Kayaker gets boat; gear still missing. 
Times-Standard, Wednesday, Aug, 3, 2000

by John Driscoll

EUREKA—After a strange sequence of events, sea kayaker Mike Falconeri has his kayak back.

A man, choosing not to identify himself, delivered the customized kayak to Falconeri's hotel at about 9 a.m. Wednesday. The boat was stolen from its Truesdale Street location early Monday morning, putting a temporary halt to Falconeri's goal of paddling along the coastlines of the United States.

Tuesday night, Falconeri decided to see if anyone in a nearby bar had heard anything about his kayak. While having a beer, he found that most of the patrons had heard of his dilemma.

Soon, a "tough-looking guy" announced that he wanted Falconeri to make a list of his missing 'stuff', Falconeri said. The guy told Falconeri that he would get it back for him by the next morning.

Sure enough, the boat turned up the next morning, albeit without his gear. "I don't know if he had anything to do with it," Falconeri chuckled.

Eureka police Detective Dave Parris said that police had been putting pressure on residents of the area where the boat was taken. That, Parris said, coupled with media attention, may be one reason that the boat turned up.

"It's great he got it back," said Parris, adding that police are pursuing leads on the rest of Falconeri's gear.

Falconeri said the outpouring of support from the community has been "unbelievable." Wednesday, he had lunch with a group of Mensas, who donated a small amount of cash to help him. That night, he was invited to Folie Douce restaurant in Arcata by owner Wendy Day.

Tonight, Falconeri has been invited to dinner by the director of an international exchange student program.

He has had offers to replace gear from two outfitters and has been offered lodging in several homes.

"In the beginning, it was kind of an end-of-the-world type feeling," Falconeri said. "Now it's completely turned around. Now I'm really back into the trip, and I think there are a lot of people who want to see me finish this thing."

Though the experiences he's had in Eureka over the past few days have been a mixed bag, Falconeri knows he has a story to tell.

'What a trip this is becoming," he said. "It's a journey—a journey into the unknown."