For the first post with the new way of embedding pictures, Iwill introduce our latest purchase: the Dahon folding bicycle.

As the name would imply, the bike folds for easier storageand transportation to shore.

We’re very excited about this bike.  Aside from folding, this also happens to be areally nice bike.  From reading theirmarketing, it appears that most of Dahon’s market is city folk who ride to workand carry their bikes onto subways and elevators.  Secondly are really, really committed bikeriders who need one they can take with them wherever they go.  People on boats appear to be an afterthoughtand though they make many different models, ours it the only one specificallymarketed for mariners.  Hence it iscalled the Dahon Mariner D7 (it has 7 speeds).

Our excitement is also because this bike significantlyenhances our range ashore.  This wassomething we never appreciated when we had two vehicles waiting at the end ofthe dock.  My trips to West Marine, HomeDepot, and ACE Hardware were almost daily when my transportation was atruck.  When it is my feet I seem to goless often and buy less.

The cargo carrying capacity currently consists of a milkcrate strapped to the back.  A foldingtrailer is a possibility if our needs prove greater.

The bike is ostensibly Tanya’s, since she is ourGalley Officer, and the one that has to make the 1-mile provisioning trek tothe store when we run low on beer.  Shemade a trial run to the local K-mart yesterday and I barely got the dinghy backto the boat before she was calling to be picked up at the dock.  The kids all have folding Razor scooters, so ona family trip I’ll be the only one without wheels.  We’ll have to wait and see if another bikemakes sense.  We haven’t even figured outwhere we’ll put this one yet.