By Ethan D. Mitkowski, Record-Journal staff, Record-Journal, January, 2001

WALLINGFORD – Michael Falconeri spent the last six months exploring America. On July 2 he began his journey in Tahola, Wash., headed south to the California coast. To save a little money, he spent most of his nights in a tent on the beach. To make the trip adventurous, he spent most of his days in the Pacific Ocean, 15 miles off of America’s western shore.

Falconeri, whose travels to date have brought him from the Pacific Northwest to Florida, is exploring the country as few have; he is kayaking the entire coastline. As far as Falconeri can tell, he is the first person to ever attempt the navigation of the nation’s entire coastline by ocean kayak.

"I may never figure out exactly why I did take off," Falconeri said this week during a short rest in Florida. "I’ve been planning this trip for four years. What this is for me, well, I’m experiencing whatever I can experience on this journey." Falconeri, 40, founded his own kayaking outfit, Urban Eskimo Kayaking, in 1991. Since then, the Wallingford resident has worked on his own and with the Parks and Recreation Department offering kayaking lessons. His list of ocean and river kayaking expeditions stretch from the New England coast to Nova Scotia, Ireland, and rivers in Utah, but this is by far the most ambitious journey he has ever attempted.

The trip began without financial sponsorship, and with the exception of a few friends, who occasionally meet Falconeri for re-supply, his journey is a solo one. He hopes the excursion will encourage people to get out and experience the sport and America, but beyond that, it is simply something he wanted to do. Falconeri’s personal quest is often a dangerous one.

"When you see the shadow in front of you of the wave behind you, it’s a little bit of a weird feeling. It definitely puts a little power in those paddle strokes, too," Falconeri said. "You constantly have to keep aware of the things you do. Sort of, think ahead of things that could possibly happen. You could separate a shoulder, break a bone. If that happens to you out on the ocean, you could be seriously screwed."

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer John Olsen of Group Long Island Sound said ocean kayakers often face two considerable dangers in the winter. "Basically, the problem is with heavy weather. They loose a paddle or they’re overdue. You can take a pounding out there," Olsen said. "Hypothermia is also a big danger."

Kayakers in distress are not easy to locate. The first report of a problem often comes from other people who report a kayaker as overdue, Olsen said. If the Coast Guard knows the course the kayaker took, it will center their search on that route. The Coast Guard often requests that nearby ships aid in the search, but even with the help of local shipping, an 18-foot missing kayak can be extremely hard to find.

Falconeri has escaped any major catastrophe on his voyage. He managed to paddle down the entire West Coast to San Diego without injury. His kayak was stolen during a brief stop in Eureka, Calif., but with the help of some locals the craft was quickly recovered. Once in San Diego he left the water to transport his kayak and gear to Texas. He paddled into the Gulf of Mexico in October. While there, unexpected cold weather resulted in a patch of frostbite that has left one foot numb. Now he’s re-supplying on the Gulf side of Florida before paddling around the Florida coast and then north to Maine.

Each day he’s on the ocean, Falconeri paddles an average of 25 nautical miles, 12 to 15 miles off shore. He has plotted his course to take ad- vantage of local wind and sea currents with the hope of using the environment to help push him in the right direction.

His red, white and blue, ocean kayak stretches 18 feet, but only 21 inches wide. The craft is about 250 pounds when fully loaded, and has no rudders or mechanical steering devices to aid him in the trip. Days alone on the ocean can take their toll, he said. "Once they let you go, you’re on your own," Falconeri said. "You get used to it, but you always realize you’re on your own." For kayakers, that time alone can be an enthralling event.

"To go for many miles is always a very deep experience," said Clark Eid, a Cheshire resident organizing a 2,350-mile charity-kayaking marathon down the Mississippi River. "It takes on a whole different meaning. It’s mesmerizing. Mentally, you go to an entirely different place. "It is going to be tough, especially in the colder months," Ed said of Falconeri’s trip. "This is definitely not for the faint hearted. No one would last for long if they didn’t know what they were doing."

While Falconeri’s 27 years of kayaking experience left him well prepared for this voyage, he might feel the effects when he stops the paddling in Maine. "You hear of repetitive injuries? Well this definitely falls into that category," said Tanya Hinckley, a physical therapist at Keystone Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine in Cheshire. While Hincldey said it would be impossible to guess at Falcoperi’s tolerances, such a rigorous, extended journey could leave him in danger of long-term injury.

"That’s continuous, aerobic exercise. You have to be trained as a marathon runner would be," Hinckley said. "There’s a lot of force and stress on the tendons. That’s a lot of wear and tear on the joints. Arthritis is possible."