"Well, how was the sea kayaking on Elba?" you ask. I had a great time. I was on Elba Island for 10 days. For 5 of those there was a hot sirrocco wind from the south. Since I was on the north coast in the town of Marciana Marina I was able to paddle during 6 of those days. And during those days the wind was never so strong that I didn't enjoy the trip. One not windy day a TV director from RAI-TV Roma came to Elba to tape a show about sea kayaking on Elba. We had a lot of fun launching, then launching again, and again for the cameras. We packed our kayaks as if we were going camping, and then the cameras followed us and taped us from a power boat. I was also interviewed in Italian and English. It will be a fun tape to see. A little silly I'm sure, but fun. Other days were spent hiking and looking for and photographing wild orchids, at a wine festival, and doing other business. >From Elba I went to Viareggio (n. of Pisa) for a language class. Only way I could get out on the water there was on a paddle boat from the beach with my two Russian roommates! While I was in Viareggio there was a sea kayaking marathon on Elba organized by Gaudenzio Coltelli and the Elba Sea Kayak Center, but because of logistics I couldn't make it to the race. There were two classes, touristica and agonistica. Touristica was a four-day course, agonistica a two-day course. A friend who paddled the touristica reported they paddled three days, because during one day it was too windy. She had a great time, and I plan to paddle the marathon next year. (It was June 12-15). One bit of information, they had to have, by law, one motorized support boat for every 5 paddlers, which seems a bit overdoing to me, ut that's the law. Then I spent a few days in Florence, and zoom back home to San Francisco. The flight from Paris went over England, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada and I had great daylight views of spectacular sea ice, melting sea ice, and icebergs. If only I had my binoculars, maybe I could have seen a polar bear! Next commercial trip to Elba is Sept. 16 to 27, 1998. I'll be guiding with Gaudenzio Coltelli, and translating for the trip. ( I don't yet have the dates for the 1999 trips. ) ciao! Barbara Kossy Richmond, California * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * --*--*-- Barbara Kossy Communications voice: 510-234-3479 fax: 510-234-6615 * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *--* -- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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