Triumphrat

mistermellow001

I caught a ferry today, from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend. It occurred to me that I've never had my bike on a ferry before. As the boat rocked back and forth I got nervous about it sitting down there on the car deck. Reason prevailed because the boat wasn't leaning more than a few degrees.

So then I thought, "what if this ferry goes down?" There are plenty of life jackets - more than there are people on board. If one adult life jacket can float a 180lb person, then (now this is the bad part) how many life jackets would it take to keep my bike floating.

I actually sat there and imagined how I would tie a bunch of life jackets to my Bonneville while the boat's going down, and while all the humanity on board scrambled to save themselves. My incredibly selfish fantasy cracked me the hell up.

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Guy

4N099

Just the thoughts of a chronic bike lover.

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My other torque wrench is a hammer.

rndtaylor

I don't see anything wrong with those thoughts. We are compelled and commanded to help the weakest in our society, and since the bike we love and that loves us so well in return is physically incapable of staying above water without assistance, but the humans are almost all physically capable of learning how to swim on their own, I think logic dictates that we must give our assistance first to the most helpless in our midst, the bike. If, after the bike is shown to safety, we have extra life preservers, I have no problem sharing them with the weak grandmothers, small children, pregnant ladies, or others that probably should make it on their own, but still need assistance.

I think your priorities are exactly right.
Congratulations, sir.

Whisperinsmith

oh boy, mistermellow, you've got it bad. join the club! loved the story. by the way, i've visited edmonds several times over the past seven years. love that part of the country. i would imagine riding my bike there as i daydreamed on the ferry ride from edmonds to kingston. (it is kingston, isn't it?)

not to steal your post, but once i was sitting on the deck of a cafe in edmonds, rory's, down by the ferry landing. having a beer, watching the scene of loading cars. i noticed something in the water not far from the ferry. a pod of killer whales heading down toward seattle! coolest nature scene i'd ever witnessed. so smoothly coming out of the water and gliding back down. had to be twenty of them at least.

nice area. lucky guy.

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Bennington, VT May 31, June 01 2008

upNorth

Great minds think alike! You cracked me up too, mostly because I would have been doing the same thing.

Good post!

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richb

To take it a step further - would it have been worth saving by the time you salvaged it from the salty brine? I imagine that total immersion in salt water, even momentary, would be the kiss of death for any steel/iron metal based engine... any engineers among us?

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cafecruzin

you sound like a person with your priorities in the right order

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ROD
As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.
Illegitimis nil carborundum
Quot culi, tot sententiae

AceT100

Best thing is to stay off boats

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SSG Rex

That is a more choppy ride than the one from Muk to Whidbey...nice trip though.

My first thought was three...then I started thinking that a 180lb man doesn't weigh 180 in the water due to the body's water and fat content, but a 500lb (give or take) bike still weighs 500lbs.
Grrr now you have me pondering physics...and I'm no good at it! :P
Some math/physics whiz needs to give a good answer. Please.


Oh and 4NO99, love the Linda Ronstadt

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'07 America in Phantom Black/Sunset Red, desnorkeled and airbox cut, 130/48 jets, custom cannon pipes, custom backrest - named Linsifer :D

drainbamage

In the immortal words of my friend johnny, "drunken minds think alike".
I usually take the ferry when returning to my parent's home and I have asked myself the exact same question. The GF's not particularly happy with my "YOU WON MEDALS! SHE CAN'T SWIM!" reasoning... go figure!

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