NYCkayaker Costa Brava--Cadaqués

[ralph diaz]

Hi Phil, 

I was in Barcelona seven years ago.  At the last minute before going over, I was able to contact a Nautiraid dealer in that city (the only one in Spain; he is Catalan but speaks Spanish).  He had a kayak touring business on the Costa Brava and invited us to go up there but our schedule was so tight that we could not.  I don't know if I still have contact information (I am still looking) and who knows if he is still in business.  But there is some useful information anyway that may help for a trip to the Costa Brava:

1.  When I got back and sent out an email ode about Memorial Day, I mentioned the abundant poppy fields of Spain, someone on the CPAKayaker list wrote to me about paddling on the Costa Brava and having lived in Spain for 20 years.  It was from Maridale Jackson and her husband Manuel Suarez.  Their email back then was maridale-manu at worldnet.att.net and what they said in their email was: 
"Hi, Ralph. We are members of CPA Kayakers. My husband is from Spain, and I lived there for more than 20 years. We went kayaking at two locations on the Costa Brava last September. Both trips were spectacular. We will be glad to provide you with information."

If they are not at that email address perhaps some CPAkayaker list person who is on this list knows their new one.

2.  I was given a book by the Barcelona Nautiraid dealer on paddling the Costa Brava.  It was written by a German, Paul Fidrmuc, in 1947-48.  Mine is a Spanish translation, "Una piragua en la Costa Brava" and on the jacket there is a claim that it was the best selling book regarding the Costa Brava in 1948, probably because of Fidrmuc's insights on what he saw.  Obviously something like this is not a current guide and towns have changed and grown as has the tourism.  But it should give you an historical perspective (from a kayak no less), something I would hope would be of value for someone with "columbia.edu" in his email address :-).

BTW, he used a Klepper folding kayak that ceased being made prior to WW II.  It was a three seater 6 meters long, i.e. about 19 feet long.  Like Hans Lindemann who crossed the Atlantic a few years later in a double Klepper, he wanted the size for security and ease in paddling heavy seas without having to constantly brace.

You can borrow the book, but I do want it back.  Meanwhile I am still looking for that Nautiraid dealer's email.

best,

ralph diaz
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.rockandwater.net/pipermail/nyckayaker/attachments/20070614/2f8d4433/attachment.html