Circumnavigating Manhattan - Atlantic Coastal Kayaker · 2010. 6. 17. · 2 10 Atlantic Coastal...

1Atlantic Coastal Kayaker • March 2010

AtlAnticcoastal Kayaker

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March 2010Volume 19, No. 1 $ 3 . 0 0

Circumnavigating Manhattan

2 Atlantic Coastal Kayaker • March 2010Atlantic Coastal Kayaker . September 200810

Send this order form (or a copy) with your check for $24 for one year or $42 for two years ($44 US dollars overseas and$35 dollars for Canada) payable to: Atlantic Coastal Kayaker, P.O. Box 520, Ipswich, MA 01938.

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J ust when you think the last frontierhas been crossed, the last mile ofunconquered globe has been van-

quished, a new adventure hits the head-lines and amazes one with the vision, for-titude, and perhaps sheer craziness of theendeavor. On January 13, 2008, after 62days of brutal privation, AustraliansJames Castrission, 25, and Justin Jones,24, accomplished for the first time “cross-ing the ditch,” the trans-navigation of theTasman Sea by kayak. The closest anyonehad come before was the ill-fated AndrewMcAuley, who drowned Feb. 10, 2007,within 50 kilometers of the end of thenearly 1600 kilometer, just under a monthcrossing.

Unlike McAuley, who set across solo in ahome-modified production boat,Castrission and Jones had the Lot 41, ahighly engineered custom boat with anarray of solar panels and a sealed sleep-ing/storage area in the stern and internetfor the public to track their progress. Evenso, the passage across the untamed chan-nel between New Zealand and Australia isa serious challenge. The boaters hadplanned to take advantage of currents tohelp their crossing, but, once well on theway, they found themselves at the mercyof the unforgiving ocean:

“The skies are closing in; the Tasman Seaswell is angry; this is a confrontationbetween two exhausted young men and

nature's wildest elements where it's plain-ly obvious who are the outsiders in thisbattle for survival.

They have been going around in circles,literally, for a week, buffeted off course bythe tides, giant swells and winds thatcaused them to paddle an extra 800 kmson top of the 3000 kms they had prepared

for. Their leg muscles were wasting, theirbody fat reserves depleted, their mindsplaying tricks. Yet their constitutionrefused to wander.”

After 62 days at sea, the team landed atNew Plymouth on the North Island ofNew Zealand. Their crossing was north ofthe one selected by McAuley, whichaccounts for the extra 1400 kms they hadto cover. �

People Tasman Sea Crossingby David Eden

After 62 days at sea, James Castrission and Justin Jones arrive safely on New Zealandshores.

They pass the Sydney Opera House, Australia.

Lot 41 in profile.

9 september 2008:2005 may ack 8/21/2008 1:44 PM Page 10

Lincoln, Boréal Design, Maelström, Kokatat

expeditions, tours, rentals, canoe & kayak saleson-site manufacturing & repair

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8 VARNEY RDFREEPORT, ME

207.865.0455www.paddlelincoln.com

http://www.kokatat.com

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Atlantic Coastal Kayakeris published monthly for 8 issues,March through December. We takeJanuary and February off.

Publisher/Editor Tamsin Venn

Contributors:

Greg Bethune John Boeschen Timothy Dwyer Gail Ferris Dave Harp Kerry Howe Dave Manzo David Park Jerry Wylie Reinhard Zollitsch

Website www.atlanticcoastalkayaker.com

Atlantic Coastal Kayaker PO Box 520 Ipswich MA 01938 (978) 356-6112 (tel,fax) [email protected]

Layout The Northeast Group 12 Nepco Way Plattsburgh NY 12903 (518) 563-8214 www.thenortheastgroup.com

Business Office Lou Anne Maker [email protected]

Deadline for all materials isthe first of the month precedingthe month of publication.

Letters are welcome. Please direct to [email protected]

ContentsACK • Vol 19, No 1 • March 2010

Feature Don’t Be Late for Hell Gate ....................................... 10

Departments Eddy Lines ................................................................... 4

Letters From You ......................................................... 5

News & Notes .............................................................. 7

Expedition Watch ........................................................ 8

Kayaking People: Chuck Sutherland .............................. 9

Your Adventures: An Epic Experience in Captiva ........... 13

Gear: The Ultimate Sunscreen ........................................ 15

Access ....................................................................... 16

Places: Tadoussac ....................................................... 17

Places: Norwalk Islands ................................................ 23

Wicked Local Paddles .............................................. 26

Review ....................................................................... 28

Calendar .................................................................... 29

Klassifieds ................................................................. 31

ATLANTICCoastal Kayaker


Atlantic Coastal Kayakeris published monthly for 10 issues,March through December. We take January and February off.

Publisher/EditorTamsin Venn

ContributorsJay BabinaMark CeconiTim DyerWesley EcholsDavid EdenMaury EldridgeEric HansonWayne HorodowichDave MentionAl PeircePaula RiegelRuss TillmanCarl TjerandsenKeith Wellman

Websitewww.atlanticcoastalkayaker.com

Atlantic Coastal KayakerPO Box 520Ipswich MA 01938(978) 356-6112 (tel, fax)[email protected]

LayoutRob HurstProposal Graphics41 Cross StreetNewton, MA 02465781-710-5759www.proposalgraphics.comrob@proposalgraphics.com

Business OfficeLou Anne [email protected]

Deadline for all materials is the first of the month preceding the month of publication

A one year subscription is $24. Letters are welcome. Please direct to [email protected]

ContentsACK . Vol. 17 No. 7 . September 2008

FeatureMaine Fishing Tournament. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

DepartmentsEddy Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Letters From You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

News and Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Safety: Kayak Bill, Compass Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Technique: Dressing for Immersion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Kayaking People: Heard on the Sea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Kayaking People: Tasman Sea Crossing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Kayaking People: Sigethy’s Kayak Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Events: Jamestown Race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Events: The Third Hour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Camping: Raccoons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Environment: Lake Champlain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Book Review: How to Read A Nautical Chart . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Klassifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

9 september 2008:2005 may ack 8/21/2008 1:44 PM Page 1

Are You Moving?Pleasesendusyourchangeofaddresssoyoudon’tmissanyissues.Send

changeofaddressnotificationto:Atlantic Coastal Kayaker

PO Box 520 Ipswich, MA 01938

Youcanalsocallusat(978) [email protected].

4 Atlantic Coastal Kayaker • March 2010

Eddy Lines

Freya Around AustraliaOn15December2009,Freyabecamethefirstwoman topaddlearoundAustralia.It was an outstanding effort given thesustainedtimecommitment,thedramat-ic range of sea and climate conditions,the three long set of limestone cliffs,the longmulti-day crossing of theGulfof Carpentaria, and paddling solo. ToachievecompletionofherpaddlearoundAustralia required an exceptional levelof motivation and determination, and abetter than average physical stamina tobeabletoendurethedayafterdaygrindofpaddling.

SowritesPaulCaffynofFreyeaHoffmeis-ter’sjourneyofkayakingallthewayaroundAustralia (Dec./Jan. issue ofThe Sea Ca-noeist,The Journal for the NewZealandAssociationofSeaKayakers.Outofmanyattempts,Caffynistheonlyotherpersontocomplete the circumnavigation, which hedid27yearsago.

Hoffmeister started her epic journey Jan.18,2009fromQueenscliffnearMelbourneandfinished8,500miles(8,565tobeexact)laterinlessthanayear.

The German business woman and formerMissGermanycontestanthastwoothercir-cumnavigationsonherresume:IcelandandNew Zealand’s South Island. Congratula-tionstoFreyaforthisremarkableachieve-ment.

Formoreinformation,gotoHoffmeister’sblogatqajaqunderground.com

The Future of ACKThe cost of production and mailing hasgottensohighandthenumberofadvertis-ershasgottensolowthatwehavedecidedto publish themagazine online in digitalformat as a cost cuttingmeasure.We aregoingtoexperimentwiththatarrangementstarting inMay andwill run it on a trialbasisforfourissues.

Basically, foronlinemagazines,youcaneitherviewfullmonthly issuesonline inyour browser or you can download themagazine from awebsite and save it onyourowncomputer.Wehavechosen thelattermethodbecause theonlineversionrequirestheviewertohaveanup-to-dateversion of the Adobe Flash plug-in intheir browser. These Flash-driven docu-ments are commonly referred to as flipbooks. The viewer can only look at thebook or magazine on the website whilethey are connected to the internet. Thesecond type of setup, called “eBooks”or“eMagazines”aredownloaded fromawebsiteviaalinkdirectlyonthewebsiteor inanemail.Thesepublicationsare inPDF (“PortableDocumentFormat”) for-mat and requireAcrobatReader to viewthem.AcrobatReaderisafreedownloadfrom the Adobe website (www.adobe.com/products/reader/). Once download-ed,eBookscanbereadwithouthavingtobeconnectedtotheweb.eBookscanhavemanyadditionalinteractivefeatures,likebookmarks,webandemaillinks,embed-dedsound,movies,etc.

