re the victoria accident: we paddle rec boats (carolina and america), the hubby and i, and we use neoprene sprayskirts, and wetsuits when the temps require it. his boat is bulkheaded, but i never go out w/o floatation. ever. i also bring swim fins in case i have to swim a distance. tow rope goes w/o saying, other safety stuff of course too. people should never be deceived into thinking a beamier boat means you won't capsize. for one thing, the more water the thing holds, the more water you have to pump out. easier to sink, even. of course we practice rescues, tandem and solo. on another topic--- and i'm sorry if this has been covered, but i've been away for abt a month because i angered the internet gods, who squirled with my DSL, has anyone in the US seen the kayaking commercial for nissan xterra? the guy is out in fog and a mild swell and uses his keys to make the lights of the [gas-guzzling, let's make america MORE dependent on foreign oil, don't get me started ranting] SUV to find the shore. i like the commercial actually. anyone know what boat he's paddling? cd solstice? best to all. kcd *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
kcd writes: "has anyone in the US seen the kayaking commercial for nissan xterra? the guy is out in fog and a mild swell and uses his keys to make the lights of the [gas-guzzling, let's make america MORE dependent on foreign oil, don't get me started ranting] SUV to find the shore. i like the commercial actually. anyone know what boat he's paddling? cd solstice? " I believe it's actually a WS Sealution (glass or kevlar)... it's definitely got the same shape. BTW... there are VERY good reasons for owning and driving an SUV - four wheel drive is critical to living where I do for as much as 7 months of the year, since I drive dirt roads to get anywhere. Know who you are ranting at before you start! jeanne ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
From: "Jeanne Dulaney-Sorochak" <jdsorochak_at_hotmail.com> > Know who you are ranting at before you start! ...the vast majority of owners who never ride dirt roads for fear of getting their precious SUVs dirty! Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Thursday, April 25, 2002, at 10:33:49 AM PST, Michael Daly wrote: > ...the vast majority of owners who never ride dirt roads for fear of > getting their precious SUVs dirty! I know that some will consider this off-topic, but since we are a group of people who insist on hauling large objects and their accompanying gear around, and also claim to respect the "great outdoors", I think it's more on-topic than not. In that spirit, I'll add my own little rant... I live in an area where *at least* half of the vehicles I see are of the large SUV variety (realistically, more than half - especially if one includes large, perpetually shiny 4WD pickup trucks as well). Being as generous to those who feel they "need" them as I can be, I'd say that well over 90% of them never see *any* action beyond daily trips to the grocery store, post office, or to work. Most also are seen with only one or two occupants. For many years, I drove a 1984 Honda Accord hatchback (front wheel drive only). It carried as many as three single sea kayaks (or a single and a double), and was perfectly capable of driving on dirt roads, in the snow, etc. Sadly, that little car recently requested retirement, so I went in search of a new (used) car. I ended up with a 1987 Subaru GL wagon. It gets about the same great mileage as the Honda, and is capable of carrying even a bit more interior cargo (and at least as much on top). It does have a 4WD option, but I've only used it once so far - in some deep snow (it didn't slide around, so I guess it worked; but my front wheel drive only Honda never slid around in the snow either). Otherwise, its default front wheel drive seems just fine for 99% of my driving (including gnarly dirt roads). My little cars seem more than adequate for my "sport utility" requirements, and they certainly perform the duty more often than well over 90% of the big gas guzzling shiny SUVs I see every day (recently, I'm seeing even more of the BMW and Mercedes models - all very nice and shiny!). I really wish we here in the USA were forced to pay more realistic prices for fossil fuels (yes that's right - I wish even *I* had to pay much more per gallon). I think it's the only way our manufacturers and "consumers" will get the idea that something perfectly functional and far more efficient can be "fashionable". I do in fact understand some people's reasonable need for a more powerful, larger vehicle, but those people are really a minority. Most large, powerful vehicles driven these days are on the road for fashion - nothing more. Unfortunately, this "fashion" has resulted in greater pollution and more deadly accidents (especially deadly for occupants of the smaller cars they hit). And for those who do truly feel the need for "off road fun", the unnecessary ripping up of perfectly beautiful countryside is their main contribution. In my opinion, there are more than enough roads - both paved and dirt - and very little need for "off road" driving. Most "regular" cars are perfectly capable of driving on the available roads - even in varied conditions. Melissa -- PGP public keys: mailto:pgp_keys_at_gmx.co.uk?subject=0x46C29887&Body=Please%20send%20keys *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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