“Powerboaters and sailboaters are a different breed. Powerboats are turn-the-key, turn-the-wheel. As a sailor you’re working the entire time…” Alan Veenstra, owner of Chicago Sailing
This a quote from today’s Today’s Chicago Tribune newspaper about how motorboat users are feeling the pinch in gasoline costs.
The article goes on to talk about how many people have difficulty conjuring up sympathy for those well-heeled enough to be able to pay for a slip at the Chicago Yacht Club or the like, never mind burn up fuel on the Lake Michigan–the source of our drinking water.
I’m not going to present this as a non-biased viewpoint–the powerboat people certainly are not.
Quote: “I’m more conscious of gas prices this year, but it hasn’t spoiled my fun,” Blackwell said.
“I’ll drive 2 miles, shut the engine off, and turn on the radio. It’s like I’m in a different world.”
This powerboat owner is in a different world alright, the world of denial.
The owners of motorboats should be looked at more sympathetically because “studies say” (what studies–the “American Motorboat Association”?) that “most motorboat owners come from the middle class.” A-ha! The middle class likes motorboating so us non-motor-boating middle class folks should endorse motorboaters as we are all just ya know, middle class.
Sorry. Here is the deal locally, in the Chicago area. The “middle, middle class” scrimp and save and get a previously-owned small-by-any-yacht-standard, motorboat, which they keep in their own garages in the winter and their driveways in-the summer.
They can’t afford to rent a frelling slip on Lake Michigan! OK? Got that?
They take off to the Chain O’ Lakes on the weekend to fish, come back, and park their boats in their driveway until the next time they are able to take the boat out.
On the other hand, the so-called “middle class” whose boats are docked at the Chicago Yacht Club or Waukegan Harbor are upper middle-class and beyond and though they may cut back on engine running time whilst out polluting the great Lake Michigan (as well at adding more noise to the cacaphony that many boats in one general area make). The well-heeled who don’t have to care where the money goes have very little in common with the true middle class. After all, we have a have a short summer season, right?
The Tribune story goes on to report that boaters, in addition to taking shorter trips, are practicing “buddy-boating,” where people take turns whose boat they take when fishing, spending more time at the slip, and using it like “their summer resort.”
All I can add is, what took you so long? (And, you are fooling no one–we all know that you have at least one summer resort north of here). And why won’t you cozy up to the non-fuel using, previously mentioned sail-boating? Or, on a big lake like Michigan or Ontario for that matter, kayaking? On smaller lakes canoing, paddle-boating or how ’bout row-boating? I know it’s quaint but if you put a bit of back into it you can get far enough out on a typical smaller lake to get a good catch. As for those folks whose livelihood is tied to the water? You need to adapt. Carry less motorboat-related items and start catering to the non-fuel using alternatives. There are many. Just let it sink in that we are never going back to the petroleum hogging excesses of our immediate past and embrace the future in which you can still make a living off of water-related activities–they just don’t have to take such a toll on-the environment. It’s my predication that motorboat people will alter their lifestyles significantly in the next 5 years to go beyond using their big gasoline-ingesting boats to smaller, alternate ways of water transport. Hopefully, this blog will still be around then and I can check back to see if I was correct. 
If you are an advertiser who gets the word out through blog marketing you may have already heard of Pay Per Post and Social Spark which are but two offerings from the IZEA company.
Both are Social Media Marketing services which have proved very effective for advertisers. Through blog posts, blog sponsorships, and one of my favourites, product sampling, IZEA gives you a unique voice and presence on the World Wide Web.
I joined Pay Per Post as a postie in July, 2007. At the time I was simply looking for a way to make some household money without having to go into an office or elsewhere. My child is home for the summer and has many breaks throughout the year and I preferred to be home working than working somewhere else.
Having had 5 solid years blogging experience (and several more forum writing), blogging for advertisers really wasn’t much different for me than when I’d write about something I had an opinion about anyway. In fact even now–a year later–because I write about things I do, products I use, movies I see and places I go, as a seasoned blogger I offer my honest assessment all the time. It matters not if it’s paid, I still have an opinion to share with my readers.
Social Spark and Pay Per Post have much in common but there are distinct differences between them which distinguish them. To find out about the differences between Pay Per Post and Social Spark as very effective methods of getting the word out about your product or service, please click the “blog marketing” link above.
The Minden Branch of the Haliburton County Library has announced that construction will soon start on a new 5,000 sq ft library. The Minden Branch will still be open during construction though it’s important that patrons obey all fencing and signs around the Cultural Centre.
If you are curious about what to look forward to when the project is complete you can do so now as the plans for the new addition are available to the public at the library.
I’ll keep tabs as the project progresses so you can know exactly what happening, when.
Amy Brohm, the Tourism Marketing Co-ordinator for the County of Haliburton, Ontario is a font of information about the Haliburton Highlands. I’ve included her newsletter sign-up addy below along with her contact info:
705-286-1777; 1-800-461-7677
abrohm@county.haliburton.on.ca
She sends out a newsletter weekly that is just jammed-packed with every happening you could possibly imagine–and it’s all right in the Highlands. Click the link that follows this sentence to get on the email mailing list:
What’s Happening In The Haliburton Highlands This Week
I cannot wait to get back up there. I will be pouring over what is going on every week. This is the year that I rediscover the Haliburton Highlands. My mom duties are keeping me here and that’s OK. One truly neat thing is when I do return, shortly thereafter my son and spouse and little dog Raven will join me. 
My son is currently taking Driver’s Education classes that he will have completed upon coming to the Lake. But he’ll be far from done. He must put in hundreds of hours over a nine-month period before our state will grant him a driver’s license. Until then he will drive using a learner’s permit and with an adult driver in the car with him. This will give us all the more reason to venture out beyond our little Maple Lake paradise.
Ms. Brohm has also included some great links in this week’s newsletter that I thought I’d share with you:
Haliburton Holidays
Haliburton County
Experience Haliburton
It looks like we can do three weeks at Maple Lake this summer. Plus Labour Day weekend, I think (we have been for a few years in a row now).
Which is great as long as there’s Internet. I know I’m a broken record but I’m not the only person that can’t afford to take weeks off of paid work. And dial-up in my hyper-competitive online world won’t do it, regardless.
I think need to call the Haliburton County-affiliated W3Connex cable guy.
I’ve talked to him once on the phone and he seems very nice but with service orders for exactly what I need at about 800 online inquiries ahead of me in the email queue.
That’s why I’m thinking maybe going to the cottage a bit later so there might be a chance to get the cable people out our way? Oh please, oh please?
I was on a site and this. was in the upper sidebar. It’s right here ^^^. There has to be tracking cookies somewhere because I hadn’t even gone to this site today (it’s now Easter night). This has actually happened before and I’ve been meaning to mention it.
I guess it’s time to activate the bot for a check.
