long run. Just my two cents. Bobbi

-- Bobbi (volfnat@northweb.com), November 22, 1998.

-- a;lskjd (lkjdfasl;@aslkj.alkj), February 20, 1999.