Thewayitworksisthatwewillsendeachsubscriberviasnailmailapasswordandalink to awebpage for thatmonth’s issue.Same password for everybody, differentpassword for each issue.Youwill type inyourpasswordandthemagazinewillstartdownloadingtoyourcomputer.Youwillbeabletoprintoutanypageswhenyouwant.

While going digital is not our first choice(itis,asmentioned,acostcuttingmeasure),itdoeshaveseveraladvantagesasKennethBlasius, who runsMungoWorks in Con-

necticut,andwhowilloverseetheprocess,pointsout.Thedigitalversionhaveactivetableofcontentslinks,pageturnbuttonstoeachpage,email,andweb links toalladsandarticles.

Anotheradvantagewillbefullcolorforallpages,images,andgraphics.Youwillseeallthewonderful colorphotos that are sent tous,andthatwecurrentlymustconvert intoblackandwhite,oftenwithmixedresults.

Weforeseeagreatadvantageinyouread-ersbeingabletoprintoutatripreport,withdirectionstotheput-inandamap,directlyontowaterproofpaper thatyoucanmountunderyourbungeecords.

Other advantages: If your eyesight is get-tingweak,youcanblowupthetypetoreaditmoreeasily.Wecangobacktoourorigi-nal horizontal format to optimize displayonacomputerscreen.Finally,wewillsaveseveraltrees.

You may like this so much you may notwanttogobacktotheprintedversion.

We will give you a further update in theApril issue. You can help us out in themeantime, by including your email ad-dressinallcorrespondencewithus,sothatwecanemailyouthepasscode,insteadofmailingittoyou.Youcanalsosendusyouremailaddressatackayak@comcast.net.Wepromisenevertoshareyouremailaddresswithanyonewhatsoever.

Meanwhile,wearestillreceivingresponsestoourreadersurvey,sowewillwaituntilApril to publish the results. Many, manythankstoeveryonewhohasresponded.Wearegettingagoodsenseofwhatyouwouldliketoseecoveredinfutureissues.

HappySpringPaddling.

Onthecover:SteveNorthvisitstheSocratesSculptureGardeninQueens,N.Y.,astoponhiscircumnavigationofManhattan Island.PhotobyJerryWylie.

Photo by Greg Bethune


Letters From You

Cold Water Boot Camp, Part IIThanks for your excellent editorial in theNovember 2009 issue of ACK. The Na-tionalWaterSafetyCongress issuedaCDentitled“ColdWaterBootCampUSA” inearly 2008.Their objectivewas to informboatersaboutthedangerassociatedwithac-cidentalcoldwaterimmersion.Theirprimeobjectivewas toconvinceboaters towearlife jacketswhen out on coldwater.Theytoldme they were not targeting paddlers,even though their venuewas litteredwithsit-on-top kayaks. They fooled me com-pletelyonthat.

Ibelievetheirvideowaseffectiveindem-onstrating the dire effects of unprotectedcold water immersion (www.coldwater-bootcamp.com). It isunfortunate that theyconcludedbysayingthattherewasnosuit-able gear for cold water boaters to wearother than standard marine survival suits(“...toobulkyforroutineuseunlessboatisclearlysinking”).

Manyofuscoastalkayakershavebeenin-structingpaddlersabouttheuseofwetsuitsand dry suits since 1983 (ANorAK,WhoremembersANorAK?).ACKandSeaKay-aker,sameobjectivefromdayoneofbothjournals.

Cold Water Boot Camp, Volume Two, iscurrently inproduction. JeremyOyen,Di-rectorofSafety,EducationandInstructionfortheACA,attendedthenewvideoshootonLakeErielastDecember2009.HetookaloadofcoldwaterpaddlinggearwithhimthatwasgenerouslysuppliedbyNRS.Dr.GordonGiesbrechtwas able to determinethat “single layer” drysuits, such as thoseroutinely used by paddlers and USCGrescuepersonnel inwinter time,worksef-fectivelyincoldwater.Thisseemstobeadiscovery for theBootCamp folks.WhenBootCampTwoisreleased,wewillreviewitforACK.

Chuck Sutherland Green Lane, PA

Acadia Birding Festival ThenextAcadiaBirdingFestivalwilltakeplaceJune10-13,2010.Ourfestivalplan-ningiswellunderwayandIampleasedtoannounce that Paul Kerlinger will be thekeynote speaker, presenting “MigratoryBirds,WindTurbinesandCommunicationTowers”attheCollegeoftheAtlantic,BarHarbor,Maine.Ourpanelsessionthisyearwill host several speakers who will helpus understand this year’s theme “South toNorth: Land Use IssuesAffecting Migra-toryBirds.”Paulandourotherpanelmem-berswillbringinsighttomanyofthecom-plicatedissuesaffectingbiodiversityalongthemigratorypathofNeotropicalbirds.

Didyouknowthat127speciesofNeotropi-calbirdsareinsteepdeclineduetoa95per-cent lossofnaturalhabitat in theUS? Wehumans have turned 54 percent of theU.S.intoasuburban/urbanmixand41percentis

in agriculture. Four million miles of roadsnowcoverwhatwereoncethickforestsandtherearemillionsofsquarefeetofwindowsthatkilllargenumbersofmigratorybirdseachyear.Landuseissuesgreatlyaffectmigratorybirdscomplicatingtheclimatechangeissueswearehearingabouteachday.Thereishope!Throughnew innovative ideas around land-scapingand landusechanges. Asstewardsof our land, we can save biodiversity fromextinctionby simply starting toplantnativespecieswhichwillgreatlybenefitthebirdswevalue.Ilookforwardtoseeingyouatthe12thAcadiaBirdingFestival.

Michael J. Good, MS President Down East Nature Tours Founder and Director 12th Acadia Birding Festival Bar Harbor, Maine www.downeastnaturetours.com www.acadiabirdingfestival.com

New England Intermediate Rough Water

SymposiumJune 10 - 13, 2010

Point Judith, RI

http://www.maineislandkayak.com


Reader SurveyWe’d like to know more about you, and what you enjoy or wish to see improved in ATLANTIC COASTAL KAYAKER. Please fill out the survey and return to us at ACK, POB 520, Ipswich, MA 01938. Include your email address to receive exclusive ACK Enews. Results will be published in March.

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Thank you for your time. It will help make us an even better magazine. Tamsin


News & Notes

Champlain Bridge Design Chosen — New Ferry Service to Begin Soon!

Auniquearchstructurehasbeenchosenforthe Champlain Bridge replacement. PublicpreferenceplayedasignificantroleinNewYork and Vermont officials’ final bridgedesign recommendation.An online surveyandpublicmeetingsheld inDecemberandJanuaryrevealedoverwhelmingpublicsup-port for the Modified Network Tied Archalternative.Officialsthankedeveryonewhoweighedintoadvocateforbikeandpedes-triancorridorsandavisuallypleasingdesignthatcomplements thesurroundinglandandwaterscapeandhistoricsetting.Constructionwillbeginthisspringandisexpectedtobecompletedbytheendofsummer2011atacostofapproximately$75million.

Anew,temporaryLakeChamplainferrywasoperational by the end of January near theformer site of the Lake Champlain Bridge.Thereisnocosttoridetheferry,whichwilloperate 24-hours a day, seven days aweekto help restore commuter, tourist, and com-mercialtrafficintheformerLakeChamplainBridgecorridor.Crossingtimeisanticipatedtobearound10–15minutes.Ferryboatswillaccommodateapproximately40to50carsaswellaspedestriansandothervehicles.

-FromLake Ripples,LakeChamplainCom-mittee’sE-NewsBulletin,January2010

Blog of BlogsThe blog www.paddlingplanet.com is anew very comprehensive blog for kayak-ers. Paddling Planet is a compendium of

blogswhoseeditorsrequestinclusion.ReneSeindal-whorunsakayaktourbusinessinVenice,Italy-istheeditor.PaddlingPlanetcheckstheregisteredblogsfornewentriesand then simplycopies thepostingphoto-graphs and all andpresents it in one longweb page. Keep in touch with kayakersfromallovertheworld!

Kokatat Blog Kokatat, the paddlewear and accessoriescompany, launched its official blog re-cently: http://blog.kokatat.com. The Ko-katat blogwill offer readers content fromTeam Kokatat (sponsored whitewater andseakayakers),KokatatAmbassadors (sup-portedathletes fromwithin thedisciplinesof paddle sports), press announcements,productreviews,eventreports,andmore.

