By Vladimir Brezina
In the middle of the city, you don’t see the horizon. Well before sunset, the sun dips behind a dark palisade of silhouettes
To see the sun touch the horizon, you must climb very high
or, down below, wait for a very special day
Or, of course, watch from your kayak on the river!
A response to this week’s Photo Challenge, Silhouette, and Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge, Horizons.
Posted in Kayaking, New York City, Photography
Tagged Horizons, Hudson River, Kayaking, Manhattan, Manhattanhenge, New York City, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2014, Silhouette, Sunset, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge
By Vladimir Brezina
This week’s Photo Challenge is Texture.
As kayakers, we pay close attention to the texture of the water around us.
Posted in Kayaking, Photography
Tagged Kayaking, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2014, Sea State, Texture, Weekly Photo Challenge
By Vladimir Brezina
Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge this week is Simplify.
We are bringing all that on our kayak trip? We should simplify!
And we have. We’ve learned that Nature will provide what we need—
— an easy chair to relax in after a long paddle
— a beer cooler
— a stove to cook dinner
Nature is very helpful these days ;-)
Posted in Kayaking, Photography
Tagged Kayak Camping, Kayaking, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2014, Simplify, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge
By Johna Till Johnson
Photos by Vladimir Brezina
Last year, I wrote about the first annual Cardboard Kayak Race, held on City of Water Day at Governors Island. This year, I was in it!
No, it’s not what you’re thinking. We didn’t build a boat out of cardboard and then race it. But others did! And I was part of a fleet of “safety kayaks” whose job it was to rescue paddlers whose cardboard boats sank (and fish out the sodden detritus).
By Vladimir Brezina
This week’s Photo Challenge is Relic.
Kayaking around New York Harbor, we pass many relics of its maritime past—
— Major General William H. Hart
— the Yellow Submarine, Quester I
— and, of course, the celebrated Graveyard of Ships
By Vladimir Brezina
Sea kayaking, most of the time, is about wide open waters… But, paradoxically, kayakers also can’t resist exploring tight spaces. They poke the nose of their boat into every sea cave they come across, for instance.
Urban paddling is a bit different. Instead of sea caves, we have low bridges, tunnels, passages under piers.
And now and again, we even get the chance to paddle under another boat…
… to create our own sea-cave experience
By Vladimir Brezina
Vlad in action (photo by Johna)
I am often asked how I take my kayaking photos. What camera do I use? Am I not worried that water will damage it? And how do I manage to keep those pesky water drops off the lens?
So, here’s a brief answer.
Posted in Kayaking, Photography
Tagged Camera, Kayak Photography, Kayaking, Optio W, Pentax, Photography, Waterproof Camera
By Vladimir Brezina
Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge this week is Fresh.
Yesterday I saw that the ground under the mulberry tree on the corner is littered with fallen mulberries. It’s that time of the year!
And that means that, on our next Manhattan circumnavigation, at a certain spot we know, we’ll be able to pick fresh ripe mulberries right from our kayaks!
Posted in Kayaking, Photography
Tagged Fresh, Kayaking, Manhattan Circumnavigation, Mulberries, New York Harbor, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2014, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge
By Vladimir Brezina
On Sunday, we were joined on our regular Sandy Hook paddle by our friend Julie, aka Kayak Cowgirl.
This was her first time to Sandy Hook!
Her writeup begins: “Every girl knows her first time should be special. The weather should be beautiful, rose petals should line the way, and someone more experienced should take her hand.”
And it gets better from there. Go and read her story!
We can’t possibly improve on it. So here, simply, are some photos:
Posted in Kayaking
Tagged Kayak Cowgirl, Kayaking, New York City, New York Harbor, Photography, Sandy Hook
By Vladimir Brezina
Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge this week is Unexpected.
We were expecting a peaceful paddle through autumnal marshes and creeks. We were certainly not expecting the locals to put up such strong resistance—
Come to think of it, we’ve already had Unexpected as a photo challenge theme. Here‘s another fellow who was quite prepared to defend his turf :-)
... kayaked the waters around New York for more than 15 years in his red Feathercraft folding kayak. He was originally from (the former) Czechoslovakia and lived in the U.K. and California before settling down in New York. He was a neuroscientist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He died in 2016.
... is a kayaker and technology researcher at Nemertes Research. She's an erstwhile engineer, particle physicist, and science fiction writer. She was born in California and has lived in Italy, Norway, Hawaii, and a few other places. She currently resides in New York City.
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Wind Against Current 