Mountain Turtle Market

In the course of some of my writings, you will notice that I mention brand names and this or that particular piece of equipment. My friend Jan has kidded me that my ride reports sometimes sound like commercials. On the other hand, I've gotten a lot of feedback from people who tell me they enjoy all the minute details, so it's a tricky balancing act. Now, to further cast doubt on my motives, I'm an Amazon Affiliate. That means if you go to Amazon.com via a link on my page and buy something, a small portion of your purchase price goes to me. Now I'm a big fan of supporting the little guy so if you want any of these items and can find these in your local shop, please buy these items there. But if you can't find stuff locally and still want to support a little guy, well then I could be that little guy you are helping support. And Amazon is local to me and I have friends who work there. 

Like every person, I do have biases but those biases are shaped by my experience. My hero Bernard Moitessier addressed this most clearly in the appendix to his magnificent book The Long Way. Moitessier writes:

Anyone who has sailed in the high latitudes knows they can be extremely hard on equipment, and considers the technical preparation to be of major importance. I will not venture to give advice, as I have too much yet to learn. I will only describe what I noticed, the way I solved various problems, and my observations and thinking at the present and considerably limited state of my knowledge. The sea will always be the sea, full of enigmas and new lessons. And when I happen to mention a supplier or manufacturer, it is never out of gratitude for services rendered. I received assistance for this voyage, and am grateful to those who helped me fit out and prepare. But I will never speak well of this or that piece of gear if I am not able to recommend it sincerely to my sailing pals.