Re: [Paddlewise] Folders: single, double, girlfriend?

Dr. Peter Rand wrote:
> 
> Thanks to everybody who wrote me with comments and suggestions. It seems the more performance-oriented paddlers would favor a single, while sociable paddlers recommend a double. More affluent paddlers recommend I get two singles or a single and a double, and one person recommended I get a new girlfriend. <

I read all the suggestions with amusement.  I was surprised to see that
no one suggested getting a _second_ girlfriend, which is not exactly as
facetious as it may sound.  I know paddlers who have companion paddlers
of the opposite sex with no sex involved just sea kayaking.

> 
> I guess I tend to fall more in the group of sociable paddlers, since I have no athletic ambitions with the kayak, but rather hope to get out in nature, enjoy the good weather, have picnics, etc. I live in Vienna, Austria, and the Danube river is only about 10 minutes away by subway. Within an hour's drive there are also numerous lakes and other rivers. With the help of the kayak I hope to discover and enjoy these various bodies of water. Mostly alone, but occasionally with my girlfriend or a larger touring group. <

Doctor, I have studied your case carefully, run some clinical tests and
sought some outside opinion as well.  The Klepper double would be
perfect for you since you are not out to win any races when paddling
solo and you do hope that your girlfriend will join you sometimes or
often, whatever the dice read.

Paddling doubles is an interesting litmus test of a person or 2 persons
feelings toward society and their own place in it.  A person who wishes
to share experiences and enthusiasm with others and who feels that
helping others is a higher calling than his/her own self-interest is
likely to take to a double like a duck to water.  A person who feels
everybody has to watch out for themselves and is responsible for
themselves and who feels that what counts in the world is himself or
herself, will find a double the equivalent of floating on a raft
resembling the bed of nails favored by Indian fakirs.  I confess that
those lines are a little overdrawn but I like to get ahead of myself, at
times, and April 1 is not too far off.

Paul Theroux, a subscriber to my newsletter, and who was kind enough to
write the glowing foreword to my book, believes people who paddle
doubles should be nominated for sainthood.  Which may be true.  On page
17 of the book there's a photo of Pope John Paul II in the front seat of
a double during his seminarian days back in Poland. Who doubts that when
our present pontiff meets his maker that he will not be rushed through
the sainting process to a place in the Pantheon of Saints (I forget the
term for the hallow halls of sainthood, pantheon sounds nice).

Doctor, your title seems to suggest that you are a giver, as most in the
medical profession are, and not a taker, which might be the case were
your name followed by Esq. (will my lawyer friends ever forgive me;
probably yes; lawyers have few friends and have to keep every one they
have; it's usually just one).  So the double suits you.  But wait a
minute!  What if the Dr. title refers to your being a Doctor of Law! 
Maybe you better not paddle at all. :-) 
 
> In the Complete Folding Kayaker, Ralph states that "Solo paddling is fine" with the Klepper Aerius II, but "best done with a solo seat". From what I can tell, the solo seat is no longer necessary, since newer Kleppers all seem to have movable seats. Is this right? <

Yes, it is absolutely right.  The seat change made two or so years ago
allows you some adjustment to a solo position.

My own take on doubles: 

I think paddling in a double with someone you love (like a lover, spouse
or child) or some one you like and admire, say a good friend, is a
wonderful experience unlike anything else you can do on earth.  You are
literally in the same boat to share what you see and not find that the
other person has drifted off in another single when you spot an otter's
head peeking up at you and you can get their attention to marvel with
you.  It even works with someone you may not like all that much.  I
traveled some 150 miles in a double with a person with whom I have
little in common and never have socialized with or anything.  It did not
bring us any closer together but it was a rewarding experience which I
still cherish to this day.  For a few days we were a team, working out
our course, our stopping places, keeping ourselves safe in busy waters
by spotting dangers looming down on us or lurking out of the corner of
one eye.

I see some couples who I know love each other and who share a passion
for seakayaking but who are in singles.  While I know singles offer
their own reward, I am saddened because I know that in not having a
double in their fleet they are missing some opportunities to regenerate
love and reaffirm the spirit of sharing that underlies it.

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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