Re: Weekly oil poll
I think that the attraction towards boats, as a means of both relaxation and recreation, is too strong for people to move away from them entirely. What I am seeing in my area, however, is larger (over 18 feet) boats for sale at bargain prices.
I spend a lot of time on the water (2 - 3 times a week) doing wildlife & scenic photography and I am definately "feeling" the higher fuel prices. I used to plan on burning 10 - 12 gallons per outing and now try to limit consumption to 6 gallons per outing. One of the ways that I hold the fuel burn down is to plan my photo shoots more carefully. I used proceed to the planned photo area and then cruise a bit to find new locations/subject matter. Those exploratory cruises would sometimes result in more photos on the same day but, at other times, I might return later.
What I see myself doing now is to buy a 12 - 14 foot, aluminum flatboat to put one of my smaller outboards on. By doing so, I could scout new locations at a much reduced fuel burn. I would take a camera to grab a few shots of opportunity, but would most often return in the bigger boat because it allows me to walk around on a stable platform, to get better and more shots.
The high cost of fuel has also affected my decisions in regard to the volunteer search and rescue operations that I participate in. At 2:30 this morning, I declined a search because my contribution probably would have been marginal (a car off of a bridge in a navigational canal, resulting in a very limited search area) and the Coast Guard told me that they would have several units in addition to local law enforcement boats, on the scene. In times past, I would have launched on the theory of more boats providing a higher chance of quick recovery. Now I have to carefully weigh that as a realistic theory in a specific case, because the more I burn fuel unproductively, the less I can particpate in searches where extra boats and knowledge of the local waters provides real benefit.
PS: A single body was found by divers inside of the car at 11:00 this morning. The bridge involved opens for canal traffic by having the center section raise straight up, unlike the typical draw bridge, where two halves tilt up. According to one witness, who almost drove off of the bridge also, the warning/barrier gates didn't activate, and several drivers didn't see that the bridge was in the raised position in the dark. All but the one vehicle managed to stop in time. This info is sort of off topic but, hopefully, it will serve as useful information for us all when driving - watch out for those bridges!
