I'll go with #7.
And I still want to buy his "southern" boat. Don't tell Rags.
I'll go with #7.
And I still want to buy his "southern" boat. Don't tell Rags.
Hello Sled,
The answer is quite simple #3. The BMW i3 range extender has only a 9 liter (2.4 gal) gas tank. Chuck is carrying a bit of extra fuel to increase his range. At least he’s not carrying it in the “frunk.”
Tom
DAZZLER got it right. Congrats, Tom!
Chuck Hawley drives a BMW i3REx electric car. Since BMW needs the i3 REx to qualify as an Electric Vehicle and one of the qualifications is that the car have a smaller gasoline range than its electric range, and also to meet EPA requirements, the fuel tank capacity is 1.9 gallons.
That's the short version. Chuck's BMW is actually a fascinating study in electric cars of the future and their constraints. The reason Chuck is pouring 2 galllons of gas into his electric BMW gas tank at Marin YC in San Rafael is so he can drive round trip from/to Santa Cruz over the Highway 17 summit (190 RT miles) without worrying about stopping for gas.
Here's the poop: https://insideevs.com/bmw-i3-rex-bev...b-unleash-rex/
Last edited by sleddog; 04-22-2018 at 08:24 AM.
I'm guessing Rob on TIGER BEETLE is thinking of the clear tropical waters he experienced in French Polynesia as he looks over BEETLE's side in his current moorage at Ala Wai Harbor, Honolulu. This appalling photo was taken two days ago.
Trash flowing down the Ala Wai canal has been a problem for many years. Bacteria contamination has caused illness and death for those who come in contact with the waters of this cesspool. Incredibly, this pollution is just feet from the front entrance of one of Hawaii's most exclusive hotels, as well as restaurants overhanging the waterfront.
Unbelievable there is neither an active solution in the works, nor the money to create one. Airlines and hotels used to contribute to clean up. But apparently no longer.
Last edited by sleddog; 04-22-2018 at 09:07 AM.
I've seen strange ships at sea. But on a recent trip to S.Cal I stopped at San Pedro to take a look at something straight from sci-fi. How are photos from outside the guard shack:
The ship, named MR STEVEN, appeared to be about 200 feet long with four giant claw legs sticking overhead. It was rafted to a decked barge the size of a football field painted with a giant bullseye and named JUST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
These futuristic ships are used to capture parts of SpaceX rockets as they descend from the sky on parachutes. JUST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS has successfully landed several rocket boosters that were then reused.
MR STEVEN will attempt to capture descending nose cone fairings into its giant net, akin to catching CALIFORNIA CONDER as it descends from an aerial drop from Heaven into a giant horizontal net.
Last edited by sleddog; 04-22-2018 at 09:46 PM.
As many have experienced, planning, prepping and executing an off-the-grid camp trip has remarkable similarities to sail racing and cruising a small boat. In our case a 15 foot, 2,000 pound trailer, "RUBY, " is currently receiving full attention as we prep for a drive to Utah to pay pilgrimage to Grand Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments as they are emasculated for profit by the current administration.
Tools, repairs, food, maps, home front business, family and contacts, finances, weather, possible overnight anchorages, power generation, stowage. The yellow legal tab list is 2 pages. At some point just ahead the "to do" list needs to be set aside, the dock lines untied, and "the rig" backed out the driveway.
Also similar is the proverbial desire to keep things aerodynamic, light weight,and simple (KISS). Mountain passes are like windward legs. If RUBY and tow vehicle (2000 Ford Expedition) had a PHRF rating, it would be about 200. Following winds and downhills are always appreciated
Mark Twain once wrote "travel and discovering new cultures and customs is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” This may sound dated. But really is not.
"It is a better world with some buffalo left in it, a richer world with some gorgeous canyons unmarred by signboards, hot-dog stands, super highways, or high-tension lines, undrowned by power or irrigation reservoirs. If we preserved as parks only those places that have no economic possibilities, we would have no parks. And in the decades to come, it will not be only the buffalo and the trumpeter swan who need sanctuaries. Our own species is going to need them too. It has never been man’s gift to make wildernesses. But he can make deserts, and has."
~ Wallace Stegner, 1955
Last edited by sleddog; 04-23-2018 at 10:23 AM.
Greetings from Bryce National Park in SW Utah, a 16 hour drive from Capitola, and most wonderful place. Thousands of "hoo doos," tall, fantastically shaped spindly pinnacles of colored rock, oranges and red. Bryce also is known for its night sky, the darkest, most starry in the U.S, as well as it clear air views of mountain ranges 150 miles distant.
Also at the highest point in Bryce, at 9,100', is an ancient Bristlecone Pine forest, the oldest tree species in the world, with some specimens over 2,000 years old.
Last edited by sleddog; 04-27-2018 at 02:22 PM.
Hey big 'bro, I am loving your posts. As always!
Where else can I see "hoo doos" and ocean swimming buffalos, and you sailing Koko (our dog) at Newport?
Thanks, and have a great trip!
L'il Sis
PS, I got first windsurf of the Berkeley season in on Thursday -- all great.
Living vicariously thru your blog...
Skip, It's the end of an era for this family, Mom passed on the 27th about when you were looking at all those beautiful stars. I did get down there in time. Haven't made the arrangements yet but thank you for the link to LIVELY. We will scatter ashes from her.
Mom ( Gingerlee Field ) will be remembered by many for her generous hospitality and immaculate upkeep of Dad's two schooners in Newport (LIVEY and HAWK). She died with the same gentle grace that filled all her days. it was nice to see that the sky was so beautiful where you were at that time.
Last edited by chautauqua; 05-04-2018 at 12:53 AM.