Re: [Paddlewise] Some food for thought on kayaking

From: <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com>
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 09:26:16 -0700
John Winters wrote:

> 
> I really appreciate the post. Lindemann is a truly special man and I
> recommend his book to every paddler - even those not planning an ocean
> trip. His book is honest, forthright and wonderfully entertaining. I was
> once talking with my dentist about people we would like to have dinner
> with. At the time we agreed upon Gorbachev. I would also add Lindemann to
> my short list.

Eat your heart out, John, I had dinner with him during the West Coast
Sea Kayak Symposium.  The other dinner companions were his wife and a
friend/reader of mine who is a shrink.  Wonderful conversation that I
wished I could have recorded.  About medicine and psychiatry, the human
mind and a bit about kayaking.

Dr. Lindemann thrives on challenging assumptions and claims.  As you 
recall from the book, one of his motivations was to disprove the claims
that a French scientist was bantering around about survivors at sea
being able to drink saltwater in certain quantities.  Which brings me to
what happened during the dinner.

Somewhere in our lively dinner conversation, I mentioned that I spoke
Portuguese. Lindemann let that go by as we went far and wide in our
exchanges. About 10 minutes later, he turned to me and rattled off
something in perfect Portuguese; he had never let on that he knew the
language.  I rattled off something back to him in a strong Rio de
Janeiro accent (like speaking English with a twang).  A sly smile
crossed his face and a meeting of eyes because he knew that I knew that
he was putting my claim to a test.  It was that kind of evening. 
Nothing got by him.

BTW, I have been asked by private email to give more of that interview
but that is all there was to it at the time.  Later that year, I did a
followup article in my newsletter covering actually meeting him at the
Symposium and the impression I felt he made plus my own thoughts like
the thing above about the dinner.  I will post this followup in a few
days to these listservers.

ralph diaz
-- 
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Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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Received on Fri Oct 02 1998 - 06:26:21 PDT

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