It's March 1st and I'm happy...

Folks with an agenda, a must read from Orlov, and a story as old as America itself...

I just realized that we've had our outboard sitting on our stern rail for just about a year...

Which means, as far as I can make out, that we've not spent a little over $500 for gas in the last year to run said beast. If I were to also factor in the money not spent on 2-stroke oil I'd be willing to bet that the sum total would be pretty close to $600.

Better yet, I'm not having to take apart my carburetor on a regular basis to deal with the results of the $4-a-gallon-crappy-fuel that is part and parcel of living in paradise... I can't tell you how happy this make me!

I also don't have to worry about whether my dinghy or it's motor will be sitting on the dinghy dock when we get back from doing some shopping... No one is interested in stealing a dinghy without an outboard.

So what's the downside?

Well, for one, it is a fact of life that at least one part of any trip rowing will be against wind and tide. I should also admit that it is not all that uncommon for the wind/tide to be problematic in both directions.

Rowing against wind and tide takes a bit more oomph but I basically look on it as exercise and content myself with the fact that some folks actually pay to go to a gym to get the same sort of cardio-workout that is just the regular act of rowing back to my boat. For me, the real hassle is sometimes it can be wet... I'm not a huge fan of getting wet when when I'm wearing street clothes.

But hey, I saved $600, I'm in better shape than I was a year ago, and that makes me one hell of a happy camper.

Listening to Strangers in Paradise

So it goes...