Regardless of how simple we like to try to keep life, it seems that techno-gizmos intrude -- and, we must admit, some of them can be useful. However, aboard Wings there is no electrical system, there is no generator set, there are no battery banks and if there were, there is no way to charge them. So how do we manage?

The short of it is, quite nicely -- thank you very much!

With the exception of paper charts and chart books (yes, they still do print these), the bulk of our techno-gizmos fit into a small, black canvas bag a little smaller than a shoebox and there is plenty of room to spare. Essentially, we run on AA and AAA batteries -- batteries that power; a depth finder, a wind gauge, a hand-held VHF, various lights, our faithful and inexpensive Garmin 72 GPS as well as a few other odds and ends that help us mimic civilization.

Missing from the picture are Wings' battery operated LED navigation lights, two LED interior lanterns, a hand bearing compass, a couple of small digital cameras and a few other minor items that we've accumulated. The bag goes with us from home to boat, and then back again, easily and with no fuss. To be sure, we don't have the luxury of weather-fax, single side band or satellite phone, but somehow that all seems a tad superfluous for local cruising (and I'm told Tangvald, Chichester and others far more experianced managed without `em as well). What we do have is a handful of trustworthy gadgets that help us navigate through the dark, promise reasonable means of emergency communication (we also carry cell-phones, but they've never seemed terribly useful), allow us to gauge the depth of the water around us should we be so curious and good old paper charts to help us visualize where we might be on those rare instances when were out of sight of land.

The truth is, in our little bag with techno-gizmos powered by a few bucks worth of batteries per year we have more sailing and navigation information than I've had in several decades of low-pressure boating. I can navigate easily and accurately to the degree I never could dream of when we used to fish 25 to 30 miles offshore. I can quickly determine the depth of the water far better than I could on the 15-ton ketch I lived aboard for several years (it had no depth-finder at all -- used a lead-line), we can tell the speed of the wind easily as well as light our way home safely, and maybe even legally -- I'm always astonished at the brightness of the LED navigation lights. On several occasions the stern light shining aft has more than illuminated the cockpit to read the GPS and charts.

When Wings is tied to the dock all our (semi)expensive electrical gizmos are safely in the closet. And, as we get ready to get underway we simply grab the little black bag and carry it aboard. Okay, I admit many times we don't use the gizmos much for day sailing and normally the gadget we use the most is the GPS -- especially when we think we're enjoying a good turn of speed. But they all go with us, and we test the gizmos with some regularity to ensure they'll work when we need `em. We sail reasonably secure in the knowledge that we can know where we are, access the weather information if needed, have reliable light to enjoy a good book snuggled a way in the evening and alert other travelers to our whereabouts and intentions - all for about $10 a year in batteries.

How bad is that.