TheKokatatblogwillofferregularcontri-butionsfromTeamKokatatintheformofcompetition recaps, on-the-ground eventcoverage, photos, expedition documenta-tion, andvideos. “Our sponsoredathletesare active, well-rounded professionals inandoutofthewater,”saidLisaBeckstead,Kokatat fieldmarketingmanager. “Whenthey’renotcompetingthey’refindingwaystofostergrowthinthesportandengagingin clean water initiatives. Our blog willbe an excellent resource for our fanbasetogetallthelatestKokatatfamilynews,”Becksteadadded.

WCCC to Train Interpreters!Washington County Community Collegein Calais,Maine is now offering a certi-fication course in interpretation.Througha course entitledEnvironmental Interpre-tation,studentscanbeeligibletobecomeCertified Interpretive Guides (CIG) fromtheNationalAssociationforInterpretation(NAI). The course is requiredwithin theAdventure Recreation and Tourism pro-gram.With the help of funding from theVacationlandResourcesCommittee, JuliaBerry, StephanieAllard, andScott Fraserattended an instructor certification train-inglastSeptemberthatwashostedbytheSchoodicEducation andResearchCenterinWinterHarbor.WCCCintendstoworkwith local businesses and individuals todeliver the training to tourism operators,

guides,andoutfittersinthehopesofhelp-ing themprovide a high quality interpre-tiveexperienceforvisitors.Businessesorindividualswhoareinterestedinreceivingthe training should contact the OutdoorAdventureCenteratWCCCat(207)454-1060.More informationon theNAICer-tified InterpretiveGuidecertificationpro-gramisavailableatwww.interpnet.com.

Stay for Free, Eat for Free, Make a Difference Every spring the owners invite the pub-lictohelpcleanuptheon-waterRecom-pence Campground, a kayaker favorite,outside Freeport,Maine, during the firsttwo weekends ofMay (May 1 & 2 andMay8&9).Thereisalwayslotsofrak-ing, cleaning, painting, repairing... andcamaraderie, and in exchange you re-ceivefreecampingandaBBQluncheachday. Register in advance by [email protected] call (207)865.9307tobeassignedthebestavailablesite of your choice. When registering,let the campground knowof any specialskills you bring (such as painting, car-pentry,roofing,etc.).Visitthewebsiteatwww.freeportcamping.com

The public overwhelmingly chose this de-sign for the new Champlain Bridge. Photo

from NYS Dot website

http://www.coastaladventures.com


Expedition Watch

Kokatat issponsoringHayleyShephardforherattemptofthefirstsolokayakofSouthGeorgiaIsland.KokatatandShephardhavealsojoinedincreatingpublicawarenessforthedevastatingdecline in theworld’salba-tross species.Shephard’s expedition, called“KayakingtoSavetheAlbatross,”willbringlighttoillegalfisheriesandtheoutdatedtech-niquesused in thecurrent long linefishingindustry.Asalbatrosshabitat,SouthGeorgiaIslandwithitsruggedbeautyandabundantwildlifeishometoanumberofspecies.

Shephard,awildernessguideandexpeditionleader by trade, set out on Jan. 22.An ex-ceptionallyisolated,stormtornisland,SouthGeorgia in the southernAtlantic Ocean isisolatedas itsnearestneighbor is1,400ki-lometers away.As hostile, dangerous, andforeboding as it feels, South Georgia ischarmedwithdramaticandstunningbeautythathasapowertodrawdaringadventurers.

Beth-AnneMasselinkisShephard’sbackuprescue kayaker who will launch from thesupport vessel and come to Hayley’s aidshoulditbeneeded.

KokatatwillsupplyShephardwithseveralof their acclaimedwomen’s-specific prod-ucts includingaGORE-TEX®ExpeditionDry Suit, GORE-TEX® Whirlpool Bib,ProFIT Tour PFD, women’s OuterCorelongsleevetopandpants.

In1999Shephardwasthefirstwomantosoloseakayakthe1,200kilometerscircumnaviga-tionofVancouverIsland,followedbyanotherepicadventurein2005whenshewasthefirstwomantosoloseakayaktheruggedandex-posedcoastofthesacredHaidaGwaii(QueenCharlotteIslands).Shephardhasspentnearlya

Kokatat Supports First Solo Sea Kayak Attempt of South Georgia IslandExpedition Will Aid Struggling Albatross Species

decadeguidingtoursofAntarctica.

The two-monthexpedition includesa sev-en-to-ten-day open ocean crossing to theEast coast of South Georgia Island, thatwas scheduled mid-February as we wenttopress.Shephard’sjourneywillbeshow-casedinadocumentaryfilmaswellasase-ries ofmulti-media photo presentations toinformthepublicontheAlbatrosssituation.Formoreinformation,

http://www.kayakingtosavealbatross.comorwww.kokatat.com

Hayley Shepard feeds a baby penguin

http://www.outer-island.com


Kayaking People

Chuck Sutherland Awarded NASBLA Public Service Award

On awarm and sunnyNovember Sundayalong the chilly 48 degree Hudson River,Dr. Charles Sutherland was awarded theNASBLA Public Service Award for hismorethan20yearsofdedicationtoeducat-ingrecreationalkayakerstothedangersofcoldwater immersion andhow toprepareforandsurvivecoldwateraccidents.

BrianKempf,NYSParksBureauofMarineServicesDirectorandBoatingLawAdmin-istrator along with Alfred Johnson, Rec-reational Boating Specialist for US CoastGuardDistrict1presentedtheawardinfrontofagroupgatheredforoneofthelatestofChuck’sColdWaterWorkshopsatAtlanticKayakTours,AnnsvilleCreekPaddlesportCenter,CorlandtManor.BillLozano,ownerofAtlanticKayakTours,creditsChuckwithinfluencingHudsonValleypaddlerstodressproperlyandlearnfromtheexpertssincehefirstmetChuckover25yearsago.

Afterreceivinghisaward,Chucklaunchedintohisworkshopfeaturingthefactsofcoldwaterimmersionandusingseveralaccountsofactualrescuesandpreparednesstipsforbeginnersandexperiencedkayakers. Fol-lowinghisworkshop,BillLozanoengagedtheaudiencewithatourthroughchoicesofproperclothingforcoldwaterpaddlingandofferedtheaudienceachancetodonadrysuitandjumpintotheHudsonRiver.

Chuckhaswrittenextensivelyoncoldwa-terpaddlingsafetyandistheauthorofthewidely distributed “Cold Water Boating:Sudden Immersion, Cold Shock, and Hy-pothermia” brochure. He holds a PhD inreproductiveendocrinologyandhasexten-siveexperienceinthefieldofcardiovascu-larandrespiratorybiochemistry.

HeandhiswifeMarilynliveinGreenLane,PA.

PaddleBoston.com(617) 965-5110

New Rental Location:Kendall Square, Cambridge

Group OutingsTrips & Tours

RentalsSales

From left, Brian Kempf, New York State Boating Law Administrator, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Al Johnson, Northeast First Coast Guard District recreational boating specialist; Dr. Chuck Sutherland, cold water expert; Bill Lozano, At-lantic Kayak Tours, Annsville, N.Y.; Ro Woodard, New York boating education specialist

http://paddleboston.com/

http://www.bbkayak.com


Feature

Our lunch stop was surreal.We pulled ourkayaksuponasmallsandybeach-nearwhatlooked like a butcheredwhale - towait forthearea’s treacherouscurrents to slack.No,thiswasn’tAlaskaorGreenland.WewereinQueenslookingacross theEastRiverat theskyline ofNewYorkCity, and the “whale”wasapieceofartatanoutdoorsculpturepark.

Wewereenjoyingwhatmoreandmoreseakayakershavediscovered:theurbanadven-tureofNewYorkCity’swaterways.Elevenof us combined our passions for kayakingandourloveofcitiesandplannedaone-day,30-milecircumnavigationofManhattan.

Whatdidwelearnfrompreviousurbanpad-dlers?“Thetides,thetides,pleasepayattentiontothetides,”“ThereisareasontheycallitHellGate,”and“Yourhoursinthekayakarelikealongfamilydrive,averylongfamilydrive.”

With our NYC Parks Department launchpermits ($15 each) and a detailed floatplan - includingGPSwaypoints, tide andcurrenteffects,emergencycontactinforma-tion,andhistoricand recentphotosof theNYC waterways - we launched from theNewYork City Downtown Boathouse onPier40,ontheHudsonRiverat8a.m.on

Saturday,Sept.19,2009.Ourweatherwassunny,70degrees,witha10mphNWwind.

Itwasalmostexactly400yearsearlierthat

HenryHudsonfirstsailed intoNYHarborand spotted Manhattan. Then, the islandhadmorethan66milesofstreams.Itwasawilderness of hickory, chestnut and oaktrees, as well as salt marshes and plainsfilledwithbeaver,elk,andblackbear.TheLenape Indianswho lived here called it“Mannahatta”for“islandofmanyhills.”

Thekeytooursuccesswasprudentplanning,strongcommunication,camaraderie,andhu-mor.WithhiscarefuluseoftheEldridgeTideandPilotBook,ourchiefnavigator,PeteRol-lins, plotted our counterclockwise journeyaroundarrivingatHellGateforslacktideat11:08a.m.whenthereisnocurrent.

