LedJube_at_aol.com wrote: > A cigarette boat is, I believe, one of those ungodly long, almost all > foredeck, deep V hulled, multi engined, three man crewed, off shore racing, > swell hopping, low flying aircraft of wingless design that seem to bounce > from swell peak to swell peak with only their props and about the last 12" of > the keel in contact with the water. With other-world-like horsepower they > crash from one swell to the next, roaring the sea into submission. Remember > Miami Vice? This was the type of boat in the opening chase scene. They are so > fast that only other cigarette boats and aircraft can catch them. I guess that is as good a definition as any. I am wondering how many people of our pure, nature-loving, low-impact PaddleWise community have ever been on a cigarette boat or actually operated one. Or would confess this to this list. What does it feel, sound and smell like? Is it thrilling or boring? More importantly, for our safety needs, how much can one actually see forward with the bow raised so high and what kind of reaction time at high speeds would one have if say a kayak or rowboat is spotted a few hundred feet away? If you don't want to be identified or unduly stigmatized for confessing being in a cigarette boat, I think you can write to Jackie Fenton and she would re-post without IDing you. Jackie is at jackie_at_intelenet.net. Or write to me back-channel. I am tempted to take a cigarette boat ride. There are several that roar up and down the harbor waters here with names like "The Beast" and "The Screamer" that take passengers for a 20 minute or half-hour spin. I am curious about those latter points on what you can see and a sense of how much time there would be to react to having something small like a kayak suddenly appear dead ahead. Meanwhile I will be out today doing something worthwhile and rewarding...kayak escort for a 2.8 mile swim along Manhattan's Westside. If you haven't done such duty, give it a try. Kayaks help keep swimmers on course and away from obstacles and dangers. You get a T-shirt for your effort but the real reward is in helping fellow close-to-the-water people meet their goals in a safe manner. And it raises our image as a responsible part of the marine community. It is a win-win-win situation all around. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Aug 05 2000 - 06:51:12 PDT
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