Gowanus Challenge 6/15/2013

Kate and I raced in the Gowanus Challenge boat race in Brooklyn.

It was an amazing show of wackiness, all for a good cause, the Dredgers!!!

My friend Jonathan took these amazing pictures, but link back to the race page, for full details..

The name of our team was "Greased Lightning" we dressed-up like the characters from Grease.

The start of the Canoe and Stand-up Paddle board class.

Kate and Tim literally blow by this dude in an inflatable boat, he never heard us coming. Check out the cool lightning bolts Kate put on our boat.

Yes We did get a bit competitive. We paddled a bit dirty by pushing off other boats, but karma caught-up with us when the guy doing the time keeping got confused and forgot to record our time. For the record we were first in the kayak class.

We Didn't actually release a bottle there was already so much crap in the water we couldn't bear to.

Release Date 6/9/2013

We did our annual Figment Festival event on Governors Island on 6/8 and 6/9.

It was a big success just like the last time, maybe even more people who participated.

There are a ton of great pictures over on the website:

http://www.windNwavesONwood.org

Also checkout this YouTube of the building demolition on Governors Island. Shot from a kayak just South of the Island on 6/9/2013.

The marchers in the "Peace Parade" helped us launch all the sculptures.

We had a great crowd both days. Once I got them started I could pretty much just hang out in the shade and let the festival goers handle the whole thing.

Release Date 6/1/2013

I volunteered to help lead a trip for the Brooklyn Bridge Boathouse.

They have a very nice new dock, and wonderful volunteers and equipment. It was a real joy to paddle a "public" boat, that was actually nice where everything worked, even the skeg.

There was a nice little spot of very heavy current with a tiny race under the Williamsburg Bridge that I had never seen before.

We went North from their facility all the way up to Barreto Point Park in the Bronx. This is a waterfront park that has been under construction for ever, but is now open for business and super busy. It's probably the only park around for miles and miles and there were tons of people there. I scored an excellent BBQ plate from "Father and Sons" BBQ stand. It was a little bit heavy for paddling food, but tasty.

On the way back we decided to go along the North side of Wards Island. I had never done this before and it was cool and fun. We found a tiny whitewater wave on some rocks where the current was draining out into the Hudson. Just like on a whitewater river you could actually see the level of the water being lower.

We stopped at Hallets cove to put lights on for the return trip home in a stiff current.

Truth: BBQ is good.

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.