NYCkayaker Timing Re: Harbor Month, 5-Boro Tour

[William]

Maybe I missed an e-mail, but is it for this year,
2007?  If not, then I'm game for an unoffical trip
this year all in the public interest of "paving the
way" to gain some experience to be reported to the
offical group trip. Anyone else up to go this year?
Perhaps in June or Early July? Is Statan Island a hard
place to camp? Anyone camped before? (On or off radar?
)
Will 

 
--- rob buchanan <robbuc at aol.com> wrote:

> Alright, i'm down with the staten island idea. It'll
> only take about 500
> emails to line up the campsite, but erik, I know
> you'll enjoy taking that
> on!
> 
> I'm not sure how much arranging we need to do to
> land at stuyvesant cove, or
> anywhere else. We just land, or some of the party
> does, and then we move on.
> It's just a ceremonial staking of a claim. If parks
> is going to have a hard
> time with that--which I can't quite see, now that
> they're gung ho on the
> water trail idea--then we just confine our activity
> to the beach and don't
> climb up and over the promenade fence. But maybe you
> don't see that as a
> possibility? 
> 
> In general, I think we really need to push for this
> idea of landing on
> beaches as part of our public trust right, even if
> stepping up and off those
> beaches isn't. It doesn't necessarily have to be a
> commando action, either.
> The city has a public advocate who ought to be
> persuaded to take this up for
> us, and the state a department of state. We need to
> write them, singly and
> collectively, and make the request.
> 
> Regarding the bronx kill--harry, sorry to call you
> henry!
> 
> Rob
> 
> 
> On 3/14/07 12:38 PM, "Erik Baard" <erik at baard.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > Hi All,
> > 
> > First, as a matter of principal, I'm gonna be
> stubborn about including
> > Staten Island. We'll have much greater PR success
> and resources if it's
> > five boros, and it's only proper. Hell, we gain so
> much awareness of the
> > archipelago nature of NYC by including Staten
> Island.
> > 
> > We needn't paddle/row back. We can explore two
> options: camping
> > overnight and lifts back aboard larger watercraft
> or (heaven forgive
> > us) a truck or two.
> > 
> > Stuyvesant Cove is great, but I have ample
> experience with the layers of
> > redtape there. It might be a huge expense of
> energy. Smaller,
> > less-publicized landings, sure. But this? It's
> asking for headaches.
> > 
> > My sense is that the Bronx Kill is lovely but
> tricky, especially for a
> > larger rowboat. I've hiked beside it and paddled
> part of it, but Harry
> > Bubbins has the most experience here, so I'll
> defer to him on this.
> > 
> > Speaking of Harry, the route I recommended pulls
> in his dedicated team,
> > and a very large ally in the New York Restoration
> Project.
> > 
> > The routes might vary from year to year (Hudson
> down and across to
> > Rockaways, City Island to Staten Island would be
> amazing!) to highlight
> > needs and victories, but should always be five
> boros.
> > 
> > Stubbornly yours,
> > 
> > Erik
> > 
> > Erik Baard
> > 
> > http://www.licboathouse.org
> > http://www.naturecalendar.com
> > 
> > 
> >> -------- Original Message --------
> >> Subject: Re: NYCkayaker Harbor Month, 5-Boro Tour
> >> From: rob buchanan <robbuc at aol.com>
> >> Date: Wed, March 14, 2007 11:43 am
> >> To: Erik Baard <erik at baard.com>, nykayak
> <nyckayaker at rockandwater.net>
> >> 
> >> I like the idea of a 5 boro tour but that last
> leg to staten island might be
> >> unmanageable--it's a long way and if the wind
> comes up it could be hard for
> >> a big group to get all the way down there and
> back. Plus not much time for a
> >> festive meal at the midpoint.
> >> 
> >> How about trying a four-boro east river tour in
> early september? I could see
> >> starting at the new barretto park in the bronx, a
> great photo op with hell
> >> gate and towers of manhattan in distance, plus an
> easy launch and really
> >> nice beach there that we could stage on (removing
> the annoying 'no boating'
> >> sign could be another fun photo op). Then south
> on the ebb to the top of
> >> randalls and through the bronx kill to the
> harlem. I've never been in there,
> >> not even sure how navigable it is esp. for a gig,
> but I think it would be a
> >> good way to stake a claim on that northwest
> corner of randalls where they
> >> want to put the water park. Then down to hell
> gate on the harlem--not sure
> >> about tide there, seems to me it's going the
> other way but maybe not too
> >> seriously. Down the west side of the east with
> stops at south tip of
> >> roosevelt, u thant island off of the un,
> stuvesant cove, and brooklyn bridge
> >> beach (manhattan side). Then on to governors
> island (could just touch at the
> >> little low tide beach there, rather than screw
> around with the dock) and
> >> finally valentino pier as our lunch
> spot/turnaround. Gowanus dredgers could
> >> canoe over and join in; catering by red hook
> boaters. After lunch back north
> >> on the flood to dumbo cove, the little beach
> north of the navy yard,
> >> williamsburg beach in the new state park there
> (they'll love that idea),
> >> bushwick inlet to set the stage for future
> boating there, newtown creek (at
> >> least that little landing spot near the budweiser
> plant), anable basin,
> >> halletts cove, around the corner to astoria park
> beach, and then back to
> >> barretto with an optional stop on north brother
> for bird lovers. A big day
> >> but certainly doable, with numerous spots for
> people to join in/jump out.
> >> 
> >> Henry, you know about the Bronx kill--how
> practical would it be to cut
> >> through there on an ebb tide?
> >> 
> >>  
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> On 3/13/07 7:09 PM, "Erik Baard" <erik at baard.com>
> wrote:
> >> 
> >>> Hi All,
> >>> 
> >>> This is a really exciting time, but one that is
> full of challenges.
> >>> While the NYC Dept of Parks and Recreation is
> essentially
> >>> institutionalizing the somewhat scattershot
> harbor revival with a
> >>> comprehensive NYC Water Trail, we're also seeing
> water access threatened
> >>> along the Hudson and disregarded in many new
> waterfront developments.
> >>> 
> >>> Let's really hammer home harbor awareness with a
> month of activities,
> >>> much like the bike month of May, with the
> highlight being a five-boro
> >>> paddling and rowing tour. I recommend starting
> with June, 2008, which
> >>> might be when a the NYC Water Trail map is
> fresh.
> >>> 
> >>> I put "Harbor Month" in this subject heading,
> but we'll need something
> >>> more apt -- there are too many industrial and
> other issues outside our
> >>> scope, and there are passive uses that don't
> capture our in-water
> >>> spirit.
> >>> 
> >>> But I'm agnostic on the month: I also like
> September because it's a
> >>> warm-water month and the students are in town.
> Maybe we could have an
> 
=== message truncated ===



 
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