Love of Water Sports

Get your mind out of the gutter! I'm talking about boating, skiing, SCUBA, etc. I didn't even know about the other kind until my first year of medical school. I couldn't figure out how SCUBA diving was at all a risk for HIV. Someone had to explain it to me.

Anyway, I love the water, and my dad has owned several boats over the years. The first one we got was a rubber raft with an outboard motor, and the last one was a 26 footer with a queen bed and small galley.

I thoroughly enjoyed those boats, but I don't think I would ever own one myself. When we would go out, we had to hook up the boat trailer, check the lights, drive this massive thing down the freeway (another point: you'd better be going local, because it's not like you can have your 26 footer as "checked baggage" on your flight ... even on Virgin America), pay for the use of the boat launch, park your truck (another side point: have to have a truck big enough to haul your boat) and trailer, and finally you could enjoy the boat. Once the day was over, it wasn't really over, because then you had to take the boat out of the water, drive over to the boat rinsing area to give her a terse cleaning, drive back home, then give her a real cleaning (or else you have a stinky boat that may even start growing things, and if you went into salt water, you can't let that sit in the engine).

[gasp]

Then there's the fact that you had to buy the boat, and unless you are rich, you've probably got a loan on it, which means interest payments, plus vehicle registration, onto which they add a luxury tax. Don't forget you have to maintain proper, functioning safety equipment aboard, plus boat insurance, and we always carried Vessel Assist in the event of an emergency (we never had one, but we did cross another boat that was stranded - without safety equipment or a radio - and we radioed for help for them ... didn't envy their rescue bill, nor probable coast guard citation).

Bottom line, for as much as I would probably use a boat, it would be more financially sound for me to rent rather than buy. Not that I've tried to rent a boat ... though back in the day, my family rented boats for a week at a time out on Lake Mohave in Arizona. We weren't rolling in dough, so I imagine it wasn't Bill Gates-type expensive. I calculated it once a few years ago, and I found that I could rent a yacht for a week for what my dad paid annually to maintain his boat. Granted, then I'd have to crew the yacht, but the point is that owning is very expensive.

If you own a boat, make sure you use the hell out of it every year, or you're throwing money down the ... poop deck.

Don't forget to check out the e-book at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32964
Hopefully I'll have a novella available by the end of this month! Tell a friend!
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Long Beach – the Armpit of CA or a Hidden SoCal Jewel?

Growing up I was under the impression Long Beach was the armpit of California. Probably had something to do with Richard Pryor, who said in one of his routines, “Going to jail in Long Beach is a M* F*.? ‘Where you at?’ ‘I’m in Long Beach!’ ‘Well $#*! we ain’t comin’ down there to get your a** out’ ”

But I love the ocean, so when I was offered an hour on a ‘hydrobike’ at half price, I snatched it up, even though I would be launching from the Long Beach marina.

Gimenotis' Panoramio pic

It was amazing. I pedaled out into the open marina and across the bay to the island of Naples. There I entered a small canal that reminded me of Venice. Beautiful houses lined each side of the canal, and each house had a dock housing anything from kayaks to small versions of those tour boats they have at Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise up to larger ski and even cabin boats. “Treasure Island,” just outside of Naples, had larger slips housing yachts of all sizes. An hour was about the right amount of time to cruise around the marina and see most of the interesting sights, and I will definitely be returning.

Especially since, upon returning to the dock, I was given a coupon for $5 off my next ride. I was also informed that in the month of December they would be outfitting the bikes with lights festive lighting for evening cruising and parades. The weather, of course, will be cooler on a winter night as opposed to a summer day, but the bike is completely out of the water, and I didn’t get wet at all, so I would have no problem wearing appropriate clothing to stay warm.

Photo from lbhydrobikes site

Nothing is ever perfect, and I should mention the following: The “bike” was nothing fancy – just a bicycle seat on a frame attached to a pair of plastic pontoons. The handle bars were attached to a rudder in front, and the pedals to a propeller in back. The dock, as expected, is a bit dirty (hey, a marina is basically a parking lot for a bunch of boats that leak icky stuff into a small, enclosed area). But the owners/operators are very friendly and run as clean a place as can be expected in a busy marina.

All in all, I highly recommend visiting Long Beach Hydrobikes (lbhydrobikes.com).