NYCkayaker kayaking to work

[Ralph Diaz]

In the early 1990s, there was a guy who paddled to work from New Jersey, 
across the Hudson and AROUND the Battery to the East River to a dock near 
Pier 17.  I forget his name at the moment but he was subscriber to my 
Folding Kayaker newsletter.  I think he had a small Nautiraid, which he kept 
assembled.

On arriving in Manhattan, he would roll the kayak on a cart up a few blocks 
to a cousin's pizza shop (the guy's Italian) where he was able to store it 
in the basement during the day.  I have a short movie or photo of him 
walking up the hill from the East River going past a coffee shop and people 
seated at the window in astonishment at him in a wetsuit pulling the kayak. 
He would then shower at a local gym and go to work in some stock market job.

While this Sean fellow covered in last week's TV news claims 9 minutes, it 
looks like a straight shot across under ideal conditions.  The fellow from 
back in the early 1990s had a much longer haul with trickier waters around 
the Battery and opposing currents to deal with.  He once took two hours 
paddling home dealing with the differing currents, winds, Staten Island 
ferries at rush hour, etc.  He is quite muscular and did the commute because 
he loved the workout.

ralph diaz

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Riley" <priley at amnh.org>
To: "New York Kayaker" <nyckayaker at rockandwater.net>
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 6:56 PM
Subject: NYCkayaker kayaking to work


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