Its funny how being retired changes your views.. Spring Fever $328 hotel, fuel $201, regatta fees $60 (best deal around) car wash (to remove RED MUD) $6. The fun I had, Priceless ! We are about 348 nm from our nearest regatta, this if nothing else, presents a bigger problem. The real addional cost of fuel is in fact minimal.
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance
[Re: scooby_simon]
#141344 04/28/0805:29 PM04/28/0805:29 PM
Attending a regatta is still cheap entertainment if you ask me. For what those 3 days of fun cost me it's very had to beat with any other activity. It's had to go out for a nice dinner for less than $70, and it costs less than that for me to fill my tank. But of course I'm used to gas prises being 3 times what they are here in the US, so I still think it's cheap fun.
NACRA 570 #90308 Hobie 16 #68973
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance?
[Re: arbo06]
#141345 04/28/0805:31 PM04/28/0805:31 PM
Notes from the Old Guys: The last 2 or 3 times we had an "ENERGY CRISIS" (tho denied by many) prices of fuel went down eventually. This time? Probably never. The new Chinese middle class gotta have gas cars, over which the USA has no control, noting that GM/Ford intends to keep selling them cheap cars.....
I consider myself very fortunate to have an A-cat owning friend with a lake lot on a superb sailing lake 30 miles from town, with mast-up storage. I drove out there yesterday in my Toyota Prius and sailed happily all afternoon: then flirted with 60 mpg ending with 58.8 mpg for the 61 mile trip. Not bad. Now-- can I expect to afford the $10K Prius PHEV addition battery system? Then- how far can I pull my 400 pound Trailex and 165 pound boat plus me and my rubber clothes...(800 pound load allowed) on one tank, or one charge. Slide rule work- click/click-slide/slide. Wait- I forgot no more slide rules allowed..... Welcome to the new 21st century, Catsailors. Welcome to the NO GAS CENTURY~
Dacarls: A-class USA 196, USA 21, H18, H16 "Nothing that's any good works by itself. You got to make the damn thing work"- Thomas Edison
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance
[Re: scooby_simon]
#141347 04/28/0806:10 PM04/28/0806:10 PM
Simon, are you converting for UK (4.54lt) or US (3.8lt) gallons? I know things are bad but that bad! I was in Sheffield the other week though and saw diesel as low as £112.9/lt. Look around or check petrolprices.com
Cheshirecatman
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance
[Re: dacarls]
#141348 04/28/0806:12 PM04/28/0806:12 PM
Notes from the Old Guys: The last 2 or 3 times we had an "ENERGY CRISIS" (tho denied by many) prices of fuel went down eventually. This time? Probably never. The new Chinese middle class gotta have gas cars,
and India. Supposedly, this will be the first year emerging markets will use more oil than us. I certainly do miss being able to drive 5 minutes to get to where I kept my boat in Fl <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance
[Re: dacarls]
#141349 04/28/0807:11 PM04/28/0807:11 PM
I hear Escalades are the big thing in China right now.
cost of gas in china is actually less than the market price because the government subsidizes it. costs less than 2$ a gallon. The differences in cost among western countries is based on the relative taxation added to the market price. If it were really a market based system though, I really wonder how the oil companies rake in such huge profits.
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance
[Re: ]
#141352 04/28/0809:05 PM04/28/0809:05 PM
The cost of gas is nothing compared to the cost of daycare.
That is without question the biggest change in our lives over the past year. We still use the RV, and it saves money or at least breaks even with getting a hotel. There's no way we'd be able to take the baby, all his stuff, all our stuff, and a boat for a weekend regatta with just the Explorer. Oh yeah, we need to take a babysitter (and all her stuff) this year too.
Since the Explorer only gets 15 MPG towing, and the RV gets 7 MPG, the impact really isn't too bad.
Mike
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance
[Re: brucat]
#141354 04/29/0807:03 AM04/29/0807:03 AM
The cost of gas is nothing compared to the cost of daycare.
That is without question the biggest change in our lives over the past year. We still use the RV, and it saves money or at least breaks even with getting a hotel. There's no way we'd be able to take the baby, all his stuff, all our stuff, and a boat for a weekend regatta with just the Explorer. Oh yeah, we need to take a babysitter (and all her stuff) this year too.
Since the Explorer only gets 15 MPG towing, and the RV gets 7 MPG, the impact really isn't too bad.
Mike
One would think that we might see less nomadic catamaran racing activity - which, in some ways, would be good for us. However, I don't believe we have the critical mass to support stationary racing as much. Our local club (Keowee) has a pretty high number of catamaran sailor members for the non-florida south east area at about eight or nine.
Jake Kohl
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance
[Re: Jake]
#141355 04/29/0807:46 AM04/29/0807:46 AM
In the Prairie states I think we'll initially see a drop in attendance, IOW, this year numbers will be lower. I equate the current gas prices with what happened in '75, everybody sold everything, RV's, powerboats, hotrods, it was the "end of the world". Within the subsequent years, the gas price became less numbing and things were quickly back to normal.
I ran an inflation calculator for the price of my Big Mac sandwich from '75 and it came out at $2.98...right on. My house from '79 came out $224,000...right on. Gas price from '75 came out at $2.26 on one site and $2.37 on another... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
John H16, H14
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance
[Re: _flatlander_]
#141356 04/29/0808:36 AM04/29/0808:36 AM
Driving my motorhome (9 mph) from upstate s.c. to Gulfport last week was still significantly cheaper than a hotel room. Gas cost me about $450. Had I driven my truck, it would have cost me about 1/2 of that at $225 but I would have had to pay for a hotel for 8 nights.
Jake Kohl
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance
[Re: Jake]
#141357 04/29/0808:43 AM04/29/0808:43 AM
Driving my motorhome (9 mph) from upstate s.c. to Gulfport last week was still significantly cheaper than a hotel room. Gas cost me about $450. Had I driven my truck, it would have cost me about 1/2 of that at $225 but I would have had to pay for a hotel for 8 nights.
Man Jake, I've heard of conservative, but doing 9mph just to save some fuel is pushing the envelope a bit.
Does anyone actually drive less now than they did last year? I haven't changed my driving habits or how far I drive. I've cut out the amount of times I eat out with the family to accommodate for the higher cost of filling up the car, but I still don't hesitate to drive anywhere at the drop of a hat.
Re: Will high gas prices affect regatta attendance
[Re: blockp]
#141358 04/29/0808:48 AM04/29/0808:48 AM
I have not changed my driving patterns. I do cringe as i pay the $50 to fill my tank. I fill up about 3 times a month. It sure seems crazy that my gas costs more than my insurance. It doesn’t seem that long ago when I could fill my Honda tank for $13.00.
Recently I have been helping my local economy by breaking my boat in new and exciting ways. I guess subconsciously I want to help the economy by paying welders and repair shops for work?