Who would have guessed 15 years ago that the internet would become so important in people’s lives? When I first started traveling extensively as a twenty-something year old (not THAT long ago!), my parents had to be happy with a once-a-month (collect) phone call or a random outdated letter to find out where I was and what I had been up to. Now, they are surfing the web and checking email every day. We are in touch as much as we want to be, based on internet availability and the desire to connect. Communication has become so much easier, especially when you are in a different country or continent.
People on boats used to pick an anchoring spot based on protection from wind and waves, decent holding and the distance to shore. Now, receiving WiFi (wireless internet) on board has become one of the main factors while choosing where to anchor. We have even seen sailboats circle around a whole bay, captain behind the steering wheel, crew with laptop in hand, indicating whether the internet signal is absent (“keep moving”), do-able (“hang around for a bit”) or good (“that’s it, let’s drop the anchor!”). Amongst cruisers, we not only mention great places to drop the hook and talk about amazing sights ashore, we now have a whole list of bays where you can pick up (free) WiFi on the boat.
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