Thefirsthourofour tripwas the toughest.FromPier40aroundtheBattery,adistanceofjustmorethantwomiles,webouncedinconfusedwater.Withwindandwatermov-ingstronglyagainsteachother,coupledwithboattraffic(watchoutfortheStatenIslandFerry!) wemoved at about 2.5 mph. Pad-dling in the shadow of lowerManhattan’stowers,wewereinspiredbyLadyLiberty’sgold-cladtorchsetablazeintheearlymorn-inglightjusttwomilestothesouthwest.

As soon aswe hit the East River,with itsmagnificent Brooklyn Bridge, the currentwaswithus,andthewaterscalmedimmedi-ately.Itwaslikesteppingontoanescalator.WespedpasttheBrooklyn,ManhattanandWilliamsburg Bridges, admiring these en-gineeringmarvelsofthelate19thandearly20thcenturies.TheBrooklynBridgeopenedtogreatfanfareinMay1883andwasthelon-gestsuspensionbridgeintheworldandthetalleststructureintheWesternHemisphere.TheManhattanBridgeassumed the titleofworld’s longest suspension bridge when itwascompleted20yearslater.

WiththeManhattanskylinetoourleftandBrooklyn (and soonQueens) to our right,we safely navigated the East River. Ourgoalwas toreach thesmallsandbeachofHallet’sCove-forabriefstoppriortoen-teringHellGateatslacktide.Hallet’sCove,whilequitesmall,hadeverythingweneed-ed:aplace tostretch,eatand rehydrate,apublicrestroom,and,asanaddedattraction,theSocratesSculpturePark.TheparkistheonlysiteintheNewYorkMetropolitanarea

Don’t Be Late for Hell GateBy Dave Manzo and Jerry Wylie, Photos by Jerry Wylie

Inwood Park on the Hudson River, our second rest stop, could be the source of much of the colorful beach glass found along the East Coast.

If we hadn’t turned these kayaks over on the car, they wouldn’t have fit into this

parking garage.

Julia’s homemade pickled “Dirty Mc-Curdy’s Stinky Eggs” in a liquid suspi-

ciously similar to river water.


thatprovidesopportunitiesforartiststoex-hibitlarge-scaleworkinanurbanenviron-ment.Our favoritepiecewasa fakeNYCsubway entrance, thatwe used as a back-dropforafunkayakphotoop.

Hell Gate is in the middle of some prettycomplicatedplumbingconnecting threema-jor waterways: the East River, Long IslandSound, and the Hudson River (through theHarlemRiver).Ifwehadmisjudgedthetim-ing,wecouldhavefacedroughwaterandcur-rentsmorethanfivemph.However,crossingHellGate to thewestofMillRockat slacktide,withtheexceptionofacoupleofpass-ingbargesand tugs,proveduneventful,andweenteredtheeight-mile-longHarlemRiver.

Thisnarrow,gritty little river is spannedby15bridgesincludingtheoldest(High)andthethirdoldestbridgeinNYC(MacombsDam).TheseplusfiveontheEastRiverandoneontheHudson,totaled21bridgesthatwepassedbeneath that day. Viewing these massive

bridgesfrombelowgaveusanentirelynewperspectiveonthecity,aswellaskinksinournecksfromstaringupatthesightsoverhead.

The sports fans in thegroupgot to seebothYankeeStadiumsintheBronx(theoldandthenewside-by-side),andCoogan’sBluffinMan-hattan,wheretheNYGiantsplayedformorethan40years.JustbeforeexitingtheHarlemRiver,wepaddledbyColumbiaUniversity’sfamousgiant“C”,locatedneartheHenryHud-son Bridge and Spuyten Duyvil (Dutch for

SpinningDevilorDevil’sWhirlpool).

Beginningthefinalportionofourtrip,thecurrentthatwaspushingusnorthintheHar-lemRiver strengthened and shifted to thesouthaswejoinedwiththeHudson.Imme-diatelyuponenteringtheexpansiveHudsonRiverwe stopped at InwoodPark, havingcoveredtwo-thirdsofourtrip.Althoughof-ficiallyclosedandlitteredwithbeachglass,the small park was full of picnickers andfishermenandprovedawelcomereststop.

DepartingInwoodPark,wesawthemagnif-icentGeorgeWashingtonBridge.DirectlyunderthebridgewastheLittleRedLight-houseonJeffrey’sHook,madefamousbythe 1942 children’s book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge.Now on the home stretch, with over-workedmusclesachingandlowerextremi-ties cramping but spirits high,we relaxed

The stately Brooklyn Bridge, once the largest structure in the Western Hemisphere, was the first and foremost of the 21 bridges we passed beneath.

The Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and the lower Manhattan skyline.

Home to Columbia University’s rowing team, the northern end of Manhattan Island

is also popular with “C” kayakers.

The Triborough Bridge is one of 12 along the eight-mile-long Harlem River.


slightlyandenjoyedManhattan’sstunningwestsideinthemellowafternoonlight.

Notable sights along the Hudson includedtheCloisters,RiversidePark,andthefamousWWII aircraft carrier Intrepid, submarineGrowler, and the supersonic Concorde jet-linerattheSea,AirandSpaceMuseum.

WereturnedtoPier40,7hoursand40min-utesafterwedeparted.Wehadpaddled30.2milesandrestedtwice,atHallet’sCovefor43minutesandatInwoodParkfor33min-utes.Althoughwewerenotracing,withthehelpofthecurrentsouraveragespeedwasstill4.72mph.Thefastestlegwasthefinaltenmiles down theHudson from InwoodPark where we averaged 6.65 mph witha top speed of 11.1mph. (Gotta love thatHudsonRivercurrent!)

Weweren’tthefirstorthefastestkayakerstopaddlearoundManhattan,butweprob-ably had the most fun of any group.Welearnedthatkayakinghereisn’tallthatdif-

ficultwithproperplanning,thatinterestinsea kayaking inNewYorkCity is clearlystrongandgrowing.Wesawanothergroupfromoneofthecity’stwokayakcompaniesdoingacircumnavigation,andnotonebuttwo kayak races were scheduled the nextday…eachheadinginoppositedirections.

But the most impressive display of urbankayaking was at the Pier 40 Boathouse.Whenwereturnedat4:30pm,theplacewasfilled with people taking advantage of itsfree kayak program. Dozens were waitingpatientlyonthedockfortheirturninaboat.Thedockwassocrowdedthatwehadtowait15minutestogetourboatsoutofthewater.Peopleofallageswerehavingfunpaddlingon their ownand somewere receivingon-one-oneinstruction.

Who knows…maybe the “Island of ManyHills”willbecomesoonbecomethe“IslandofManyKayakers.”

Dave Manzo is the president of Cotting

School, teaches an urban studies course at Boston College and is an ACA instructor.

Jerry Wylie is an ecotourism consultant, ACA instructor trainer, and owner of Con-necticut Coastal Kayaking.

Trip PlannerTheEldridgeTideandPilotBookhastablesgivingthetimeandheightofhighandlowtidesandthe timeandstrengthof thecur-rentalongtheEastCoast.

TheNewYorkCityDowntownBoathouseon Pier 40 has lockers, a changing room,bathrooms,andfreekayakingeveryweek-end from 9AM to 6PM. There is a largeparkingstructureatPier40.

ManhattanKayakCompanyonPier66of-fers a variety of classes and tours. www.manhattankayak.com

NewYorkKayakCompanyonPier40alsooffersclassesandtours(closedMondays).www.nykayak.com

Ourfloatplanisavailableinthelibraryatwww.ctcoastalkayaking.com

MoretripphotographscanbeviewedonPho-toBucketas“ManhattanSept19”and“Man-hattanSept19B”ofthe“CTKayaker”album.

The massive George Washington Bridge, with its famous Little Red Lighthouse, was the last of our 21 bridges.

When we returned to our starting point at 4:30pm, the free kayak program at Pier 40’s Boathouse was in full swing.

The route.


Your Adventures

An Epic Experience in Captiva, FloridaBy Timothy Dwyer

Thefullbodyexercisebenefitsandthede-siretostaypaddlefitaresostrongthatwesurfskipaddlersgoyearroundeveninwin-ter’s ice.Gone are the easy summer daysof paddling in shorts and warm breezes.Travelingsouthistheonlydirectiontogotofindthatagain.AfamilytripwasplannedforthisChristmasandSanibel/Captiva,ar-guablythekayakcapitalofFloridaandthelocation of many symposiums and kayakevents,wasthecleardestinationofchoice.

