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Cruises
are the best way to meet other members of the PBCC. Some best friends have
been made on PBCC cruises. Below are
some guidelines, thoughts, and ideas that will hopefully make our Corvette
cruises more enjoyable. 2 WAY RADIOS – it is recommended that
you have a 2-way radio so we can communicate between cars while on the
road. Not only does it help us all
know what is going on but we sometimes get some witty chatter (especially
from Rick Heckler). We’ve even had some name-that-tune contests. There are
many radios out there. I think most use the Motorola radio with the FRS
frequencies available at stores like Best Buy, Walmart,
truck stops… There are
also portable radios which use the GMRS frequencies. These radios have
more power and more frequencies. I found
this radio on Amazon.com It has a
30 mile range. Comes with headsets (better to hear and to be heard),
charger, battery packs. Channel
5-0 works on both FRS and GMRS radios.
We will be using this frequency on our cruises. If you do not know how to change the
frequency on your radio, please contact the event coordinator or leader of
the cruise. And to
avoid embarrassment, please make sure your radio is not on Vox (voice activated transmitting). This means whatever you say is transmitted
over the radio. DEPARTURE TIME – This is
the time we are pulling out of the parking lot – not the time to meet. Please be
at the departure point at least 15 minutes before the departure time
to go over last minute details, etc. Most get there about 30 minutes
early. ALSO,
please check your gas tanks and arrive with a FULL tank of gas. CRUISE LEADER – The cruise
leader will be in charge of the caravan.
He/She will be the lead car in the
caravan. Please do not pass the cruise
leader and do not leave without them. The cruise
leader will need to ensure that every car has made it out of the parking lot
and onto the road. Depending on the
number of cars in the caravan and the traffic, it can sometimes take a while
for all the cars to get on the road.
The leader will need to adjust his/her speed to allow the later cars
to catch up. The cruise
leader should have an itinerary for the cruise. They work hard to plan the cruise. Sometimes things don’t go quite as planned
and the itinerary will have to change. Please be
patient and flexible. If you
want to break off on your own and do something else, let the cruise leader
know before you do it. The
leader has tried to pick activities that will appeal to the group. Individuals may not like all of the
activities. We aren’t Nazi about you
having to stay with the group. Just be
considerate of the time and effort put into planning the cruise and talk with
the cruise leader. TAIL GUNNER – After the
lead car, this is probably the most important car in the caravan. The
tail gunner is the last car in the line. They need to let the leader
know what is going on in the line…ie, has someone
pulled over, did cars get caught at traffic lights, have all cars made it out
of the parking lot and on the road. It is
important for the leader to know who the tail gunner is. Usually it will be the same car for the
entire trip. If there is a change,
please let the leader know. The leader
should acknowledge communications from the tail gunner. If not, the two cars may be too far
apart. Someone in the middle of the
caravan should relay the tail gunner’s message. TRAFFIC LIGHTS – We can
sometimes have a bunch of cars in a caravan. To facilitate getting
through traffic lights, it is helpful to get in 2 lanes (if possible) so
twice as many cars can get through the light. After we
get through town we can get back in single-file line. Please be courteous and let the other cars
back in line. We are all friends here. Inevitably
we will get separated by traffic lights. As soon as practical, the lead
group will pull over (in a safe location) and wait for the others to catch
up. This is where 2 way radios can really help – especially if there
are any turns. COMMUNICATION – When we
have a large number of cars it is important that we communicate what is going
on. We sometimes get stretched out on the road. Even though the
portable radios say they are 10 mile or 30 mile range, they don’t reach that
far when in a car. We sometimes have to pass information up and down
the line. The cruise
leader will give out important information at the beginning of the
cruise/day, after stops, at the end of the day (for long cruises) etc.. It is important to gather up and listen to the
leader. Some of us aren’t as loud as others and it is hard to be heard
if there are a bunch of “extra” conversations going on. If you
need to stop while on a cruise, don’t be afraid to speak up. There may be others that would like to stop
as well but they are hesitant to say so. RUBBER BANDING – When you
have a bunch of cars in a line you end up with rubber banding. The
further back you are in line it seems like you have to speed up and slow
down. As a
cruise leader I use my cruise control to maintain a somewhat constant speed.
But cars will speed up and slow down – even on cruise control. So the
cars may stretch out and contract as we go. This can be exasperated
when encountering slower traffic. While the
leader will maintain a speed close to the speed limit, cars toward the back
MAY have to drive a little faster to catch up from time to time. If you
don’t want to do this, you might want to work your way towards the front of
the line. APPROPRIATE SPEED - The leader
should never drag-race out of a parking lot or from a light leaving others
behind. The lead cars should accelerate fast enough for the most cars
to get through a traffic light (for example) but not so fast that you might
think they were drag racing. He/she
should drive at an appropriate speed to let everyone catch up and then speed
up to cruising speed. You need
to try and stay up with the car in front of you and also keep an eye on the
car behind you. You may need to lay back a
little so the car behind you can catch up. I’ve been
on cruises (not led by our group) where the leaders take off at full
speed. Not only is this not a race, you end up leaving part of the
group behind and they will probably get lost. This
doesn’t make it any fun. When you end
up being the leader of the left-behind group you start to get nervous you
will get lost. Again, I
will push for 2 way radios. They help. Corvettes
were designed to go fast. The newer Vettes are capable of speeds well in excess of 150 mph. We do try and drive with the flow of
traffic and within prudent speeds for the road conditions and speed limits. There are
some members that are not comfortable driving fast. The cruise leader should pick a speed that
is appropriate for the members of the caravan. If you are not comfortable with the speed,
please speak with the cruise leader. Some
members of the club have more experience driving Corvettes fast (ie, around curves).
If you feel the car in front of you is driving too slowly, you can
pass them (when it is safe to do so) and get in line in front of them. REMEMBER – don’t pass the cruise leader
unless you have made arrangements with them ahead of time. If you
want to drive really fast, you should talk to one of the race coordinators
about getting your car on the track.
That way you can safely drive your Vette fast. ************************************************************************************************************ If you
have any questions or comments, you can talk to the event coordinator or
whoever the leader is for the cruise or event. |