Tag Archives: Kayaking

Travel Theme: Soft, Take Two

Posted on November 9, 2012 by | 43 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Here’s a second response to Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge, Soft. (The first response was here.)

The soft light of evening on the water—

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Posted in Nature, Photography

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Nantucket Red

Posted on October 28, 2012 by | 10 comments

By Johna Till Johnson
Photo by Vladimir Brezina

New York is an iconic place to paddle.

But sometimes it’s good to remember there are many other iconic places. Our friend Adam recently fell in love with Nantucket after spending a week there with his sweetie—a love that even extended to haberdashery.  In a recent chat, we discussed “Nantucket Reds“, the trademark New England chinos.

With that conversation fresh in mind, imagine our surprise at seeing this at the start of our  paddle out to the Gowanus Canal on Saturday…

We hope to paddle there some day….

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Posted in Kayaking, New York City

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Travel Theme: Couples, Take Two

Posted on October 25, 2012 by | 43 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

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

Ah, the romance of shared travel by kayak! And what better to ensure that shared togetherness than a double kayak?

Soon arguments break out, and loud words carry over the water, to the secret amusement of other paddlers.

“Shouldn’t you be steering more to the left?”

“I know where I am going!”

“I thought we agreed to stop on that beach over there!?”

The couple have trouble paddling at the same rate and synchronizing their strokes…

and both feel that they are doing all the work

until they both just put down their paddles in frustration

No wonder double kayaks are known as “divorce boats”!

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The last photo features another prominent couple in the background. And a couple of other “Couples” are here and here…

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Posted in Kayaking, New York City

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette

Posted on October 19, 2012 by | 84 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

This week’s Photo Challenge is Silhouette.

Wait, didn’t we already do that theme just a little while ago? Yes, back in August. But that was not the Daily Post’s challenge—it was Ailsa’s challenge on Where’s my backpack?, ahead of the game as usual… (Ailsa herself posted some fantastic silhouettes that you should definitely check out!)

In any case, here are some more silhouettes, or near-silhouettes. A hard-edged one in the late-afternoon sun…

and others softened as the sunlight filters through early-morning fog…

More photos from that trip are here. A second interpretation of “Silhouette” is here.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Kayaking, New York City, Photography

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Kayak Camping in the Hudson River Islands State Park

Posted on October 10, 2012 by | 97 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

I had hoped to post this last spring, in time for the 2012 camping season. But it’s not too late! The fall, with its spectacular foliage colors, is here—to my mind, the best time of the year to go camping at this spot… and in fact, Johna and I have plans to head up there for a couple of days soon to see the show!

The length of the Hudson River between Albany and New York City offers a number of kayak camping spots. But none is so attractive as the Hudson River Islands State Park, about 20 miles south of Albany and several miles north of the town of Hudson.

I’ve paddled and camped there many times in every season over the past decade, and I never fail to stop there on through trips down the river. In this complex of islands, back bays, and creeks, rich in plant and animal life, there is always something new to see. And most of the year, except during the peak season in the summer, chances are that you’ll have it all to yourself. Although it’s quite accessible, it feels secluded, remote, almost wild…

Continue reading →

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Posted in Kayaking, Nature

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Paddling down the Hudson at Sunset…

Posted on September 24, 2012 by | 37 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

On Saturday, I was in the right place at the right time. A little rain shower gave way to a golden sunset over New Jersey, with golden reflections in Manhattan…

(At home afterwards, I stitched together a panorama in Photoshop. If I’d thought of it at the time, I would have made sure to take all the matching photos for it. Oh, well…)

… and then the World Trade Center tower glittering ahead in the purple dusk and the moon overhead…

37 Comments

Posted in Kayaking, New York City

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Travel Theme: Curves

Posted on August 31, 2012 by | 40 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Ailsa‘s Travel-Themed Photo Challenge this week is Curves.

Here are some of the curves of New York Harbor.

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Posted in Kayaking, New York City, Photography

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Merge, Take Two

Posted on August 18, 2012 by | 39 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

This week’s Photo Challenge is Merge. I’ve already posted one interpretation, but here’s another one.

One some days, you don’t know where the sea ends and the sky begins…

More photos are here.

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Posted in Kayaking, Photography

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Manhattan Island Marathon Swim 2012: Follow the Red Herring!

Posted on June 26, 2012 by | 59 comments

By Vladimir Brezina
(Title suggestion by Johna Till Johnson)

Each summer, NYC Swim organizes a series of short and longer swims in New York City’s waterways. The premier event is the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (MIMS), a 28.5-mile race around Manhattan. Along with the English Channel and Catalina Channel swims, it is one of the three swims in the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.

Each swimmer is accompanied by a kayaker (as well as a motor boat). Last year, I kayaked for the Lone Starlettes, four women from Texas swimming as a relay. And two of the Starlettes, Gretchen Sanders and Pamela LeBlanc, must have had a good time, because they wanted to return this year and repeat the experience as a two-person relay, The Texas Two-Step.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Kayaking, New York City, Sports

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Close Encounters with Florida Birds

Posted on June 21, 2012 by | 68 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

I am still sorting out my hundreds of photos of birds from our Florida trip back in February. But this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge theme, “Close”, has prompted me to marvel at how closely I was able to approach many of the birds.

I rented a kayak and paddled through the mangroves. The birds perched in the tree tops—some of the trees were absolutely festooned with birds, like some kind of fruit—and looked down at me nonchalantly.

Other birds stood on low branches projecting strategically out over the water. These two just looked at me stolidly, even though I was so close that my kayak was actually bumping into their branch. I could have picked them up with my hands.

And so I was able to get some good shots of the various birds. I have a reasonable idea of what many of them are—some are unmistakable!—but identification by experts would certainly be appreciated!

Some other bird photos from that trip are here, here, here, and here.

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Posted in Nature

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