YetIhadlittlehopethatIcouldlocateasurfski,andplans tofindone topaddle fell through.I’vebeenaguideandhavepaddledseakay-aksextensivelysincemyfirstNordkappinthemid-80’s.Now Ionlyusemy seakayak forovernighttripsandphotography.Istillconsidermyselfaseakayakerbutonceyoupaddleaski,aseakayakfordaypaddlingseemstedious.

Thus I had little interest in paddling any-thingbutaskiinSanibel.Iguessthismakesmeabitofasnobamongseakayakers.Butdon’tknockittillyou’vetriedone.Precisesteering, comfort, 25-33pounds inweightand the ability to remount are just a fewof themany advantages a ski has. I dare-sayaskiandawingpaddlewasa logicalnextstepinmyevolutionasapaddlerandawonderfuladditiontoanyluckypaddler’sassortmentofboatsandpaddles.Thecock-pitlayoutofaskiandthecombinationlegdrive,corerotation,andarmpositionmakeit seem to take flight through the water.

Dreamon.Butthiswasgoingtobeafam-ily trip without paddling despite being inpaddlingValhalla.OrsoIthought.

WhileexploringCaptiva,westoppedbyacolorfullydecoratedresortnestledbetweentheGulfofMexicoandPineIslandSoundcalled‘TweenWatersInnBeachResort.Ithadalltheusualamenitiesofaresortwithone significant difference - a rack of seakayaksandasignforAdventureSeaKayakandthingsgotinteresting.ImettheaffableBrian Houston, an ACA/BCU instructorwho runswildlife tours and rents kayaks.TomysurpriseIsawhighperformanceseakayakssuchastheEpic18Xaswellasanassortment of wider sea kayaks and yes,even the stubbyTupperware beasts.Did ImentionIwasapaddlingsnob?

Yet I had to rubmy eyeswhen I saw thelong,sleekshapeofasurfskiappearbeforeme. It was a recently updated Epic V10Sport,oneofthemorestablenovice/inter-mediateskisandacousintomyEpicV12Ultra.Whatwasaskidoingdownhere?

It turns outBrian is also an avid ski pad-dlerandanEpicKayaksrepresentative.HeusedtorunthepopularCaptivaClassicracesomeyearsago.Thiswasaracewhereseakayakers and elite ski paddlers like GregBarton, a two-time Olympic Gold medal-ist and several timeWorldChampion andworld surfski ambassador Joe “Glicker”

The author sets out from ‘Tween Waters Inn marina in the surfski he has happily found, just before he encountered dolphins.

Dwyer (right) thanks BCU instructor Brian Houston for his assistance. Houston used to run the popular Captiva Classic race.


GlickmanwouldracearoundCaptiva.

Likeakidsentouttoplayinfreshsnow,Bri-ansentmeofftowardBuckKeyandBlindPass,thechannelbetweenSanibelandCap-tiva.Using an EpicMid-Wing paddle theboatleaptforwardliketheflyingfishprint-edonthefrontofmyshirt.WhenIdidn’tthinkanythingcouldgetbetter,IsightedapodofdolphinsfeedinginRooseveltChan-

nel and stopped to watch them feed. ThewatersoffBlindPass,thechannelbetweenSanibelandCaptivahadwinddrivenswells-justwhatskipaddlerslookfor.Iwasableto catch few downwind runs and theV10Sporthandledbeautifullyandfeltsolidandfastshootingthroughthe“bumps.”TolearnmoreI’vepostedareviewoftheV10Sportonsurfskiracing.com.

Icamebackanotherdayandmywifeandtwokidstookatwo-hourguidedtourwithBrian in and around Buck Key while Izippedaroundin theV10Sportofcourse.Brian is a native and is extremely knowl-edgeable regarding the flora and fauna ofthe area. Hiswit and low-key personalitycaptivatedmy family and they had a finetime.My12-year-oldson,Finn,lovedpad-dling the Epic 16. It’s narrow beam andlightweightallowedhimtomake itfly. Itwasahugestepupfromhis12-footPercep-tionUmiak.

I’malreadyschemingtoreturnwithagroupoffellowskipaddlersinthenearfuturetomakesomevitaminD.

To learn more:1)EpicKayaks-epickayaks.com

2)Fora reviewof thepaddlingcharacter-isticsoftheEpicV10Sportandotherskisandlearnmoreabouttheseuniquecraft,goto surfskiracing.com and see the SurfskiBasicsvideo.

3)[email protected],www.kayak-captiva.com

4)Go toYoutube.comandsearch“surfskiracing” to better understand the rush of adownwindrunandwhyskisareaddictive.

5) ‘Tween Waters Inn Beach Resort,www.tween-waters.com

6)Myemail:TimothyDwyer,Jamestown,RI;[email protected]

Finn Dwyer, 12, loved paddling the Epic 16.

Brian Houston instructs Finn in use of Epic 16.

Goodbye to warm weather paddling for five months.


In reading the December 2009 issue ofAtlantic Coastal Kayaker I noticed thatamong New Products was listed productsDr.ShadesunprotectionitemsfromGlacierGlove,www.glacieroutdoor.com.

QuitebyaccidentIdecidedsomeyearsagototakewithmeaskihoodmadeofblackwind-proofmaterialthatcoversmyentireheadwithopeningsformyeyesandmouth.Theopen-ingforthemouthcoversmynosesothatIcanbreathefreelywithaflapalongthetopofmylipscoveringmymouth. Veryconvenientlytheopeningformyeyescanbestretchedopento expose my nose and mouth as needed.Wow,whataniceinventionthathoodis.

Myoriginalintentionwastohaveawind-proof insulatingmaterialhood tokeepmewarmincoldwindyconditionsintheice.Ihavehadtheless-than-pleasantexperienceofbeingcommittedtopaddlingmanyhoursintheicewearinginsufficientinsulationonmyhead,neck,andface–reallyitisnotfunjustgettingcolderandcolderknowingthereisnochoicebuttojusttrytomakedowithanythingIcouldscrounge,anyflatmateriallikeaplasticbagorapieceofwasteplasticdebrisfromthewaterinmycockpittohelpmestaywarm.IamnotabovestuffingMy-larand/orplasticpotatochippackagewrap-persinsidemyhathoodorinsidemypogiesjusttohelpmestaywarm.Thanksfortrashonthewaterinseriouslyfreezingmomentslikethis.

I noticed that Camp-morinNewJerseyof-feredthisneatskihoodinblackpolyestervel-vetwindproofmateri-althatdoesnotabsorbwaterandjustfoldsupsmall.

On the back of mylifejacket I have sewn a large hook andloop closure pocket where I keep thesespecial items. These are items Imay ormay not need depending on the circum-stances while paddling. When I get out

of my kayak I just put these Items suchas binoculars back inside this pocket onmylifejacket. Thereasonfor thispocketstowageis thatIdonotwant tobedoingtheawkwardmoveofhuntinginmycock-pitforanyoftheseitems.

Openingthesprayskirtonmycockpitwhilepaddling in the ice isaverybadchoice. Iloseall thepreciousheatfrommycockpitandruntheriskoflosingmybalanceortak-inginawave.

WhenIamalreadyfeelingcold,anyactiv-itythatinterruptsmypaddlingintheiceformorethanasplitsecondreallycanmakemebecomemuchcolder.

Istaywarmbypaddling.IknowIhaveal-readytriedsailingmykayakintheArctic.Forgetthatidea,onlyinadireemergency,reallydire,wouldIsitandsailorflyakitefrommycockpittopropelmykayak.

Whatisreallyscarywhenthecoldisgettingtome is thatmy judgment ever so slowlybecomesmoreandmorecompromised.Hy-pothermiaisreallyscarybecausethereIamall alone and I startmisreadingwhat I amseeing.

OnetimeInearlymissedawholesettlement,Aappilattoq,andpaddledovertoanotheris-landafewmilesawaybecauseIdidnothap-pentolookofftomysideandnoticethatitwasnearby.IimaginedthatIwasstillamongtheislandsandthattheislandthistownwasonwasmoremiles to thewest. Wow, thatwasclose!

LookingattheadforDr.ShadeIagreethatwhiteisthebestcolorforpaddlinginwarmclimatestowearasasunscreen.

Idiscoveredthatusingahoodasbothinsu-lationforcoldconditionsandasaphysicalsunscreen keeps me from developing theproverbial cold sore onmy lip. The end-lessdiscomfortofacoldsoreisdistractingbecauseitnevergoesawayuntildaysafterIgetoffthewateranditisuglytolookat.

WhenIpaddledin1989inPondInletIhada cold sore theentire time, the resultsbe-ingthatnoonewhomIwaswitheverknewwhatIlooklikewithoutacoldsore.

Thesensationofbeingsunburnedismiser-able.Iwouldratherwearsomesortoffabricbarrier than attempt to use chemical sun-screenagentsbecausetheyirritatemyskinanddonotprovidesunbarrierforsufficienttimeasIpaddleusuallytheentireday.Fourhours which is what chemical sunscreensworkforisjustlongenoughtogetstartedpaddlingonanormalday.

