Paddling Report-Manhattan circumnavigation

Working in the kayak and small boat manufacturing business, summer is more about work than play. It can be a frustrating balance between doing a job that I love and the activities that I love to do. As satisfying as my job is, I simply must get out on the water to keep my sanity. If I can also challenge myself in the process, that is just icing on the cake. This year has been devoted to expanding my kayaking skills as well as my horizons. When I heard about this event, I had to find a way to make it happen. An email from a good friend was all it took, and I was ready.

The circumnavigation around Manhattan is 31 miles of varying water conditions, and hazards that should never be taken lightly. A busy shipping channel, ferries and a sometimes ferocious current, are nothing to play with. Add in reflective waves from ferry and tug wakes bouncing off the endless seawalls, you have a recipe for a challenge and fun. Now, I consider myself to be a strong paddler, but have never been tested at this distance. As advised, I took an opportunity to do a long distance paddle of 16 miles, several weeks in advance of this trip. It almost ended in disaster as I pushed my body to the point of failure. I am not the athlete I used to be, and that trip was a sobering reminder. The circumnavigation was a test and a way of pushing my personal "bar" higher.

Now, the idea was to be fully rested before venturing up to New York. After all, the lack of proper rest was the biggest contributing factor in my near disaster trip, the month before. The plan was to drop my daughter off, with her mother, and head up for and early evening bed time. All it took, was one phone call to shatter that goal. Her Mom was not going to be able to meet me until 5:30 in Northern Virginia. So I pressed on, thinking I would be able to arrive in NY by 11pm. 5:30 turned into 6:30 and there was 6 hours of driving ahead of me.

I arrived at my friend, Dan's house at 12:50 am. We transferred my kayak onto his car, for the ride into the city. Since we were supposed to wake at 4am, there was precious little time to sleep. As I fell asleep, the excitement was tempered by thoughts of my mental checklist, where my gear was located and where it needed to be at departure. As expected 4am arrived very quickly.

We arrived at Pier 40 to a flurry of activity. We registered, staged our boats and inhaled our breakfast. What could be more "NY" than standing by the Hudson with a bagel one hand and the camera in the other. It was going to be a glorious day! We were launching in the shadows of the new Freedom Towers with a view of the Statue of Liberty. How cool is that? Once in the water I felt ready, bursting with energy. Before I knew it we were off.

Now me, being from a smallish southern town. I was in for a little bit of culture shock. As a southerner, our stereotypical view of New Yorker's was they were brash, loud and obnoxious. I was on their turf now and that stereotype was about to be shattered.  I was not used to the noise of the city. This was going to be a new paddling experience for me. I usually seek out the quiet spots, where I can feed off the energy of the water. My last trip in Rhode Island and Connecticut, the only noises heard while paddling, was the crashing of the waves. This was different, but in a very cool way.

We headed around the Battery, timing the ferry's and headed over to the Western side, toward Long Island. The conditions were somewhat choppy, but not that strenuous. I was still awe struck that I was paddling in the Big Apple, so my mind was not on the conditions that much. We made our way up into the East River, passing the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges. The view of the city was breathtaking. Off in the distance, the Empire State building was glowing in early morning sun. We were keeping a rapid pace, the radio chatter indicated that we were an hour ahead of schedule. We slowed a bit and bounced around in the chop that was forming by the opposing wind and current. We passed to the West of Roosevelt Island in route to our first stop. The current was starting to get really strong here. We ripped past the Roosevelt Island bridge at a whopping 9 knots! The trick was to be ready, because the water was swirling unpredictably. Several times I reached forward on my catch stroke to pull against nothing. Plenty of steering strokes were utilized to keep my kayak pointing in the right direction. Before we knew it, we were at our first stop, Hallets cove.

Hallets Cove, Photo courtesy of Dan Thaler

We arrived an hour early at Hallets Cove. There was the newly formed Socrates Sculpture Garden that occupies a space where an illegal landfill once stood. A group of local artist reclaimed the area and have turned into a showcase where they can show their work. We chatted for a while, made a few new friends and then took a short nap. As I drifted into a state of thoughtlessness, I soaked in the surrounding noises. The city became less apparent and the voices, more importantly the diversity of voices filled my consciousness. It was fun to just listen, to the different languages as they passed by. There was a cooking class going on behind me, that included a strange group of ingredients. The kids in the class didn't seem to mind at all. It was fun to just observe without seeing what was going on. The call to paddle had come and it was time to cross the infamous Hell's Gate.

Hell's Gate was very visible from he shore line. It is a consistent rough bumpy and turbulent section of water where the East and Harlem Rivers meet. The organizers wisely chose to go around. As much as I wanted to take a run through it. A  large group of paddlers increased the chances of potential problems. We made our way up through the Harlem river. This is what I would term as urban paddling. Not a lot to look at, certainly less inspiring than the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan. Our second stop was toward the end of this stretch,  Swindlers Cove. We docked at the Peter Jay Sharpe Boathouse. I took a few minutes to browse, it was full of state of the art Eight Man Rowing Shells. It is Carbon Fiber Heaven! I went over to the Gardens and soaked in the sights. In the middle of  this urban setting was this oasis of lush green grasses. A walk up the path revealed a waterfall and garden area where local kids could learn about planting and harvesting their own vegetables. What a complete surprise and I met a new little friend who showed me the "King of Tadpoles" in the fountain. She proclaimed that she lived around the corner. I replied that I live near Washington DC. She asked, "What are you doing here", to which my reply was "Paddling around Manhattan in my kayak". With a very cute and puzzled look, she said, "Why are you doing that"? I replied, "Just because".

The next phase held the biggest surprise, Spuyten Duyvel. From an urban setting it all changes into a surreal picturesque setting. I paddled close to the shore under the overhanging trees. There was a cliff to the right and off in the distance we could see the Hudson river. It'shard to describe because the setting changed so quickly and unexpectedly.

Spuyten Duyvel, Yes, this is part of Manhattan. It was a lot like a scene in a movie as we rounded the corner to this scene.

We stopped for a group photo, it was a lot like herding cats. Forty plus kayaks within a single shot was no small feat. Once done, it was time to make the run down the Hudson. The Hudson River is a beautiful river. I can't wait to go back and explore in greater detail. That is a trip that will likely happen this fall. We crossed under the George Washington Bridge and the winds of change started to blow. At first a welcome breeze. Then it started to blow. A fifteen mile per hour head wind with a three knot opposing current, made for a fun and bumpy ride home. 

After the sprint to the finish, I had a great sense of accomplishment. I was surprisingly, not nearly as tired as I should have been. We were keeping a blistering pace over the last few miles. Standing on the dock and looking back over the day, I was ready to do it again. What an awesome feeling. I had learned a little about myself but more importantly, it altered my perception. The same people who I earlier described as brash and loud, seemed completely different. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met. They are expressive, giving and caring. It was a complete team effort to get all those people around Manhattan without incident. Everyone looked out for each other, that is the way it should be.

A huge thank you to Jerry, Steve and all of the support staff. It was a memorable experience, one that I will repeat as many times as I possibly can.