Well. Much food for thought. I've given that some thought over the years, and always decided that it would have to wait until my knees went. Along with SCUBA diving.

My knees aren't gone, but I think I'm about there. On this coast, with the crappy weather, a sea-going kayak looks more feasible for island hopping, a canoe for inland waters. The idea of getting somewhere private is paramount.

And the dinghy - canoe - kayak does offer the opportunity for a few luxuries. For instance, the weight of spray insect repellent precludes that in lighter backpacking, yet it's nice stuff to have. 100% DEET is lighter per bug chased off. Baths, well, unless there's a lake in which to go swimming those are generally foregone. It is just amazing how fast your standards decline on a trail for lack of warm water. And being too tired to heat it, not wanting to waste the fuel, no real towel, and so on.

You've moved my interest up. This spring I'm going to head off to the Bahamas for a while. I have a friend with a house there that he visits for about 3 months a year. (Seems to hold his marriage together - she can only bitch at him by email.) It sits by itself on a small spit in to ocean, looks idyllic and I've invited myself for an indefinite stay. I'll have time to explore that idea in the luxury of warm weather and calm(er) seas. He either has a small boat or can get one, and has a quantity of vacant land at the end of some island to which one could sail or paddle.

Any thoughts on a small, portable gasoline engine which would work on a very small canoe or kayak? I'm thinking a dinghy or Zodiac-type boat would be big enough for a conventional motor. Not having much experience on the water beyond rafting rivers, I have a huge fear of being blown somewhere I don't want to go for a length of time I don't want to spend. However irrational that may be it's there and will be until I have more experience at that sort of thing. And then I'd lose fear and become foolish.

A PS regarding that. I don't have a lot of sense when it comes to prudence, caution, reason, that sort of thing. I DO NOT have a motorcycle anymore, as much as I enjoyed them, because I've found that one can't tell what they can do until they've gone over some limit. A very good friend is a hang glider, has been for 35 years and made his first attempt at flying from a hill on a farm I used to have. I've never tried it despite his entreaties and the fact it looks to be just superbly enjoyable. Stopping drinking helped a bit, but not enough. No goddamned sense!

Thanks again. Any other tips I'd appreciate, and I'd like your thoughts on the motor.

Arf