I have hadmyKokotat dry suit for yearsand noticed that any petrochemical basedcompoundIputonmyskindrasticallyre-ducesthelifeexpectancyofmylatexseals.ThisisamajorfactorwhyIputnothingonmyskinbecausethelastthingIwanttodoiscompromisemylatexseals.

Iwearadrysuitalwayswhenconditionsre-quireandwearingmydrysuitisamatteroftrustbecausewhenIfallintothewateranyleakinmydrysuitisthelastproblemIwantto have as I am paddling in Greenland’sicywaters. KokotatmakesaveryreliableproductIcanattesttothatafteryearsofre-lyingonitsdrysuitandfindingthat,yes,mydrysuitkeepsmedryevenwhenItripandfallintothewaterandwhenIampaddlinginbreakingwavesforhours.

AboveisaphototakenoffInnarsuitislandwhere I waswearing these itemswhich Ifindveryhandy for dealingwithpaddlingexposureincoldbrightsun.

[email protected]

GearThe Ultimate Sun ScreenGail Ferris


Tangier Island KayakingTangierIsland,Va.,intheChesapeakeBayofferswatertrailsforkayakingenthusiastsand adventurers alike. You can borrowkayaksfornochargeattheTangierHistoryMuseum and Cultural Interpretive Center.Youcanobtainabrochureat themuseumthat tells you where to take the kayaks.There are fivewater trails for you to dis-coverwhileboatingorkayakingonTangierIsland.

TheTownofTangierMainTrail:AcirculartrailthroughtheMainGut,theOrangeTrailgoesunderfivebridgesandwhileboatingthrough it you will pass Tangier Island’sBayView Inn and the Tangier CombinedSchool. Wind through the harbor whereyouwill see crabbingboats and soft shellcrabsheddinghouses.Watchfortidelevels,though,youmayhavetoportageyourboatandputinontheoppositesideofthebridgeattheMainGut.

ThePortIsobelTrail:ThistrailfollowsthemainchanneltoPortIsobel,whichisownedbytheChesapeakeBayFoundation.Asce-nicwalkingpathisclosebythattakesyouthroughthemarshes.Visitorsarewelcome.

TheMarshTrail:Branching off theTownofTangierMainTrail,theMarshTrailtakesyoutowardthe“Hoistin”BridgeonFactoryRoad. Winding through the marshes andbringingyouclosetothebeach,theMarsh

Access Trailisveryshallowduringlowtide.

TheCodHarborTrail:Thistrailtakesyouto the lagoon and isolated beaches. SouthofthistrailistheTangierLight,builtonthefoundation of the original Tangier SoundLighthouse. This is also a nesting groundforternsandblackskimmers.

TheUppardsTrail:This trail is a circularroutenorthofthemainchannel.Takingyouthrough the“Uppards,” the trail takesyoutoasandybeachonthewesternsideoftheisland.

Formoreinformation,gotothewww.tangi-erhistorymuseum.org.

Bill Revisits Past to Protect Potomac Lands’ futureSeveral environmental and Congressionalleaders are moving to preserve PotomacRiverlandsforthefuturebyreachingintothe past-reviving a long-dormant partner-shipthathelpedmaketheCapitalBeltwayregiongreen.

Thebill,calledtheNationalCapitalRegionLandPreservationAct,seekstosecureupto$50millionayearforfiveyearsinfederalfunding forpreserving land in theGreaterWashingtonmetropolitanregion,muchofitalongthePotomac.

ThatmoneywouldbeusedwithfundsfromMaryland,Virginia, theDistrict of Colum-bia,andWestVirginiatobuylandandkeepitingreenspace.TheNationalParkService

wouldadministerthegrantprogram,butlo-calgovernmentswouldholdtitletotheland.

Ifenacted, thebillcouldhelpprotect landalong theCaptainJohnSmithChesapeakeNational Historic Water Trail, which in-cludes several sites along thePotomac, aswellaslandnearGreatFalls,RockCreek,andAnacostiaparks.

-RonaKobell,Bay Journal,2009

Boost to Popular Adirondacks Canoe RouteThestateofNewYork,undertheurgingoftheAdirondack ParkAgency, has reclassi-fied8,000acresintheAdirondackPark,add-ing7,965acrestotheFivePondsandRoundLakeWildernessAreas and creating anewEasternFivePondsAccessPrimitiveArea.

Theactionisamajorboostforcreatingthekey canoe route –LowsLake-BogRiver-Oswegatchie–first envisioned in1985. Italsoprotectsthelandsandwatersinthevi-cinityofLowsLake.

“Thisactionprovidesararewildernesspad-dlingexperienceforbothAdirondackresi-dentsandvisitorsbylinkingLowsLakeandthe Bog River to the Oswegatchie River,LakeLila, andLittleTupperLakewilder-ness canoe route,” said Adirondack ParkAgencyChairmanCurtisStiles.

Adirondack Park consists of six millionacres,3,000lakesand30,000milesofriv-ersandstreams–plus130,000peoplewholivethere.

Photo by Dave Harp

Photo by The Nature Conservancy


Places

Ten years ago I paddled along the entiresouthshoreoftheSt.LawrencefromnearMontréal,pastQuébecandaroundthebigGaspépeninsula back toNewBrunswick,along the edgeof theAppalachianMoun-tainRange.SoIthoughtitmightbefittingandinterestingtenyearslatertocheckoutthenorthshoreoftheSt.Lawrence,alongthe edge of the Laurentian Shield fromQuébecCitytoTadoussacandthenuptheSaguenayFjordtoChicoutimi,whichIalsohadwantedtoseeforquitesometime.

As then, itwasmy birthday present frommy family,my 70th now, andNancywasagainsweetenoughtocarshuttlemetomyput-in inQuébec and pickme up at Chi-coutimiat theendofmytrip.Thanks,mydear,Ireallyappreciateit!

Part One: Down the St. Lawrence to TadoussacThe summer of 2009 had been very wet,

foggy, cold andwindy and continued likethatfortheentiredurationofmytrip.IsetupmyboatonatinybeachneartheLévisferry to downtown Québec City betweenrain showers on the morning of July 22,2009. The tide was just turning, whichlooked very promising for my downrivertrip.Asexpected,though,crossingoverthemainarmoftherivertoOrléansIslandandthenorth shore turned intomyfirst test. Ihad to dance in the strong, breaking tidalripscausedbythefour-knotebbstreamandastrong15-knotopposingNEwind.Itgotmewetfortherestoftheday,butIfeltgoodthatIhadnotlostitoverthewinterandbe-ing70yearsold.

My goal for the trip was again about 20nauticalmiles aday,or about22.5 statutemiles,followingtheshoreline,goingpointto point.After six hours, the shore at lowtide, so it seemed, hadmoved farther andfartherintotheriver.One-totwo-milewide

mudormostlyrockflatsextendedoutfromthebank,makinglandingverydifficult.FormyfirstovernightIthereforedecidedtoas-cendtheSt.AnneRivernearBeaupré,oftenliningmyboatovertheshallows.IthoughtI had finally found a spot above the highwatermark,butwhenthetidecamerushingbackin,Ihadtobreakcampandmoveevenhigherupriver,whereIwasabletopulloutandpitchmylittletentonsomeone’sriver-front lawn. Fortunately forme, the ownerdidnotmind.

The Tides in the St. LawrenceI knew then that taking out at the end ofeachday’spaddlewouldbeaproblemallthewaytoTadoussac,butthatcouldnotbehelped–Portage!Canadiancanoeistsseemtobeveryfondandproudofthischaracter-building pastime, but not I. Anyway, thenextdaywouldtakemethroughandarounda large bird sanctuary along Cape Tour-mente, the areawhere each fall thousands

Start of trip (Québec/Lévis).

From Québec City to Tadoussac to Chicoutimi Story and Photos by Reinhard Zollitsch


ofsnowgeesegatherfortheirflightsouth.Isawnoneat this timeofyear, justa fewCanada geese, ducks, terns and gulls, andanoccasionaleagleorraven.

Ikeptpaddling,hopingforapossibletake-out,buttherewasnone.InsteadIsawmilesand miles of extensive boulder fields and“rockgardens.”After9:20hoursinmyboat,IfinallyfoundasteeperMaine-likeshoreatCap de laBaie, at themouth of St. Paul’sBay.Ihadgone33.5miles,mylongestdailypaddleever.Iwasbushed,butstillfeltconfi-dentIcouldclamberuptothetiny,tent-sizedbrushyrockperchwithmygear,butdecidedto let the slowly incoming tide carry myemptyboatupthere,about18feet.

