Tag Archives: Kayaking

Travel Theme: Metal

Posted on May 23, 2014 by | 28 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge this week is Metal.

A few close encounters with New York Harbor metal—

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Red rust
Yellow garbage barge
Orange rust
Black barge
Blue rust
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A Paddle to the Norwalk Islands

Posted on May 21, 2014 by | 42 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

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Last weekend was sunny and warm: It could already have been early summer. It turned out to be the perfect weekend for our long-planned paddle to the Norwalk Islands with our kayaking friends Alex and Jean, who are also fellow bloggers at 2 Geeks @ 3 Knots (check out their lovely blog!).

Johna and I left, early on Saturday morning, from Manhattan’s Pier 40 as usual.  We joined up with Alex and Jean at their base in Horseshoe Harbor in Larchmont, about half-way into the trip. We made it to the Norwalk Islands comfortably before sunset, and camped on Shea Island. On Sunday, we retraced, more or less, our route. Altogether, over the two days, we paddled about 84 nautical miles (97 land miles).

Here’s the story in photos.

Continue reading →

42 Comments

Posted in Kayaking, New York City

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Travel Theme: Rivers

Posted on May 15, 2014 by | 36 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge this week is Rivers.

Kayaking around Manhattan revolves (so to speak) around three rivers: the Hudson River, the East River, and the Harlem River. (Two and a half of them are not really rivers, but we won’t let that distract us here.)

And so, when we fly back to NYC, we always try to sit by the window. It’s such a pleasure to see these rivers spread out below, and to recognize all the bridges and piers, the islands and bays that we’ve come to know so intimately from kayak level.

From the air (click on any image to expand)…

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… and from kayak level

Typical summertime conditions ;-)

1. East River: Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg Bridges

Downtown vista

2. East River: Moody Downtown vista

From the air…

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… and from kayak level

... as we launch down the Hudson

3. Hudson River: The new World Trade Center ahead

From the air…

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… and from kayak level

We pass Chelsea Piers

4. Hudson River: Chelsea Piers and the Empire State Building

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5. Hudson River: Summertime evening on the river

One of the classic views

6: East River: Midtown Manhattan vista

From the air…

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… and from kayak level

White mulberries!

7: Harlem River: White mulberries!

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8. Harlem River: Under the RFK Bridge in falling snow

Nocturne: the George Washington Bridge

9. Hudson River: George Washington Bridge nocturne

36 Comments

Posted in Kayaking, New York City, Photography

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Letters, Take Two

Posted on April 29, 2014 by | 26 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

The Columbia “C” is not the only letter in the harbor—

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The Bronx River, New York City. More photos from the trip are here.

Posted in response to this week’s Photo Challenge, Letters.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Letters

Posted on April 25, 2014 by | 122 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

This week’s Photo Challenge is Letters.

Now there‘s a letter than makes sure it will be seen—

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The Columbia “C”, Spuyten Duyvil, New York City.

And this is not the only letter that we encounter kayaking through the harbor…

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Easter Sunday Paddle

Posted on April 21, 2014 by | 44 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

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The weather is finally getting warmer, and the days longer. Time for one of our favorite paddles!

In yesterday’s variant of the trip, we paddled up the East River, through Hell Gate, and past Throgs Neck out into Long Island Sound, just in time for lunch at Sugar and Spice on City Island. Then back down the East River to Hell Gate, up the Harlem River, and finally down the Hudson River home.

Here are a few photos…

Continue reading →

44 Comments

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The Last Seal of Winter

Posted on April 14, 2014 by | 43 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

We saw plenty of wildlife—dolphins, turtles, sharks, birds—last month in Florida. But no seals.

So yesterday we paddled down to Swinburne Island, where seals have never yet failed us, during the winter months. But spring is now, finally, upon us, with temperatures warming dramatically—time for the seals to return north, to their summer homes in Maine and Canada. We may have left it too late…

We paddled around Swinburne a couple of times, sat and scanned the water, waited expectantly… Nothing.

Then, just as we were about to leave, a lone seal head popped up.

The last seal of winter…

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Continue reading →

43 Comments

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Travel Theme: Misty

Posted on April 4, 2014 by | 23 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge this week is Misty.

I recall a misty paddle through New York Harbor back in April 2010…

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This was actually a paddle from Manhattan around Staten Island, past the Graveyard of Ships

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and many still-living ships

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back to Manhattan, still misty in the evening…

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More photos are here.

23 Comments

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Finally, Liquid Water!

Posted on February 23, 2014 by | 71 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

We’ve been ice-bound for the last month. No paddling—and we were beginning to feel it! But this weekend, finally, winter seems to have released its grip.

Here are a few photos from Saturday’s Manhattan circumnavigation (click on any photo to start slideshow):

From Pier 40, we paddle down to the Battery
Past North Cove
… with its reflecting surfaces
It’s a breezy day
We wait for the Staten Island ferry to leave
Here it goes!
We paddle past
… into the East River
Under the Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges
Just here, we always turn around to look back
… at the classic view
Under the Williamsburg Bridge
Past the well-known red buoy in the East River
Midtown Manhattan
The ConEdison power plant in the sun
We continue up the Queens-side channel past Roosevelt Island
A Queens classic
A graceful apparition
Under the Queensboro Bridge
… with the sun at our backs
Toward the power plant
Colorful industrial
“Long Island”, the barge, is always there
Three stacks
Under the Roosevelt Island Bridge
We raft up for tea in the shelter of our favorite barge off Randalls Island
… then we continue under the Triborough (now RFK) Bridge
… up the Harlem River
The renovated Willis Avenue Bridge
Late afternoon sunshine
Golden rays
… follow us under
Macombs Dam Bridge
Geese make their unhappiness heard as we pass
The three mid-Harlem bridges
A few last rays light up the high points
University Heights Bridge
Lavender and blue dusk
Almost our of the Harlem! We pass under the Henry Hudson Bridge
… to the Amtrak bridge
… and under it out into the Hudson
The afterglow of the sunset is still in the sky
We approach the George Washington Bridge
… with the lights of Midtown Manhattan coming into view
A necklace of lights

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Treasure

Posted on February 18, 2014 by | 36 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

This week’s Photo Challenge is Treasure.

On an extended paddling trip, quite ordinary things become treasures!

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From our Florida paddle in April 2013, our kayak-camping trip to the Hudson River Islands State Park in October 2013, and our Long Island circumnavigation in June-July 2012, respectively.

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