Release Date 9/30/2011

I went for an afternoon paddle in the Hudson. The original plan was to go out with some  of the folks from Red Hook, but none of them could make it, so I went on my own from NY Kayak.

I was trying out one of the Tide Race boats the “Xcape”. It was a bit too wide for me, and super stable, meaning it was difficult to get it up on edge, but when I did it felt like it would go right on over, no secondary stability, and very wide.

I paddled north in a pretty strong ebb around 5:00PM. I got up to the cruise ship terminals, and had to wait while one of the boats pulled out.

I then went around the terminal, which was very difficult in such a strong current, it totally wore me out. I rested for a bit at pier 96, then flew home in a  stiff current.

My arm that has been bothering me really hurt the next day, but after 2 days it felt pretty good again.

Truth: Its good to try everything.

Release Date 9/25/2011

The “Inlet”.

Low Tide at the inlet was 11;40, and we got into the water about 12:00PM after a leisurely trip over Bellport.

We had an easy paddle over  from a launch at the East Moriches Coast Guard Station. Soon we were in the current being drawn toward the inlet.

It was a pretty busy place with a bunch of people fishing for stripers in the outgoing tide. We got blown right out and did a bit of surfing out on the East side of the inlet on some pretty big waves.

Then we paddled over to the West side and surfed a few waves over there. I was using a borrowed boat a pretty heavy plastic Baja, and I was happy to have it but I wasn’t strong enough to kick it around in the surf, and wasn't really dressed for a swim, so I was pretty cautious. 

We surfed the waves over there, and decided to stop lunch around 14:30. It was overcast, but the wind was mellow and had very relaxing lunch and some refreshment. We started back around 16:00. We surfed a bit after we left, the waves were reduced, but still substantial.

There was a nutty guy buzzing the inlet in an ultralight and flying very close to the water and the beach, like 10 feet, and we took a bunch of pictures.

By the time we got to the inlet we were very quickly being sucked right into it. A prefect Trip. Still a ton of boats even late late in the afternoon. I was fishing but not very enthusiastically, and I I didn’t catch anything.

We  got back just before dusk and could easily find the put-in.

I'm using some borrowed pictures, my camera has gone missing, but I hope to get it back soon it has pictures and a truth...

Truth:

Release Date 9/24/2011

Release Date 9/24/2011

We paddled out from East Patchouge to Watch Hill then over to Davis Park for a drink at the Casino. It’s very definitely the “shoulder season” out here and not so many people around.

We were VERY lucky with the weather this weekend. It was supposed  to be really bad, and rained very hard all day on Friday, all day throughout the city and Long Island, but I had  planned to go to a friend’s house for Saturday and Sunday on the Island, so I went anyway, and it didn't rain at all, a bit overcast, basically perfect paddling weather.

We didn’t get on the water until about 15:15 and got over to Watch Hill in an hour.  I wanted to go to the bar there, but held-off until we went to the Casino in Davis Park, which I had been promised was "much better".

The bar really reminded us of a place in Metuchick RI out on the beach where we had been after a kayak class. There was bit of surf, but we had walked through the island from the bay side so we didn’t have to deal. When we got cold we went inside.

For the 1.5 hours we were there these guys were tuning up for a “show” but they never started playing. Just test 1 2 3 4 and a bit of wasted away in Margaritaville we never heard and actual song.

 

We paddled back across the bay into a beautiful sunset. 

We hadn’t seen the sun all day, just the sunset. It never rained on us, but we saw and incredible rainbow, and it was the first time I saw an entire rainbow. It started from the mainland of Long Island and went all the over to the South of Fire Island, and you could see both halves of it, I have never seen that before, and maybe never will again. Here are the 2 halves; it took up almost the entire horizon.

 

Then it got dark. Very dark.

We were surfing wind waves, and had a very loose compass course, by the time it  was dark we  weren’t sure where we going. We reached land, and decided to go East, when we didn’t find anything after 10 minutes we went West, then eventually we decided to go back East. After a while, 15 minutes, we found a familiar landmark and we realized we were very far East near Bellport, so we went there which is where the kayaks live and took a cab back to the put-in. 

