[Paddlewise] Who's Who

a) Name: Ralph Diaz (there should be an acute accent on the "i")

b) Contact details &/or location:

My phone number is no secret as it appears in my SIG and other places. 
212-724-5069.  Upper Westside of Manhattan.  I am easy to contact for
questions on folding kayaks, local paddling conditions, etc.

c) Kayaks owned or paddled (boat names also if you like):

Klepper Aerius II Classic (w/added keelstrips); Nautiraid Raid I Exp.;
Feathercraft K-Light.  I don't believe in naming kayaks any more than I
would give names to articles of clothing or parts of my body.

d) Boat name and serial number if maritime radio operator:

With handhelds, you don't need marine operator numbers in the US.

e) Special interests:

Kayaking, walking, local history/geology, etc.  industrial archaeology.

f) Specialist knowledge:

Folding kayaks, NYC paddling

g) Strong opinions (I doubt we'll have any of those :~):

After considerable thought and experience, I have concluded that folding
kayaks offer a lot more than people give them credit for and hardly rate
the litany of weaknesses attributed to them.  I think I have helped many
to at least give this breed of sea kayak a look and not rely just on
hearsay.  

h) Most interesting kayak trip:

Paddling the 165 mile length of the Hudson from Albany to New York
City.  Having civilization always close while being in one's own world
upon the water made for the delicious feeling of being far, far away. 
In the end, adventure is more a state of mind...even more so in a kayak
that lets us, in a very personal way, break our bounds with earth and
return to our familiar yet unfamiliar origins in the sea.

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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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