NYCkayaker Manh Circ Weekend !!!!

[GerryChem at aol.com]

Hi:
 
31 went on Saturday. 17 went on Sunday. Of those 2 went on both days.
 
6 from Florida 
8 from the Chesapeake Paddlers group in DC area.
 
We also had Folks from Sebago, Hackensack, Inwood kayak clubs. And there  
were some without affiliation
 
 
>From our YPRC club we have GRAND MASTERS:: Jack, Eileen, Dave(his  first!) 
and Pat. Started and ended in Yonkers paddling against the current  for the last 
three miles
And returning Circlers:Rob Anderson, Lee Reiser(Sat. sweep), Marge  Cohen, 
Elaine Ashburn,  Andy Laiosa
First Timer: Linda Hayes
 
Everybody who started, finished both days, This includes a Sunday  circler  
who got sea sick  and threw up under the Williamsburgh  Bridge due to the 3 
foot chop And a lady who went to the bathroom in her  kayak(rear cockpit) Another 
kayaker steadied her boat by rafting while  she sat on her rear deck on the 
East River. 
 
Steve and I originally planned for a Saturday paddle with Sunday as a rain  
date. But we decided to run the trip on both days when numbers got  too large

 
Steve led the larger Saturday group while I did ground support. Sunday I  led 
my first Circ solo while Steve was in marine radio contact   at the Battery 
from his roof in Staten Island. Steve even radioed me about  a ferry in  
Buttermilk Channel. He discovered what a great view of the  harbor he had.
 
On the Sunday trip I had a side trip to the Nagouchi Museam available for  
the Hallet's Cove layover.  Two short blocks from the our kayaks  on beach,  we 
were learning about Nagouchi and Buckminister  Fuller collaboration . What a 
treat!.  A fellow paddler gave me a  quick lesson in Art Appreciation 101. He 
and I agree that I need more lessons.  The Museaum also has a delightful snack 
bar and bathrooms.
 
Another surprise treat.  Sunday: at the Swindler's Cove Park  on the Harlem 
River (just behind the Peter Sharp Boathouse). NYC Parks Dept gave  us a guided 
parks tour and real bathrooms. The guides met us right as  we landed. I 
thought they were going to bar us from landing. But then I  remembered I had made 
an appointment with the Park Office on Saturday. The  fragrences of the flowers 
at the Park are heavenly And the  story that the guides tell of the Parks 
creation is inspiring. This  same site was a dump on the Harlem River just two or 
three ago. Now they wecome  kayakers and walk ins for tours, receptions or a 
quiet retreat. And I love the  sound of their waterfall
 
At the Tubby Hook stop on Sunday the bar and grill had  20 professional 
bouncers all dressed in black  spread out around the  place. They frisked us for 
guns and knives before they let us in. The music was  really neat as were the 
views of the bridge. 3 paddlers from Port  Authority weren't allowed in since 
they looked like NYPD undercover agents  .
 
Stats for the Sunday trip from my GPS:
 
Trip Odometer (length)  30.0 miles
Maximum Speed 10.1 miles   (on the East River)
Moving Average 4.0
Time moving  7.25 hours
Time stopped 5.03 hours
 
I remember on the Harlem River we got up to 5.2 mph and on the Hudson  7.4 
mph.
 
For much of the trip on the Harlem River I put the two slowest  paddlers  as 
the leads. They perked up with all the attention and  worked harder. The rest 
of us had more time to chat and take pictures. Great  suggestion from Lee 
Reiser who provided the Saturday sweep
 
Sunday started at 8:30AM and I pulled up to the Pier 96 dock at 9  PM . Hey, 
I never want good dreams to end.
 
Big thanks to Tim Gamble and the DTBH for their assistance.
 
Links to photos from the Saturday trip are:
1. From Mo Friedlich:  
http://www.mofridlich.com/gallery/slideshow.php?set_albumName=album18

2. From CPAer Susanita  
_http://susanita.typepad.com/susanita/2006/08/manhatten_circu.html_ 
(http://susanita.typepad.com/susanita/2006/08/manhatten_circu.html) 

3. From CPA'er Susan  _http://susanita.typepad.com/guests/_ 
(http://susanita.typepad.com/guests/)  (Just  text at this point
 
 
Next year let's get some of our non paddling family members or friends to  
circumnavigate with us by bike. Image the phote taken from Brooklyn Bridge of a  
fleet of kayakers coming up the East River. AWESOME !!!!    Mnnnnn maybe one 
of the other bridges would be even better.
 
Jerry B (The First)
 
 
 
 
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.rockandwater.net/pipermail/nyckayaker/attachments/20060814/597b1900/attachment.html