September 15, 2026

I can’t wait for things to go back to normal. The fact that I even think they will, might suggest that I’m mildly delusional, but it helps me cope to think that some day, saner heads will prevail. I’m planning to go out on Lake Ontario next week, not on Lake America. A news story this week carried the provocative headline that an important person in the AI space thinks that AI will kill us all in the next year or so. A TV interview with Geoffry Hinton did not set my mind at ease on that point.

In the meantime, Denison Yachting, one of the world’s largest brokers of yachts and super yachts has adopted ChatGPT to power their brokerage system. Perhaps before AI kills us all, the rich can get AI to find them a yacht so they can sail to safety. A person close to me was indeed very well off and had a big, fully rigged sportfish yacht in the Bahamas. Although the full-time captain and mate had always maintained it in like new condition, the owners decided to sell it and due to age, the boat was sold at a bargain price.

Imagine the original owner’s horror last week to read that their boat had been seized by the DEA with 908 kg of cocaine on board. My friend speculates that when the trial is over, the boat might be auctioned off and will get picked up again by the cartel complete with the original registered name across the transom and the story might repeat. What a legacy.

This week we are repeating the story about Dr. Shrink and their biodegradable shrink wrap. That’s a real positive for the boat business and should help to preserve our boats and our environment better for longer in the future. But, if the AI predictions are true, that won’t matter much.

The whole mess leaves me dreaming of a much younger Andy running his 16’ Sea Ray around the islands of Muskoka…far better!

Andy Adams – Editor