From: MarkLFischer at aol.com
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 23:19:27 EST
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Ship-Con and Camp-Con (was: Re: [WSFA] Re: Balticon in 2006 - Hunt...
To: WSFAlist at WSFA.org
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

In a message dated 3/14/2005 10:47:41 PM Eastern Standard Time,
omni at omniphile.com writes:

>Such as?  (not that I was all that  serious to start with, but I'm curious...

The regulations involved in  operating a large vessel carrying passengers for
hire are daunting, which is the  primary reason you never see a US-flag
cruise ship.  Things  get somewhat easier if you're simply using the ship as a
hotel barge, and  never carrying anyone but crew when shifting from port to port.
You still  have the overhead of paying licensed crew, an awe-inspiring list
of fees and  taxes, and upkeep on the vessel.  A boat is described as a hole in
the  water into which you pour money, a cruise ship is a yawning chasm into
which you  pour a small country's defense budget.

>You are assuming things....who said this had to be a condo  arrangement?

So are you, I was being a smartass :-)

>>Perhaps groups and  better-heeled individual fen could invest in old RVs of

>>whatever age and opulence they can afford, and a couple of old  circus
>>tents.
>>My background in Fandom on a  Shoestring is tickled by the image of  an
>>itinerant Okie  convention swarming around the country like Vulcan-saluting
>>locusts,
>>periodically settling on some luckless community to strip their  stores
bare
>>of snack foods, and leave SF-shaped holes in their  second-hand
bookstores.

>Sounds reasonable to me...maybe  tech-fandom would even be willing to jump
>in on tent pitching, as it's a  complicated enough process with enough
>chances to hurt yourself that I  shudder to think of some of the
>less...mechanically inclined...fen trying  it.  Also, without elephants,
>we'd need some heavy equipment or  really creative rigging to get the poles
>up.  Maybe we should just  look into inflatable tents?

Actually, your point is well-taken, and occured to me ten seconds after
clicking "send"...there's a reason why the circus travels by train.   Inflatable
solutions would be favorite.

>I've wondered for a while why there aren't more "camp-cons", where  you pick
>some state park or private camp ground and just take over a  section for a
>few days.  The SCA does that for things like the  Pensic Wars, and it's a
>blast.

That's an oversimplification, and Pennsic's a really bad example.  The  SCA
has a ages-old and carefully-nurtured understanding with the Coopers  for the
use of their campground, and even local events usually make sure all  paperwork
and permissions are in order before using public areas.

>>Permanent Floating RiotCon, anyone?

>Your Niven is  showing...

>-- Mike B.

Damn, is it obvious?  I thought I had those pants  repaired....

Mark