Autumn Series Fun

The weather forecast is calling for cold rain and flukey winds.  Hmmmm..... must be time for Fall sailboat racing in Port Gardner Bay.

Yep, I drug myself out into the morning rain and headed north to the Everett Marina stopping at the grocery store to pick up beer along the way.  The beer is an offering to our overly dominating skipper in an attempt to limit the f-bombs emitted during the inevitable tangled spinnaker sheet.  I think the skipper thinks we (the crew) do this in a thinly veiled attempt at sabotage.  Nope, we're just incompetent, sorry skipper.

When you bring up discussions of sailboat racing most people conjure up images like this:

I wish racing was that sexy.  Nope.  Racing in Port Gardner Bay in the fall and winter series looks much more like this:

It rains a lot, the winds very seldom blow with any authority, and the crews are generally inept.  That's OK though because we all have fun and after the skipper calms down a bit and consumes a few beers we think he does too.

Today we were short handed, expecting a very poor showing, and generally taking things less than serious.  All the makings for a very fine finish, which we had.  I'm sure we corrected up over all the J-boats finishing 1st overall.  Good job crew (Miller and I).  Oh, you did OK too Skipper.

Cheers!

Smart Update - Sue's Smart!

Well, it certainly didn't take long for SuzyQ's little Smart car to get from 'Build' status to 'In Port' status and then to 'Arrived' status. Almost too fast, in fact. We only had the 'Orphan' Smart for about 4 weeks and was barely able to run mileage up to around 1300 before returning her to the dealer.

I did get to drive the 'Orphan' enough to be able to give somewhat of a review of the car and it's characteristics.

First off economy: Sue is a bit of a lead foot and drives the Smart as if it were a little sports car so I was expecting less than stellar fuel economy.  The Smart surprised me though.  So far we are averaging just over 40 MPG in around town driving.  Sue is planning a trip to Leavenworth this week so we will get to evaluate both, highway MPG and power going over a mountain pass.  Should be interesting.... I warned her friend that she might want to be prepared to get out and push to help get the little girl over the top. :-)

Driving: The first thing you will notice is the shifting of the "automatic" transmission. Really sucks at first but it gets better with time. The reason for this is because it is not an automatic transmission but a standard transmission that shifts automatically. Once you realize this, the shifting suddenly feels much more ordinary, like a standard shift with a clutch. Also, as you drive the car, the car 'learns' driving habits and begins to anticipate shifts much better and it gets smoother. Don't ever expect it to shift like the Audi DSG though.

The car scoots around town with grace. It's kind of like having a motorcycle when it comes to parking, you just don't worry about it. Seems there is always a little hole to fit this little girl in. The acceleration is sufficient to keep up with the flow of traffic and hills are not a problem. Freeway driving is far better than one would expect and cruising along at 70 MPH is extremely easy. It has enough acceleration to merge with traffic on the freeway just fine too.

The car is much bigger inside than it's small exterior leads you to believe. Leg and head room is sufficient even for the tallest drivers. Seats are firm but comfortable and controls are easily reached. My only complaint, as far as controls are concerned, is that the hazard flasher is easy to accidentally bump when adjusting the radio. Once I was aware of the problem it was no longer an issue though. The ride is stiff, as would be expected from a car with such a short wheel base, but not excessively.

The Smart attracts a LOT of attention and you feel like a bit of a freak driving it around. Maybe I'm a little sexist but I think where a guy looks like a bit of a dork driving it girls just look plain cute in it. Luckily, I don't have any trouble with looking like a dork. I've kinda gotten used to it and have fun whenever I do drive it.

Back to my story:

Sue seemed a little sad as we headed south to the Smart Center. She had gotten pretty attached to the little black beauty, I even thought she was going to change her mind and keep the 'Orphan'. That all changed once we arrived at the Smart Center and she got to see her new little 'Tux' (the white with black trim kind of looks like a tuxedo) with the bright red interior. 'Tux' even had Sue's name on the window sticker. Sue completely forgot about the 'Orphan'.... abandoning the little black beauty. Kinda' sad, I say.

I did make one last attempt in the dealings to keep the 'Orphan' and buy 'Tux' outright. No go. Only one Smart at a time, it seems. The dealer did treat me right and stood up to their original offer of crediting me everything I had spent on the 'Orphan', including optional add ons, towards the reserved Smart. We actually got money back since we didn't add as much stuff on this one as compared to the 'Orphan'. I was really impressed with how simple the whole thing was.

Sue is really enjoying her new Smart and she looks so cute driving it around. She does seem to have a bit of a 'chihuahua' syndrom driving it around though. She gets aggressive and 'snaps' at other drivers, always racing to get ahead of them. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of having a tiny car and leaving a small foot print in my opinion. I do believe that I have hit a home run in giving the car to her as a gift though. She sure appreciates it.

Cheers all!

Cap'n Ron

Sexy? Fast? Decisions....

Hmmmm.....

I've got a decision to make.  It seems that in my quest for the perfect motorcycle I may have acquired too many motorcycles.  I am now in the process of eliminating motorcycles that may be redundant or unnecessary.  Two bikes that fall a little into the redundant category are the:

Ducati Paul Smart 1000 Limited Edition -

There were only 2000 of these bikes made and only approximately 200 were shipped to the US.  This bike falls into the category of a 'Sport Classic' and is plenty fast but I mostly just think of it as sexy.  It is an aggressive bike that requires technical skill to ride properly and isn't what I would consider 'forgiving' of mistakes.  The Paul Smart has an aggressive seating position with a long reach to the bars and is uncomfortable for long rides.  But, all of this said, I have never had a bike that garnishes as much attention as the Paul Smart does.

Buell 1125R -

Fast!  Powerful!  Precise handling!  The 1125 is a sport bike pure and simple.  The Buell is an American made bike, the only American made sport bike.  This bike just begs to be ridden hard and fast.  Give the 1125 a twisty section of asphalt and I dare you to try to hold it back.  Acceleration is smooth and unbelievably fast but the 1125 is also comfortable.  The 1125 was designed to be able to ride in a very aggressive, laid out position or in a more relaxed, upright position.  It also does a good job of wind protection and creates a 'quite zone' for the rider.

So the decision I have to make is:

The 1125R which would be able to satisfy my need for speed while giving me a nice comfortable cockpit worthy of multi day rides and would make a great track day bike.

Or:

The Ducati Paul Smart which is fast enough, sexy enough, will hold it's resell value much better, and, with proper riding technique, will make a very capable track bike.

Decisions.... Decisions....

Cheers!

Cap'n Ron