No Taxi? What about Roller Skates?

by Cruising Editor on 8 Sep 2006 Cruising sailors, like snails, carry their homes on their backs - a luxurious way to travel. However, when one gets into port and there's no car in the garage, what do you do?

Sometimes taxis just don't exist, buses can be hard to find, and the supermarket might be kilometres away.

Bicycles, which many long range cruisers carry, are an option, but they, too have to be lugged from boat to wharf or beach on each arrival.

One of the smarter cruisers we've met has a great and innovative solution. Frenchmen Didier Blach on the yacht Akela, who is now sailing in the ARC Rally carries roller skates!

'They're easy to carry, ' says Didier in his o-so-charming French accented English, 'no problem at all, and I can go nearly as fast as a bicycle. Of course, they're really great in places with level footpaths and roads - who knows what it will be like on the other side of the Atlantic?'

With the small amount of storage required, if they are usable in even half the ports you visit, this writer thinks they're worth carrying.

Another idea to think about....