I'm Barbara Kossy, 47, living in Moss Beach, California (just south of San Francisco, on the Pacific) - born in Chicago, Illinois. I've been sea kayaking here in the SF Bay Area since 1989. I put all my outdoors adventures in the context of being an urban Jew (picture Wood Allen in a sea kayak). Growing up, the only wildlife I saw consisted of the rabbits and robins in the back yard. I thought horses were extinct (I only saw them on TV), and I didn't see the Milky Way till I went to Girl Scout Camp in Wisconsin (urban lights were too bright). My folks taught me to read books, not water. So I figure even just getting into a kayak is a damn miracle. I've paddled SF Bay, creeks and estuaries, up and down the California coast, San Juans, Lake Michigan, Baja, a touch of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea around the Island of Elba Italy. I was the president of Bay Area Sea Kayakers for one year, have helped lead and teach our annual novice clinic, and I organize and guide sea kayaking trips on Elba. The Elba connection came about when I wrote a letter to the Italian Sea Kayaking Association (address from the back of Sea Kayaker Mag.) asking about kayaking Italy's Cinque Terre region. In reply they invited me to join them kayaking on Elba, and once I was there, they asked me to help them organize, lead, and promote trips for people who speak English. Elba is gorgeous, the kayakers are now my dear friends, and I'm in my fourth year of association with the Elba Sea Kayak Center. My new husband John Dixon and I will be there in May 8-23, where I'll be co- leading the spring trip. John is a Tsunami Ranger (one of a group of 12 paddlers who paddle and surf coastal white water) and since partnering with him and moving to Moss Beach, on the ocean, my paddling is shifting from bay trips to ocean trips and a bit of race training. I have a pretty low fear threshold (I think of myself as kinetically challenged), but going out with John is slowly building my confidence level and competence in bumpy coastal water. We're also doing a little race training on his Futura SOT double. Challenges I have ahead of me include working with my physical therapist to control my lower back and elbow/shoulder pains. I have a "pool" roll with a Greenland and standard paddle, goal is to move both to "combat" roll. I've found the right clothing for cold water paddling has really helped. I now have a custom wet suit that really keeps me warm, and a Goretex paddle jacket with latex wrist gaskets that keeps the cold water out. Comfort is key. My boat of four years is a kevlar Necky Tornak. John and I together have around 12 boats including a Tsunami SOT double, X-15 singles, and the Futura double. John also paddles an X-Par Missile race boat (I plan to give it a try) and various surf boats (I *may* try when feeling kinetically confident). We're about to get a Feathercraft K-2 and plan to do some traveling with it. I'm a writer and photographer (mostly business stuff) and occasionally rep for the sea kayaking etiquette expert, Ms. Bowstern. * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * --*--*--*-- Sea Kayak Italia - Elba, Italy http://www.seakayakitaly.com tel. 650-728-8720 fax 650-728-8753 bkossy_at_igc.org * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- * -- *--* --*-- *************************************************************************** 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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