Release Date 5/26/2007

I released this bottle off of the Norwalk Islands in Norwalk CT. The note in the bottle says the Thimble Islands, but I forgot to let it go until I got to Norwalk. We paddled in the Thimbles, then cartopped back to Norwalk.

We were camping on the Grassy Island. This was a nice spot, but it was covered in trash. We did a trash pick-up, but didn't have enough bags to do a really good job. I did take one giant bag of trash out, and also had a lot in the hatches and in other people's boats. This barely made a dent on the island.

We did find some cool stuff beach combing, and made a scary totem for the next people out of an old decoy, a doll, and other stuff. I also found a deer antler, some nice lobster floats, and a new PFD for the Downtown Boathouse.

I caught a small stripped bass, but it was too small to keep. It sure did look tasty though!

Truth: Kids look like their parents.

Release Date 5/25/2007

This was the final leg of my Cape May to Brooklyn paddle. We launched at Sandy Hook around 12:15, and reached Red Hook Brooklyn around 18:00, with a 45 minute break at Voodoo Beach under the bridge.

It was another lovely day, and we all paddled in the shorts and T-shirts. Air temperature got up into the 80s.

Shortly after launching I saw an orange floating in the water, then another, and another, they seemed to be perfectly good, so I started picking them up. In the end I picked up 20 of them, and there had to be two times as many still floating in a giant orange slick.

See the Atlantic Sea Kayaker message board for the real story.

We ate one, and I took the rest home. I'm still eating them 5 days later. It was funny because they weren't even all the same, some Navel, some Valencia, etc etc.

We paddled up the harbor dodging the large ships. I released the bottle right in the middle of the entrance to the harbor, that is the light at Romer shoal in the background.

We saw the Queen Mary leaving as we paddled up past the Narrows, it really looked like it was going to hit the bridge.

While paddling along the shore in Bay Ridge a small fish jumped right in my boat, and we watched somebody land a large bluefish.

To go back and get my car, I rode my bike into Manhattan, and took the SeaStreak ferry to Atlantic Highlands, then rode back out to the park to get the car.

Truth: Summer always comes.

Release Date 5/14/2007

I released this message off of Manaasquan NJ on 5/14/2007 at 10:00 AM. I was working on the 2nd to last leg of my Cape May to Brooklyn paddle.

It was a really nice day. About 55 degrees and sunny when we started, and it probably went up to 70 degrees during the afternoon. Almost no wind to start with, but the wind shifting to be a following wind and steadily increasing all day. By the time we finished it was blowing at about 20 knots, which was really nice since it blew us right up the coast. We launched at 9:00 AM, made it to Bradley Beach by 12:00, and after a 30 minute lunch break landed at Sandy Hook at 16:00. About 22 NM.

I paddled the whole day with my Greenland paddle, and even managed a very ugly cool-off roll with it.

There were lots of people fishing, and at one point I saw a blue fish bight the tail off of a 6 inch mullet. I saw a little disturbance in the water, then a fish floundering at the surface with its tail missing and blood pouring out. It looked just like one of those scenes on TV where a shark attacks. I saw the blue fish swimming around, coming back for the rest. Once I backed off a little he attacked again. These are very aggressive fish!


Truth: Spring is Here.

Release Date 4/23/2007

This was part of my Cape May to Brooklyn paddle. We paddled 20 statue miles from Barnagat light on Long Beach Island to Bay Head New Jersey.

We left LBI at 9:45AM. We launched from the bay side, just inside the inlet. Even though low tide was a few hours before the water was still flowing out because there must be an estuary effect like we have in the Hudson River.

It was warm about 70 degrees, but it felt much cooler on the water becasue there was a substantail south south-east wind blowing across the still very cold water.

The wind really helped us along and we made great time flying up the coast. We stopped where we found a spot of mellow surf, just north of Island Beach State park for lunch from about 13:00 to 13:30.

I released the bottle right in front of the amusement park at Seaside heights.

We made it to Bayhead by 16:00. I tried to find the take-out based on my visual clues without using the GPS and failed. I was paddling by it before Miles stopped me.

See Mile's trip report at:

http://www.atlanticseakayakers.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=2

Truth: It's annoying when things don't work right.

Release Date 4/9/2007

I released this message off of Long Beach Island on the Jersey Shore around 13:00 about 1 mile from shore.

I was on my Cape May to Brooklyn paddle. It was an unusually cold day for April, but it was still nice to be out on the Ocean.

We launched at Holgate around 11:00, and paddled to Barneget light, which covered the entire island. We got off the water at 17:30.

Wind was from the West about 10-15kts, but it picked-up near the end of the day. The last 1 mile was a slog against wind and current into the harbor.

It was funny to be back here after so many years. I used to vacation on this island years ago. Many things were still the same, but all the empty lots are now occupied by houses.

See Mile's trip report at:

http://www.atlanticseakayakers.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=86

Release Date 4/8/2007

Easter Sunday!!!

I was doing a trip for New York Kayak Company. They had a paddler over from Sweden who wanted to go to the Statue.

It was interesting to talk with him, and find out about what they consider kayaking. They do mostly flatwater paddling, using kayaks that are like K1 racing boats with wing paddles. They are not very familiar with cold weather gear. One of his friends had just died this year from hypothermia.

It was pretty windy 15-20 kts from the West.

We paddled over to Jersey City, then south to the Statue. Like was week there wasn't much of a flood current because of the snow melt, but I think things are returning to Normal.

We stopped at Liberty State Park for a short rest, and had a fast trip home on the wind.

Truth: It's always better to be early.

Release Date 3/31/2007

I released this message in the New York Harbor.

We paddled down the river to see the new Golf Course South of Liberty State Park. Seems like they built a nature walk and cleaned-up the beach here. My hopes of sneaking onto the course for a quick game later in the summer were dashed by a giant steel fence. The course looks like a prison.

It was a nice warm spring day, and the tides were very strong because of the snow melt. In the pictures you can see the Empire State Building, and the moon.

Because of the snow melt tides we got to play in a small tide race for about 10 minutes in front of Pier 63.

We checked-out the new pier 66 facility, and the waterwheel.

The barge is about to be moved, and they were making final preparations for the moving.

Truth: You should always check the weather.