After my usual BDS (brief daily swim)andcoffeeaswellascocoa,InoticedIwasright across from Îsle-aux-Coudres,whichwas named “Îsle-es-Couldres” by JacquesCartierin1535(hissecondtriptotheNewWorld)afterthemanyhazelnuttrees(“coul-dres-coudriers”)there.Thelargeislandcre-atesasharpbend in theNorthChanneloftheSeaway,forcingallshipsrealclosebymyshore.Atnightthatbendwasevenillu-minatedwithastringoflightsmarkingthecenterlineoftheshippinglanes,justlikeonourfreewaysonshore.

Frommy1999tripdowntheSt.Lawrence

I also remembered that the tideswerenotasregularasinNewEngland,butthatonehightide,mostlythemorningtide,wasonefoothigherthantheother.SoImadesureIleftmyselfaone-footmarginofsafetyfor

mycamp.Andsureenough,at6:00a.m.thetide was almost kissing my tent. Time topackupandbegone,whichwasdistinctlyeasierthanlandinghere.

Fogandrain,andmorerockflats thenextday,tillIreachedthebreakwateratSt.Iré-née,24.5milesdownrivernearthemouthofMalbaieBay.Therewasanicelevelpebblebeach,whichmadeportagingmucheasierthanthedaybefore,but itwasstillaverylong,arduoushaultogetmygearandboatupabovethehightidemark.

On the EdgeStrongwindwarnings anda thunderstormaroundsupper timewere theusual fareofmy NOAA weather report, but I was offagain at the usual 6:00 a.m.The tidewasebbing very hard intoMalbaie Bay, threeknotsonmychart,andIhadtowatchmystep.ButIcouldnotpossiblyimaginewhatwaswaitingformeontheothersideofthebay, at Cap-à-l’Aigle. Before I realizedwhatwascoming,Iwasinit,andwiththesteepshoresonmyleft,therewasnowaytogetout.Iwasheadedforatidalripthelikesof which I had never seen, with humon-gous,steepandconfused,six-toeight-footbreakingwaves. “OhNo!” I yelled, look-ing for theTV control to switch channelsor turnoff thatdarnmachine.But lifehasnosuchcontrolbuttons.Iwasinitfordearlife,fightingeachwaveasitbrokeovermydeck,whompedme in the chest and evenhit me big time in the face and over myhead.Iwasworkingfeverishlytokeepmyboat running straight, accelerate over thecrests,punchthroughthebreakingtopsand

Rocky perch (Cap de la Baie).

Rocks, rain, and fog along the St. Lawrence.

Looking up the Saguenay Fjord from Petit Saguenay.


brace in anticipation of the slammers andside-slewers.Andallthatwithonly“halfapaddle”aseakayakerwouldsay,a50-inch,bent-shaftcanoeracingpaddle.But itwaslight-onlytenounces-andIwasquick,butverymuchontheedge,evenmoresothanlastyearalongthewestcoastofNewfound-land.ButthistimeIcouldatleastseewhat

wascoming–itwasgnarly,menacing,anddownright scary, but I had seconds to getreadyforeachofthebreakingwaves.

ItseemedIwascaughtinthistidalripfor-ever, till Ifinallymanagedtoduckbehinda ledge wall, which turned out to be theCap-à-l’Aigleyachtclubentrance.Ibreathed

a big sigh of relief,mumbled a couple ofthank-yousandpulledoutonthebeachjustoutsidethebreakwater.Iwasphysicallyandmentallyspent;Iwasdoneforthedayafteronly tenmiles. Ievenconsideredabortingmyentiretriphere.Thistripwassupposedtobeafuntrip,IhadtoldmyselfbeforeIstarted-nonightmarishsurvivalsituations,I reminded myself. So I quietly beachedmyboat, bailedout, driedmyclothes andtried to distractmymindwith some easy,fun-readingbyCliveCusslerandlotsofhotchocolate.

I holed up for the rest of the day feelingvery small.Highwindwarnings from thenortheastforthenextdaydidnotbuoymyspirits either. However, I decided to waitmaking any drastic decision and seewhattomorrowwouldbring.

Back in the Saddle AgainThickfog,agentledrizzleandalighteast-erlywindgreetedmethenextmorning,andIwasoffagainattheusual6:00a.m.Ihadtogetbackonmyhorse.Ihatedthethoughtofgivingup.Ionlyhoped“theeagle”ofCap-à-l’Aiglewouldnotswoopdownonmeagain.

Cap Éternité.

More rocks and steep shores.


Instead I sawmyfirstpodofwhitebelugawhaleswhile roundingCapSaumon (CapeSalmon)whenthefogliftedforamoment.They surfaced repeatedly off the big light-houseonthepoint,whileasmallminkwasswimming ashore, just feet away frommyboat.Thatmademesmileagain.

ImadeitfinetotheSt.Siméon/RivièreduLoup ferry terminal and felt very accom-plished. Three miles farther on I found asmallgravelbeachinAnsedelaCiboulette(ChivesBay),justbeforePointeauxQuilles(KeelPoint–IlovethosedescriptiveFrenchplacenames).Twentymilesin5:20hrs–Iwasbackonmybuckingbronco.

That afternoon I heard several mighty,deep-throatedfogwhistlesofthehugebulkcarriers and container ships steaming upanddowntheSt.LawrenceSeaway.Ineversaw the big ships, even though Iwas soclose, I couldhear thebreathydrop-off attheendofeachwhistleblow:“Whoah-aw!”Morefog,rain,andstrongwindspredictedfor tomorrow.Whatelse isnewontheSt.Lawrence?ButIwillmakeittoTadoussacnow.Iwasveryconfident.

The Rock Flats, “Battures,” of St. Catherine’s BayMy next big obstacle were the extensiverockflats(notmudflats)inSt.Catherine’sBayjustbeforetheentrancetotheSaguenayFjord at Tadoussac.They are sevenmiles

longandextendfourmilesoutintotheriverandarebonedryatlowtide.Andalongitsouteredgemychart indicatedwicked tiderips. Crossing the “battures” needed care-fulplanning;Iwasnotgoingtobecaughtoutside, forsure! IfiguredIhad togetupevenearlierandbeonthewaterat5:00a.m.Iwouldthenhavetobucktheincomingtidefortwohours,andpaddlethreehoursoftheebb tide in order to cross the flats at halftide.Thatshouldwork,Ihoped.

Thethickfogthatmorningposedanextrachallenge,addingalonely,eeriefeelingtotherun,butallworkedoutasplanned.Theincoming tide, however, was very strongagain,sothatIbarelymadeitaroundCapde laTête auChien (Doghead Point) andtwomorepoints(RavenandBasquePoint).ButIfinallymadeittoPointeNoire(Black

Point),atthemouthoftheSaguenayFjord.Bythenitwasebbingsohard(sevenknotsaccording to my chart), I could not evenmakeituptotheferrydock.

I turned around and found a beach in St.Catherine’s Bay, before that too ran dry.More rain and thunderstorms in the after-noon.Ahwell, Ididnot care, Ihadmadeit to Tadoussac! I looked at the harbor,which JacquesCartierhadvisited in1535andwhichbecamethefirstEuropeantrad-ingpostinthenewworld(setupbyPierrede Chauvin in 1600). But I especially vi-sualized Samuel de Champlain sailing upthefjordtoChicoutimiin1608,hopingtofindarouteto“thesaltwaterseaupnorth,”JamesandHudsonBay.Ialsolookedhardtoseethe“tadoussacs,”thetwobreast-likerounded hills the placewas named for bythenatives,butdidnotseeanythingresem-blingthatfemaleanatomy.Idecidedinsteadthatearlyinhabitantsaswellasearlysailorsandtradersmusthavebeeninthewoodsorat sea too long, and that thiswhole thingwas nothing but wishful thinking. TheGrandTetons in theRockyMountains ontheotherhand...

Part Two: Up the Saguenay Fjord to ChicoutimiNow133milesdone,75moremilestogo!What a sweet thought, provided thewinddid not pipe up from the northwest. Theeasterliesof the lastcoupleofdayswouldbe nice, real nice, but please not 20-30knots!EarlythenextmorningIhadtofeelmyway into the fjordwith theflood tide.ThefogwassothickIcouldnotseetheop-posite shore.As amatter of fact, I had to

Cap Trinité.

Ready to receive another trip sticker.


steeracompasscoursefrompointtopointwhenever I was not directly touching thesteepgranitewallsonmyleft.AtmiletenthecurrentturnedandIwasbuckingarath-erstrongebbtide,eddy-hoppingfromrock-outcroppingtorock-outcroppinginordertomakeituptomile23.5.

Asamatteroffact,thehigherIpaddledupthefjord,themoreInoticedthewarmersur-faceriverwateroutofhugeSt.JeanLake“ebbing” all the time, while the colder,heavier ocean saltwater must have beensettlingatthebottomofthedeepfjord(upto276meters,about830feet),mostlyjustlifting the freshwater layeron thesurface.SoifIweretopaddletheSaguenayagain,Iwould definitely choose to paddle downfromChicoutimi toTadoussacandnot thewayIwasdoingitnow.

