Dear readers,

It's blowing at 20 knots. And it has to be tacked. In the past, someone would have been toiling away at the mainsheet in this situation, another would have been winching the genoa close and a third would have been standing at the helm shouting commands - at least. Today, you press two buttons. The winches whir, the autopilot performs the perfect manoeuvre single-handedly, nobody sweats, nobody swears, everything is fine.

Electric sealing stops, furling mainsails, AI-controlled autopilots or integrated on-board and assistance systems - modern yachts have long since become complex system landscapes. Anyone who sails a yacht today often operates an entire network of sensors, electric drives and steering impulses. The developments and their technical possibilities are impressive. And they are fundamentally changing sailing as a sport.

The trend is no coincidence. Teams have become smaller. Many sailors - often over the age of 60 - are often only travelling in pairs. Even long voyages on the high seas are usually undertaken in pairs. Without technical support, this is almost impossible to manage physically. A modern yacht around 50 feet long, for example, carries sail areas that used to require a well-rehearsed crew. Electric winches and autopilots are no longer a luxury, but have become a prerequisite and a safety benefit. And that's a good thing.

And yet I always feel a slight irritation when it comes to this topic. For me, sailing is more than just getting around. It is a physical challenge. The direct feeling of pressure in the rudder, the force-intensive pulling on the sheet. I like the forces that go through my hands and arms - and are not absorbed by electric drives or fat hydraulics. I grew up like this as a sailor. Sailing is still a sport for me - and should remain so.

Sure, modern technology and efficient drives take work off our hands, but increasingly they also take decisions and expertise. Those who constantly sail under autopilot experience wind shifts differently. Those who tack at the touch of a button no longer have to physically anticipate the timing. If you never crank the winch, you don't develop a sense of when the material is reaching its limits. In modern yachting, people are therefore increasingly looking at the screen instead of the water. People monitor - and the system steers. Active sailing is increasingly becoming system management.

And this is the real crux of the controversy. Automation requires understanding. Anyone who relies on technology must also be able to master it and not just operate it. An autopilot is only as good as its setup. Systems can fail - and they do fail, at some point. The difference often becomes apparent in extreme situations. A single-handed sailor on a modern, sophisticated ocean racing yacht, for example, is completely dependent on his autopilot. The modern systems are now so good that he hardly needs to steer himself even in hairy conditions. The engine can do that too - and it can do it even better. But the skipper knows every cable, every fuse, every emergency solution. For the sailor, modern technology is an important tool, but it should never be a substitute for skill. The question is therefore not whether automation on board is good or bad - but whether it is a useful addition to nautical expertise or merely a substitute for it.

High-tech and innovative technologies on board are not a betrayal of sailing. They are an extension of the possibilities. They allow longer trips, smaller crews, larger yachts. They can increase safety and reduce stress. But they also demand awareness. Perhaps the real constant in sailing is not the material or the mechanics - but the question of the right measure and handling.

Michael Good

YACHT editor

*** Vote/click to see the result! ***

Recommended reading from the editorial team

• Click here for all previous "YACHT Week" columns