John Winters wrote: > I suggest we go one step further. If you don't own at least one folding > kayak you are not a serious paddler. :-) Actually there should be levels of seriousness. Paddlers would be awarded AKA Fingers which would be akin to the BCU Star system. The AKA stands for the Assembling Kayak Association. One Finger goes for proficiency in assembling a Klepper and Folbots, the lowest level. Two Fingers for assembling Nautiraid and Feathercrafts. Three Fingers is a level of proficiency not yet reached by any kayaker...the AKA does not want any paddler to get too cocky. AKA insists that in speaking of the awards that no one say that a paddler is "being given the Finger" as that terminology could be misconstrued. :-) > How > many Inuit ever assembled a folding kayak? Bet not many. Actually, in a sense many did so every year. My understanding is that in some parts of the Inuit world, they would be forced to knock down their boats during the Winter lest the sled dogs eat the skins or chew on the sinewy stuff holding frame pieces together. They buried the skins or used them for other purposes with the intention of sewing new ones in the Spring. And they might also break the frame down to a degree for more effective burying against the paws of hungry dogs or for compact storage inside igloos. So, you see Inuit kayaks _were_ folding kayaks. The Brits and their followers in the modern kayaking community just refuse to recognize this. :-) > Shame on you Ralph. You know better than to set me off. :-) I must make a confession here. When I was growing up in a Spanish-speaking household, I was often called a "sinverguenza" by my family. The term "sin verguenza" means "without shame." Sometimes "mal criado" was added, which is Spanish for "badly raised." Having both said in the same breath as in "sinverguenza y mal criado" was to shamelessness what a BCU 5 Star award is to kayaking. :-) ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Dec 19 1998 - 11:37:23 PST
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