Truth: I was cold and had been drinking, so I don’t remember.

Release Date 9/18/2011

I went kayak surfing at Breezy Point.

The tides were perfect for an afternoon paddle, high in the harbor was around noon, we got on the water around 2:00PM so we had a nice ride out in the ebb.

There was a good amount of swell and we got some nice rides.

We started off with the smaller waves, and then I foolishly went way over to the East where some big dumping waves were breaking. These waves are actually pretty big, the picture doesn't do it justice...

I got one or two ok rides off of it, then got trashed twice in succession. I drank a  bit of water on the first one, even though the water was cold and violent it was still a lot better than worrying about the rocks and reef in PNG. After that I went back to the smaller waves....

The water temp was 68 degrees, and it was  overcast, so once I was wet it was a bit chilly. I only had a reed top and and a very light paddling jacket.



We stopped for lunch after about an hour to take a break and have some wine and lunch. Then we paddled back to the car.

There was an amazing view of the sun breaking through the clouds. The pictures  were ok, but it was really amazing live.


Truth:
It is disappointing when you expect something and then it isn't there.

Release Date 9/4/2011

I went for a paddle in the Hudson with an Outer Island from New York Kayak Company, I am in their club, so I can take any boat if its available.

I went North to meet-up with some friends from Pier 96, then we went up to Edgewater to have a picnic lunch. I was very lucky to snag a bottle of wine from the deli before we  left. They still flaunt the liquor laws when you get out on the fringes in NYC, and 12th Avenue is the fringes...

The river is still filthy from the Hurricane. It looks like chocolate milk, worse than it is even in the spring after the snow melts.

We had a nice relaxing lunch, and I wanted to just lie down for a snooze. These guys were cooking up some kind of crazy soup the whole time we were there. They were very old-school, just a blackened pot, a bunch of driftwood, and all kinds of meat and vegetables, but they did have a corkscrew, so that was really good for us.

After lunch we went across the river then up the Harlem against the tide to catch some friends on a circumnavigation around Manhattan. We found them a few miles in, and had a nice ride with the current back downtown.

I was pretty pooped by the end of the day, and I gave my shoulder a  good work out. It continues to get better and better.

We saw a  nice sunset, but its clearly not the South Pacific any more...

Truth:
Soup makes good food.

Release Date 8/13/2011

I went with a bunch of friends to do a swim support for the Stonewall foundation out on Fire Island.

It was a hoot to get out in the water, but I had a bit too much fun the night before so I wasn't feeling completely "fresh" in the morning. Here I am staggering up the beach trying to get ready....

  tim vs the morning morning is winning.

this dude was ready to go.

The swim was uneventful. My swimmer was very strong and did a great job. He started in the last section, but passed-up a lot of the other swimmers who had started in earlier heats. I made it to the bloddy marys before most of my friends. I was feeling better after a drink, a bagel, and some medicine. 

I need to get some new black paddling gear this looks a little too flowery.

We tooled around some other parts of FI, and went over to another bar in the Pines for a refresh before paddling back to the shore. 

My shoulder felt awful by the end of the day, but it felt better the next morning, maybe I just need to work it a bit more. Lifting the boat up at the end of the day was terrible.

 Truth: The picture didn't come out and I forgot it....

Release date 7/31/2011

Back in the USA...

I joined the New York Kayak Company club and paddled a tide race Xcite out and around to see all the old sites.

I went from Pier 40 to Pier 96, then back down, and across to Valentino Pier to my old Red Hook location.

All the public kayak programs were going really well. I was rushing to get to Red Hook, but of course they didn't need me at all. I bought a  T-shirt and the only thing I could do to help was to ride a bike up to staples to make copies  of the wiavers for them.

I liked the tide-race, but without surf or shallow water, I couldn't really test it out very much.

My shoulder is  getting better and better, but it isn't completely fixed yet.

Truth: Some things change, Some things don't...