Release Date 3/30/2013

I paddled from Red Hook up to Randall's Island, had a quick lunch and came back home again.

We left at 8:30 AM, and got back right at 13:30.


High Water at the Battery was 11:15.

We had mild current at the start and it built-up throughout the trip. We didn't hang-out long enough so the current was against us at the start of the return trip.

It looks like the Parks department has really cleaned-up Mill Rock and added a bbq pit and picnic table, so the area is really calling out for a kayak based cookout.We could have a backup location on Randall's Island, where it is actually allowed in the official rules.

It was still very cool, but the sun was intense, clear, and bright, and spring is well under way.

The pictures are boring, but do capture the crisp clean glow of the day.

Truth: Girl Scout Cookies are getting smaller.

Release date 2/10/2013 Found date 9/20/2015

Update. See the comments Section. This was FOUND 2 1/2 YEARS later in NJ, just below Staten Island.

This is by far the longest I have had one out in the wild that was recovered. Really amazing. Unfortunately the finder didn't register or leave many details.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

It was a cold snowy day so we decided to paddle around Manhattan and see the city in white. It snowed about a foot 2 days before, but it was already a bit dirty and melty by the time we got out there.

  
We left Red Hook at 8:15 with high water at the Battery at about 8:00. We got up to Hell Gate around 10:00AM or just after and the current had just turned for the last 1/2 mile in the East River.

We took a short break on Mill Rock, I haven't been there in many years, but I was cold and hungry and didn't want to go all the way to to Randal's Island, and since this is past the current change mark the longer we waited the better the ride would be up the Harlem River.


We only hung out for about 1/2 an hour then we headed out. We got a nice current up the Harlem River, as well as in the Hudson.

We stopped at Mitsuwa for a much needed hot lunch, and spent a bit of time eating, drinking sake, and shopping. 


By the time we left the tide was well out, but we had planned ahead and we stopped down by the driving range, so we were able to get out without too much trouble. 

We had a nice Ride down the Hudson with current, and stopped at Pier 25 to check out the new boathouse. Its coming along but will it be ready by summer? I couldn't get into the boathouse part, but I checked out the restaurant. 


We got back to Red Hook right at 17:15 so 9 hour trip, but lots of stopping along the way, and a near perfect current plan.


Truth: Low Tide is Muddy.

Release Date 1/29/2013

Released this msg while hunting in the Suwannee National Wildlife refuge in Northern Florida.

We were hunting wild hogs in the swamps. The weather was really nice for this time of year, sunny and warm, up to 75 during the day, in past years it has been below freezing.

We did pretty well and got one of the first day, and one on the second. Even though I didn't personally get any, or even see one, it was still a nice time in the woods.

We met an author named Ken Callahan on the island who had written a novel that takes place in the same area. He was bow hunting, with a Mare's Leg backup.

Truth: Its hard to stay quiet.

Release Date 1/6/013

First bottle release of the new year, so I went somewhere exotic.


Released this msg in the Adaman Sea off the coast of Myanmar. Kate and I took a dive trip to Myanmar for a few days on a liveaboard dive boat. 

Clearing Customs into Myanmar. Thai whiskey only cost $3 US, you get what you pay for

We left from the city of Ranong  did Visa processing just over the border, then went into Myanmar for the trip.

I really was working when I was down there!

It was kind of cool because we went to a number of places where very few people have been diving. Kate wanted to get a survey of the dive industry for her work. Right now there is just one resort that offers diving on McCloud Island and then 4 or 5 liveaboards that go from Thailand.

The  diving was good, but I am very spoiled by PNG. It wasn’t quite as a diverse as the reefs were there, and visibility was a lot less.  Lots of fish and the coral was fairly healthy, but there isn’t a lot of hard coral. 

The fishing pressure is high and is growing. We  were almost always within sight of a boat or two, and saw nets and line all over the reef, as well as two giant fish traps. 

They make traps that are like a small hut 12fft x 5ft x 5ft. The two we saw underwater were old broken ones that were no longer in operation, but its kind of funky that they are so big. We saw 4 guys building one on a boat at night one night, but they were gone by the time it got light, so we didn’t see them put it into use. Much of the area we were in was supposed to be a park, but it wasn’t being enforced.

A giant fishtrap can also catch a jackass

Dive boat, Aladdin Divers, was funky. On of the divemasters described it as the "last hippy boat" it was funky and party like, but also very dirty. I'm not sure if I would have made it as a hippy, I'm too worried about getting sick from unwashed hands on my food and general lack of hygiene . 

Highlight of the diving were two dives where we watched cuttlefish mating. They were at it for hours and we saw them on one dive, then came back two hours and they were still going. 

Cuttlefish mating

Kate took a couple of videos but this is by far the best one. These cuttlefish are mating and this other little fish who is battling the current comes by, but can't quite make any progress...:
Funny and Cool Video Here
 

It was all European people, we were the only two native English speakers, but since English was the only common language almost everybody spoke it fluently so it was easy for us to get around, and communicate with the staff Germans, the crew Thai, the other customers German, Dutch, French, Swiss, Austrian. 

We had a few more days in Thailand, Ranong and then Bangkok before I head to London for work and Kate goes off to Myanmar for field work. 



Truth: Each year is different. 

Release Date 11/18/2012

We paddled up from Valentino Pier to North Brother Island at the entrance to the Long Island Sound.

It was my first time out since Hurricane Sandy, and the water seemed a bit muddy, but otherwise things were mostly back to normal. We rode up on the very end of the flood current enjoying the sunshine and free ride of the current. A bit of barge traffic, but otherwise it was pretty quiet.

We checked out the new FDR memorial, a careful check of the rules online does not say no boat landing, but there were a lot of guards standing around…

If it was possible to land anywhere there it might be a good stopping point.

I tried fishing, but the only thing I caught was a snag under railroad bridge next to the Triboro. I snagged another fishing line that must have been laying on the bottom.

We had a quick cold lunch on NBI. There WAS a lot of hurricane damage there, many down trees, but whoever looks after it had already been out there with chain saws and chopped them all up. This must be something to make them decompose faster, since they seem to do it in lots of parks around the city as well.

On the way back we saw a couple of yahoos in a motorboat that were stuck on the U Thant Island. 

They were pinned bow on into the rocks and the strong ebb current was holding the boat there. The motors weren’t strong enough in reverse to pull them directly off. We tried to help, but they shooed us away. We noticed they finally got free about 20 minutes later by turning the boat sideways.

Truth: Sometimes things stay the same.

Release Date 10/20/2012

Message was released in the Gulf of Mexico off near the wreck of the Thompson ship off New Port Richey Florida. 

We went out to go spearfishing and scuba diving. It was quite rough so we had a slow trip out and back, and it was difficult to get into and out of the water.

I got a bit sea sick and I barely felt good enough to scuba dive, and couldn’t really freedive at all. There was an amazing amount of bait fish all over the wreck, which actually made it difficult to see. I shot at a cobia, but the spear pulled out and he got away. There tons of AJs but all seemed under sized, likewise saw a few grouper, but none of them looked big enough either. 

Truth: 50 Years is a long time.

Release Date 10/13/2012

Release Date 10/13/2001

Kayaking from Red Hook out to South Beach on Staten Island. It was voyage number 2 for the Beluga and it worked really well. We were easily able to keep up with the other kayakers and if we pushed it could easily go faster than everyone.

It was a chilly day on the beach and certainly the last non-drysuit trip for the season.

Truth: Serbia Makes Good Water