So I suppose this one ranks high on the nerd meter. Some of you probably think that bareboat chartering is an opportunity to get away from technology. Or, maybe you’ll be visiting the Sweet Pie Bakery on Mustique where you can order a printed copy of your favorite, international daily newspaper which renders a Kindle newspaper subscription unnecessary.

For the rest of us who stare at a heap of books we’ve been trying to read for months, just fretting over the best few to take in order to pack lightly, the Kindle (or now – Kindle 2) could be your new best friend.

For those not familiar with the Kindle 2 (or Kindle 1 for that matter), it is essentially a PDA-like electronic book device. The advantage is that it can hold approximately 1,500 books and magazines. This means that you can pack light and ensure there will be no shortage of reading material during your charter.

A couple notes about the Kindle…

• I was recently turned onto the Kindle by my father-in-law during a recent trip to a remote part of Mexico. Because the device users EVDO service to connect with the Amazon store for ebooks and magazine/news subscriptions, it was effectively out-of-range and unable to update or download new books/subscriptions. This MAY be a problem depending upon where you’ll be chartering if you want your daily dose of The New York Times (or any of the over 260,000 ebooks available for purchase). If you load up ahead of time, it shouldn’t be a problem. I do wish it was equipped with Wi-Fi since free wireless access seems ubiquitous in even the more remote regions for chartering.
• If you’re reluctant to even consider a device like this because you like to read regular printed pages, think again. Before trying out out, I felt the same way. But, the contrast, white page backgrounds, and overall reading experience make me reconsider. For those that like reading paper vs. laptop screens or LCD monitors, this is much closer to a printed book than you might think.

For a technical review of the Kindle, you can check this out.

Ultimately, this is not a cheap piece of gear but it does offer some really nice capabilities that can make you trip more enjoyable. And, you may even travel lighter, with fewer books, and skip the entire process of deliberating over which books you’re going to take for your next bareboat charter!