NYCkayaker NYC Water Trail

[Nancy Brous]

Hi Erik-
I believe Lee's post is a response to a conversation he and I had about the
NYC Watertrail, and not the 5-borough tour. The 2 projects are separate but
complimentary.  I'd asked Lee, and all subscribers to this list, to please
submit information about their favorite NYC launch sites, and favorite trips
originating from those points, for possible inclusion in the growing list of
NYC Parks Dept designated launch sites and the planned NYC WT online guide.

While the 5-borough tour will be supported by the Parks Dept and will
certainly be one of our NYC WT summer events, the NYC WT project is going to
be farther reaching than the tour itself.  The watertrail initiative will
ideally result in a guide to NYC's waterways for paddlers in each borough in
the years to come, whether they want to make a day of it and do a longer
tour or just get out paddling for a few hours near where they live.

I look forward to seeing more submissions of sites, trips, and activities
from the seasoned paddlers out there, and invite you to our first NYC
Watertrail initiative volunteer meeting on Monday may 7th at the 6pm at the
arsenal in central park: 830 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor Gallery.  The meeting
agenda includes:
    * Goals for the Water Trail Initiative
    * Launch site information
    * Ideas and suggestions
    * Events
    * Water Trail Development

Please address submissions/responses to Velma Segars at
velma.segars at parks.nyc.gov,  (and cc me at nbrous*at*gmail.com), and if
you'd like to attend the meeting, please RSVP to Velma as soon as possible
so they can get a general count of how many people to expect.


On 5/3/07, Erik Baard <erik at licboathouse.org> wrote:
>
> Hooray for our continental cousins! :)
>
> The Pelham Park area provides somes of the most rustic and lovely
> paddling in the entire city. I think there's no doubt the Bronx will
> be a major part of the Water Trail (Harlem River and north bank of the
> East River) and City Island boasts a well-established paddling
> community. What are things like on the Hudson River stretch -- is the
> shoreline entirely cleaved away from neighborhoods by railroad tracks?
>
> But what's the route of which you speak? If it's the Five Borough
> Tour, our route will be altered annually, so your recommendation could
> certainly be incorporated in the future! Besides, we'll certainly be
> organizing smaller trips too.
>
> I'm very grateful that you highlighted Hallets Cove. We hope that our
> beach, recently cleaned by LIC COmmunity Boathouse volunteer David
> Garcia (who lives across the street from the cove) after an
> unfortunate round of winter dumping.
>
> Satly regards,
>
> Erik Baard
> www.licboathouse.org
> www.naturecalendar.com
>
> >  Dear Nancy,
> >   As per our discussion last evening at the DTBH meeting, the NYC
> Water Trail must include The Bronx. And why not start in NYC's largest
> park - Pelham Bay Park!
> >    I have explored this area extensively. Grab a map of Greater NY
> and follow along.
> >   There is an adequate launch opposite the huge parking lot for
> Orchard Beach. After launching into the "Lagoon", participants could
> paddle north to the Westchester Cty. line, then turn east keeping
> pictuesque Hog Island on the right. There are many erratics (boulders
> left by the last glacier) here to observe. Glen Island and David's
> Island (actually Westchester) would be on the port side as they
> travelled through the channel. Rounding Cat Briar Is. or keeping same
> to port through the channel, they could come around the point (called
> Twin Is.- because it used to be an is.) and pass by the beach which
> would be to starboard.
> >   Then they could either pass under the City Is. Bridge keeping City
> Is. to port, or paddle on the outside of the island. The latter would
> enable them to stop at the rather small park in City Is. Harbor and/or
> Belden Point Park at the southern tip. Plenty of places to grab food
> or water or rest before continuing on a westerly course past Big Tom
> Is.(don't know why it's named that-it's very small) and another isle
> called Cuban Edge, and then paddling to the shores of Spencer Estates,
> Country Club, Eastchester Bay, and Edgewater Park in that order. This
> route would eliminate a need for a rather long open water crossing.
> >   The route would then take you predominately east around Locust
> Point
> > following alongside the Throgg's Neck Bridge, then around Throgg's
> Neck Point and Lighthouse, after which would procede due west to Ferry
> Point Park. Next would be going under the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge,
> then to Clason's Point or stopping at Sound View Park.
> >   The trip would then head east past Riker's Is. to port and split
> N.and S. Brother Islands into Hell Gate (presumably at a well planned
> slack tide). Next stop Hallet's Cove, which is probably already on
> your itinerary.
> >   I'll leave the rest to others who probably know the best route
> from here.
> >   Yours truly,
> >    Lee Reiser
> >
> >
> **********************************************************************
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> >
>
> Erik Baard
>
> LIC Community Boathouse
> http://www.licboathouse.org
>
> Nature Calendar
> http://www.naturecalendar.com
>
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