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October 31, 2005
Watch for Cyclists
Beaufort, NC has some wonderful old homes dating to the 18th and 19th century. We decided to go for a long walk, find me some new sunglasses to replace the ones that went sailing over the side of the boat yesterday, look at restaurant possibilities for dinner, and visit the local book store.
I bought a book called Over the Edge of the World, Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen. I will read this after I finish A Year the in the Merde by Stephen Clarke.
We returned to the boat to discover several motor yachts had arrived, and squeezed in between the sailboats. They were traveling together, and there quickly ensued a beehive of activity on the dock. Dogs, hoses, cleaning supplies, loud voices relaying dinner reservations, etc. The ladies went shopping, the men sprayed down the boats, then drank beer.
Chis and I were lollygogging in the cockpit reading and doing Sudoku puzzles. It was late afternoon, and since the clocks turned back on the weekend, it was getting noticeably darker. An occasional spray from the activity, and I was starting to get a little annoyed. Cranky. I let it pass.
Until I overheard the conversation about speed. “Well, Fred, we have the same boat, and I can do 10 miles per hour at 2,300 RPMs so why can’t you get up on a better plane and keep up? Maybe you need to change your engine oil?” Maybe you need to relax, I thought.
I have written before about motor yachts. They think differently. They want clear skies, no rain, and no wind. High pressure systems. We want wind, which usually comes with rain and clouds. Low pressure systems. They compare RPMs. We compare sail trim and wind angles. They measure their performance by the size of their wake. We measure performance based on velocity-made-good.
Then, the ultimate ignorant comment.
“They should only let sailboats out in the channels one day a week. Or give them a slow lane.”
The best analogy is that of bikes and cars sharing the road. We are the cyclists. They are the cars. In most cases, cars are pretty aware of cyclists, and give them lots of room to maneuver. In rare cases, drivers can be pretty ignorant, pass too closely, open their doors without looking.
Being a cynic, I leapt to the conclusion that all motor yachters are like these guys. Being an optimist, I bit my tongue and let it go. This was a rare incidence of a driver passing too close to the cyclist.
So my message to motor yacht drivers is simple. Share the road. Follow the rules. Give each other a wide berth. Respect our differences. And don’t open your door when a cyclist passes. It hurts.
Posted by dave at October 31, 2005 08:34 AM