a tow vehicle (or lack thereof)

In my continuing efforts to be as independent a chick sailor as possible (and maybe even eventually achieve the more highly-evolved state of interdependence as extolled by a diverse group that includes Karl Marx, Mahatma Ghandi, and - hero of execudroids everywhere - Dr. Stephen Covey) I'm feeling less than comfy about not owning a vehicle capable of towing Central Air. The Catalina 18 is estimated to weigh a little more than 2,000 lbs, including boat and trailer. When I add in all the typical sailing equipment plus all the extraneous stuff I keep on my boat in order to provide the proper 'yotting' experience for my guests and crew (paper plates and napkins with a jaunty sailing motif, a pear scented candle with anti-skid shelf liner material meticulously cut to the same size as the candle bottom and attached with double-faced tape to keep the candle from skidding across the cabin top and into the lake, etc, etc)... I figure that I've got at least 2,500 lbs to tow around.

According to the owner's manual, my beloved 1999 Honda CR-V (which I've driven 180k miles so far) is capable of towing 2,000 lbs. I imagine that I could tow Central Air for a short distance if the terrain was perfectly flat, but I've never worked up the nerve to try this. I know for sure that if I tried to retrieve Central Air with my CR-V, Central Air would emerge the clear winner of the tug-of-war that would take place at the bottom of the ramp. The CR-V is not equipped with the 'positive buoyancy' feature that Central Air has, so that would most certainly be an unfortunate and wet lesson to learn.

I have a few months before Splash Day '09 to make a decision on this subject. I'll give some thought to what my options are for this year, with a default plan of 'continue to leech off friends with trucks.'