Daily Archives: August 14, 2013

By Vladimir Brezina

Last weekend, the currents took us on another of our favorite paddles—from Pier 40 in Manhattan round the Battery, up the East River, through Hell Gate, and round Throgs Neck into Long Island Sound.

Rounding Throgs Neck is like entering another world. The towers of Manhattan are still visible—all this is still within the borders of New York City!—but they are tiny in the distance. The broad blue Sound opens up. Shoals of white sailboats cruise past. Rocks are crowded with cormorants. We paddle past lighthouses and round islands—City Island, Hart Island, Pea Island…

Here are a few photos (click on any photo to start slideshow).

We paddle down the Hudson, with the Statue across the harbor

North Cove

Jersey City across the river

Round the Battery

Downtown architecture

South Street Seaport

… has a certain 19th-century look

Under the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges

Looking back at Downtown

Williamsburg Bridge

Midtown Manhattan

Two towers and a sail

We pass the UN

Into Hell Gate

Good current!

Off Rikers Island

Prison barge

The next two bridges: Bronx-Whitestone and Throgs Neck

Just before rounding Throgs Neck, we look back at tiny Manhattan

Stepping Stones Light

Grim Hart Island

We land on Pea Island for lunch

Green vista

Red and green

Siesta

Fishermen offshore

Time to get back into the boats…

Cormorant (and gull) rock

Off City Island, we paddle between hundreds of moored sailboats

The wind is freshening, and the sailboats are going out

Back into the East River

Hell Gate again

Under the Hell Gate bridges

… toward Manhattan

The Domino sugar factory and the Williamsburg Bridge in the late afternoon light

Under the Willliamsburg Bridge

Moody skies

Downtown vista

Brooklyn Bridge

South Street Seaport once more

Into the sun

Round the Battery

Dramatic skies over Jersey City

Sailing at sunset

The glass towers above North Cove reflect the light

Silhouettes

Evening light

Can’t get enough of the sunset!

Sunset cruise

We head home

Last look

More photos are here.