By Johna Till Johnson
Photos by Vladimir Brezina
“This will be your best circumnav ever,” said Randy, smiling.
I smiled back, a bit dubiously.
Randy’s a friend and the owner of the New York Kayak Company. I’d just bought a new kayak from him—a red-and-black-and-white Tiderace Xplore-S Carbon Pro, a long, lean, lightweight boat designed for expedition sea kayaking.
Solstice
I loved the new boat—which I promptly named Solstice—but I was feeling a bit squeamish about taking her for a maiden voyage on a Manhattan circumnavigation. It’s always a bit tricky paddling a new boat, particularly one that handles considerably differently than your previous one.
Solstice is a good 15 inches longer than Photon, my old Valley Avocet, and an inch or two narrower. That design makes for a boat that’s faster and more powerful, but also potentially harder to control. And although circumnavigating Manhattan isn’t an inherently challenging proposition, there are some tricky bits, even in calm conditions.
The swirling eddies at Hell Gate can almost always be counted on to provide some excitement, for instance, as can the ferries at the Battery (and their wakes). Being unable to handle your boat in such situations is not a good thing—even less so in winter, when a capsize can lead to hypothermia, even if the rescue or self-rescue is effective. So taking a brand-new boat out for a 6-hour trip seemed, under the circumstances, slightly risky.
In the water for the first time!
A longer, narrower boat…
But Randy’s confidence was contagious, and I tried my best to shelve the worries. And as Vlad and I launched a bit later that day, we were both looking forward to the outing, our first longer paddle in the NYC area since before Hurricane Sandy. I hoped Randy was right.
First strokes
I had no idea how right he’d turn out to be. The trip was… well, “magical” is the best way I can describe it. Or maybe “enchanted”…
Vladimir Brezina (RIP) 
Johna Till Johnson
Wind Against Current 