Alec,
I appreciate your perspective. I smiled at your (correct) comment about progress seeming pretty jarring and unnatural. To those that have been going for years, it's the old "like boiling a frog" syndrome. You don't see it on a year-to-year basis, but if you take a break and go back, even with the horrible events like a hurricane, it does bring some things to perspective.
Ilon time is Ilon time. Injecting internet, apps, and online reservation rules just destroys that.
The rules should be simple:
1. First to the ball, gets the ball.
2. Enjoy watching others racing to get to the last ball.
3. Cheer the winner.
4. Invite them for a drink.
5. Put the **** cell phone away. You don't need an app to enjoy the BVI's
I agree with a lot of that. When I head down there my phone goes into airplane mode and I only bring it out to take pictures or keep in touch with friends every couple of days or so. That being said there are so many boats and the demand is high in many of the bays so it sucks to have to leave the water at 1 to find a mooring. BoatyBall makes it easier for the locals to manage their moorings and it provides boaters with a way to stay on the water longer even if it does involve getting your phone out for a couple of minutes. For me that’s worth it, and for others it may not be; just different tastes.
Also, as Christo pointed out yesterday, there’s still plenty of mooring ball entertainment left in the BVI. Cheers
