Just wanted to mention that I finally picked up my Klepper single at the end of April, and went paddling the next day with a group of about 15 other boats on a local lake. Carrying the kayak (3 bags totalling a bit over 60 lbs) was a bit more strenuous than I had imagined, but setting up the boat was very fast and simple (after practicing a few times!) I enjoyed all the oohs and ahhs of onlookers as my pile of sticks quickly turned into a sleek sea-worthy craft. I came prepared for the worst, and carried warm reserve clothing, down booties, wool socks, a thermos of hot chocolate and assorted other materials in a water-proof bag (water was about 62 F). However, the Klepper proved rock-solid, so I didn't need any of the back-ups. I was surprised to see that only 4 or 5 of the other 25 boaters wore PFDs. In Austria PFDs are apparently considered uncool, and only something for kids under 4 years of age. There wasn't really any wind to speak of that day, so I wasn't able to put my drift sail to a good test. I hope the next outing includes a nice, stiff breeze. My girlfriend, who remained on shore, enjoyed the day very much: the sunshine, the water, the good mood and comaraderie of all the other boaters and their families. She's already eager to spend another day near the water. All in all, a very positive start. Peter *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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