Element as pack mule

Someone sent me an email, expressing disbelief at the notion that you could fit formula gear inside an Element (as I'd mentioned here). Well, here's how it works. It's a bit of a tight fit, but that's true of fitting Formula gear into just about any vehicle, even large mini vans.

What you see in the pictures is a Formula board, two booms (in their full length as needed to rig the sails - no real need to futz with the adjustment and shorten them for fit), two masts (520 and 550; those are under the board so they're hard to see in the pics), two sails (10.8 and 9.9), a box of accessories, a toolbox, a fin stash, a wetsuit and harness, and other odds and ends I happened to be carrying that day (gym bag, backpack for work, etc.)

The driver's seat is not pushed forward; the gear doesn't really encroach on my space, and the stuff sits low enough that while driving I have full use of the rearview and passenger side mirrors, and can see out the back and sides (in the side view picture, you can't really see the passenger side mirror b/c the camera angle is lower than my head would be while sitting in the driver seat). I have fit my slalom gear on top of my formula stuff pretty easily, but then I can't see out the side anymore, which is a bit sketchy.

Pretty amazing for a car that's shorter than a Civic...

Welcome Northwest Honda!

Meet my newest sponsor - Northwest Honda is my local Honda dealer in Bellingham, WA. They serve the whole Pacific Northwest, and they like the way use as a windsurfing/family/commuting/fun outdoors mobile showcases the Element's unique versatility. Thanks for the support!

Speaking of my Element, I wrote about it after I just got it to replace my totaled Subaru. By now, I've got over 6,000 miles on it, including three trips to the Gorge. It's been working out great. Well over 25 mpg commuting, and still around 21-23 with the trailer - that's pretty nice for a vehicle this roomy, especially since I don't coddle it. It's comfortable, fun to drive, and handles well (especially given how much space it has). What I really enjoy, though, is that everything just seems to make sense. The controls are well laid out and in the right place - you're never finding yourself wondering why something works the way it does; it's just intuitive, with a lot of obvious attention to detail. Everything about the car feels solid - the build-quality of this vehicle is amazing.

Be sure to check with Northwest Honda if you're in the market for a car, or need a reliable place to get your current ride serviced.

Of car crashes and such...

Four weeks ago today, my trusty Subaru bit the dust - driving my daughter to soccer, I was t-boned by an SUV going 45, hitting us in the left rear quarter panel. Both my kids were in the car with me, so needless to say I was scared s*#&-less. Luckily, everyone walked away from the crash, and the only injuries sustained were slight bonks on the left sides of both my daughter's and my foreheads where we had crashed into the side of the car when we got hit from the left.

That was a pretty big impact. Luckily, he hit us far enough back that we spun out - that absorbed a good bit of energy. And then there's the marvel of modern automotive engineering - if you look at this picture, it's hard to believe we had that kind of collision. What you can't see in the picture, though, is that while the rear door opened just fine, the wheel is at about a 30 degree angle, and the trunk section is completely offset (the tailgate was actually forced open by that) at about a 15 degree angle. And underneath the car, the energy from the crash was then absorbed by suspension and drive train parts. This all made for no intrusion whatsoever into the passenger space, but it did create enough damage to where the insurance company decided to total it out.

This was a bit of a bummer, as we hadn't really been planning for the financial impact (the Subie was slated for replacement two or three years down the road). But as of a couple weeks ago, I now have a new windsurfing (and commuting and family) vehicle. Looking for something a bit more spacious inside than the Subie, but with reasonable mileage, and placing really high importance on excellent crash test scores (go figure...), I landed on a Honda Element:
What I like about the Element:

• Insanely nice power-train (that has to be the nicest 4 cylinder on the planet...)
• Lots of interior space in a very compact package.
• Very practical and versatile interior - you can wash the surfaces, configure the seats to allow camping, hauling of gear, etc. - it will even fit my Formula gear!
• It's plain fun (my kids are beside themselves)
• It drives very nicely - pretty nimble, smooth, and great handling considering how tall it is.
• Reasonably good mileage (mid-20's).
• Low maintenance and really nice build quality, along with all kinds of very thoughtful little features (it is a Honda, after all) - it just works.
  
• Tows my trailer very well (it's got roughly the same wheelbase as my old Subie, but a lot less rear overhang, so there's less leverage for the trailer to be jerking it around - you can really feel the difference)
• Top marks in crash testing and a whole plethora of airbags all around, along with all kinds of other safety goodies (like stability control)
• 4wd just like the Subie - so no need to put on chains when going skiing at Baker in a snowstorm.