Windsurfing and the Price of Gas

Of course you all know how gas prices are rising higher then ever here in the US, and this Spring/Summer will likely be over $4.00/gallon. Fuel costs to travel to the OBX will be close to the cost of lodging, especially when driving down a large van or SUV pulling a trailer full of windsurfing gear. Even living here on the OBX, the price of gas is now impacting my decision to drive south for a session on the southern beaches. Gone are the days of simply driving south to see if it "will happen." Luckily we have live data sources such as IWindsurf to report real-time wind/weather along the OBX, and wireless phones to report conditions at particular spots. In the old days, we used to look at the sky, judge the wind where we were at, and "guess" if it would be better somewhere else. The old adage, "Never leave wind to find wind..." often rang true back then. Now with the cost of "road sailing" being what it is, what's at stake is more then simply missing the wind. I am glad I now live here and only have to drive 80 miles round trip to hit a south-side session as compared to when I lived in the metro Washington DC area. Back then, I drove down here nearly every weekend...with today's gas prices, that would be really tough.

I look forward to the day when "real" fuel efficient (aka 80 to 100+ mpg) vehicles hit the market. Right now, we are not there, but interestingly the technology is. Perhaps soon, the auto industry will "catch up...," or is that wishful thinking?! Though on the flip side, higher gas prices may awake our responsible-side and instill thought and consideration into something we have taken for granted in the past. Perhaps rising gas prices is something to be welcomed rather than scorned!