I thought that was startling. I don't care how people charge batteries, as long as they don't disturb the peace of others around them(like running your cars engine in public to keep the AC working). That poll(the way I read it) showed half the sailboat owners feel entitled to run their generators pretty much anywhere.

That's an increase in my mind, it's rare to sit next to a 'generating' boat here in Maine. I'll guess that most sailboat owners on Sailnet are not cruisers, but coastal sailors like me. Serious cruisers have charging down to a manageable task with systems and conservation that keep onboard generators to a minimum(except the biggest boats). You have to figure it out to be independent enough to cruise long distance.

So what gives? My guess; bigger boats, more gizmos. Many are docked and plugged in so they're incapable of battery storage beyond a few hours. Not even capable of an overnight or two without charging.

Then another new trend; 'live aboard' boats. On Sailnet, Liveaboards are a large portion of members(less here and not a factor in Maine). More and more, I read 'live aboard' posts that talk about boats like apartments-"what boat do I need to live aboard?"(???)

Without shorepower, most liveaboards will have a generator, or need one off the dock. There's no way the meager output of solar or wind will satisfy the power demands of someone living on a sailboat. I sure couldn't do it.

Where is sailing in all this? I think it's shrinking in this above group.