I had picked a small gravel beach/rampat the Petite Saguenay River, just outsidethe national park, to be legal. There alsowas a public road to the point, and tour-istswere stoppingby to admire theviewsallafternoon.“Wow!Look!”“Click”wentthecamerashutter,andmomentslatertheydroveoff again.Thentwoski-doosandacoupleoffour-wheelers,alldrivenbyover-sized local youths, tore up the tranquilityofthisuniquegeologicalplace.Theenginenoisesreverberatedmightilyforagoodtwohours from the steep granite walls, whiletheychurnedupthequietwatersofthefjordortoreupthemud/rockflats.IhadtostuffpiecesofwetKleenexintomyearsandwaseagertomoveontomorrow.

My satellite phone worked flawlessly,though, even in the tight, steep-walledfjord.MynewSPOTsatelliteGPSlocator,ontheotherhand,wasadisasterandnev-er reallyworked. Itwas supposed to sendmy location to e-mail addresses of familymembersandfriendsathome,butalltheyand Igotwasa roadmapwhereXmarksthespot.EachtimeIendlesslywatchedthelittledoo-hickeyblinkatme,butnorealac-tion,norealtransmission.Ittookabout6-8minutestofinallysendthelocatormessage.(Whatgoodwould thatdo ina911emer-gencysituation?!)“Tracking”didnotworkatall,notevenasalocator.Itgoesback!

At 5:30 the next morning I saw my firstsunriseoftheentiretrip.Whatadifferencethe sun makes! The fjord was calm andverystill.Hereandthereafewfogcloudsseemedtobehunguponthehigherridgesandpointsalong shore, rising inplaces toalmost500meters(1,500feet).OtherwiseIsawmostlybaregranitewallsorsteepslopescoveredwithverydense,greenandnarrow-shouldered spruces.Therewas hardly anydeadwoodasinourMainewoods.

Imadeiteasily(foronce)pastCapÉternitéandCapTrinité,maybethemostspectacu-larareaoftheentirefjord,toAnseduGrosRuisseau (BigBrookCove). I had chosen

thisspotbecauseIexpectedasmallsandorgravelbeachorsiltdepositattheoutflowofthebigbrook.AndIwasright.Evenbetter,theParkhadestablishedafewwoodenplat-formsthereforrivertravelerstocampon.Iappreciatedthat,especiallywhenIwashitwith yet another thunderstorm and torren-tialrainsinthelateafternoon.

Iagainhadaveryearlystartwithoutbreak-fastandalongportagetothewater’sedge,inordertocatchwhattherewasofthein-comingtide.Butasyouknow,Iamamini-malist,andtwogranolabarsontherunwithplainwaterwerejustfinewithme,aslongasIcouldgowiththeflow.

The fjordwaswidening suddenly and thesteeprockwallsmovedbacksomewhatandbecamelower,allowinghousestocrowdinalongshore.IhadtosmilewhenIcrossedHa! Ha! Bay. Last year I had camped atHa!Ha! Point at anotherHa!Ha!Bay inNewfoundland.Thisarmherewoulddeadendat an industrialharbor,PortAlfred. (Ihadreadthat“Ha!Ha!”wasderivedfromanoldFrenchwordmeaning“DeadEnd,”whichwouldmakesenseinbothinstances.)Mytripwasdistinctlywindingdown,asIenteredthelastarmtoChicoutimi.

IhadonemoreovernightonasmallpocketbeachinLaGrandeAnse(TheBigBay).Iarrivedatabouthigh tideandfelt thatmyspot formytentwouldallowevenfor theusual one foot tidal fluctuation of the St.Lawrence. But at 11:00 p.m., the waves

Old “Indian Church” in Tadoussac.

Author at first trading post (Tadoussac).


were gently lapping against my tent, andthewaterwasstillrising.Gearbags,sleep-ingbagandpadaswellastheentireset-uptent got tossed onto the rocks behindme,whileIperchedonaledgeinthemoonlight,wearingmyheadnettowardoffthemos-quitoes.Whatawaytospendthelastnightof your trip, I thought tomyself.Atmid-night, though, the tide had turned enoughformetomovemytentandgearbacktomyoldlocation.Thenightwasshort,butsleepcameveryeasily.

The pick-up and happy encoreOnly12moremilestoChicoutimi!Noprob-lem,nomatterhowbadtheweatherwouldget.Irememberedtheendofmy2007tripfromLakeOntariotoQuébec,whereIhadleftmyself21milesforthelastdayandwashitbya25-knotheadwind.Ialmostmissedmypick-upandmydatewithNancyinthefancy hotel, theChateau Frontenac.Did Ieverworkhardtogettothattake-outspot!

On this trip, 11:00 a.m. on July 31, 2009wasourtargettimetomeetupatthepub-licboatrampattheChicoutimiYachtClub.I was right on time, and so was Nancy.What awonderful sight thatwas:A smil-ing Nancy, camera in hand, and the car

parked right beside the boat ramp. Hugsandkisses,aquickgeartransfer,theboatontheroofrack...andoffwewere,backdowntoTadoussacforacoupleofdaysofhappyR&Rinthefamous,traditionalGrandHo-telTadoussac.Andyes,weagainvisitedtheChauvin/Champlain trading post, went inthe picturesque little “IndianChurch” andenjoyedthespectacularboardwalkfromtheharboraroundPointedel’Islettothefjordentrance.Evenafewwhalesshoweduptomakethismomentperfect.

OurreturntriptoMainetookusviaferryfromSt. Siméon, 15miles across the St.Lawrence River to Rivière du Loup andon Canada’s superhighways down to thecrown of Maine and then back home toOrono.Anothersuccessfultrip,consistingof133hardtide-riddenmilesdowntheSt.Lawrencewithhardlyanyplacetotakeoutatlowtide,and75spectacularmilesuptheSaguenayFjord.Itwas208miles/333kmin10days–notbadfora70-year-oldgee-zer,Ithoughttomyself.ButinthefutureIwill tryevenhardertostayoutofthosenastytidalrips...ifonlyIknewwheretheywouldmaterialize. The100-200yardsofsix-eight-footbreakingtidalwavesarenofun,folks;believeme.

Well,we’llseewhatnextyearbrings.Enjoy!

[email protected]

Trip Information*Boat & gear: 17’2” Verlen Kruger SEAWINDseacanoe(www.krugercanoes.com)

*10oz.carbonfiberbent-shaftmarathon-rac-ingcanoepaddlebyZaveral(www.zre.com)

*NOAApaperchartsfortheentirearea(noGPS)

*Iridium satellite phone (for daily safetycheck-insathome–workedgreat,eveninthesteepfjord)

*SPOT,GPSlocator(adisaster;“Tracking”neverworked;atotalwaste)

*VHFradiotelephone(forweatherreportsandcontactingCoastGuardandotherboats)

*Luneberg lensatic passive radar reflectorbyWESTMARINE(soIshowuponotherboats’radar)

*6-footbicyclewigglestickwithorangeflag(onstern;sootherboatscanseemebetter)

*Two 10 liter (2.5 gal.) water bags byMSR-DROMEDARY(enoughwaterfortheentiretrip)

*Campinggear, includingone-burnerpro-panestove,andallcannedfoodsetc.fromhome;forbeachcamping(noofficialcamp-groundsormarinas)

*Expenses: Food and propane tank fromhome;carshuttlesandR&RwithNancy

*Nosponsors–nostress,noobligation

Arrival in Chicoutimi.


The Norwalk Islands of Connecticut sitonemileoffshoreandstretchapproximate-lyfournauticalmilesfromSheffieldIslandinthewesttoCockenoeIslandintheeast.Therearenearly twodozen small islandsbut the largest ones include Sheffield,Shea,Chimon,Copps,Grassy,Goose,andCockenoe.SomeoftheIslandsarepublic,someareprivate,andafewarepartoftheStewartMcKinneyWildlifeRefuge.

TheIslandshavebecomeapopulardestina-tionofkayakersfromalloverConnecticut,NewYorkState,andsometimesevenfar-theraway.TheCityofNorwalkwelcomesout-of-area kayakers. The Islands are anattractionbecauseof themanypublicac-cesspoints,viewingofwildlife includingwinter Harbor Seals, several islands thatare open to the public for camping, pic-nics,exploring...andIshouldmentiontheavailable outhouses.The Islands are alsohometoavarietyofnestingbirdsinclud-

ing Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, BlackCrowned Night Herons, Oystercatchers,Terns,manyotherbirds,andseveralactiveOspreynests.And this iswhere thestoryofthenewbook,“KayakingInandAroundtheNorwalkIslands”begins...theOsprey!

Inthespringof2009,Icameupwiththeideaofdocumentingthelocationsofactiveosprey nests along the coast ofNorwalk,Darien,andWestport.Morethanadecadeago,whenIstartedkayakingthelocalwa-ters,therewasonlyoneactivenestinNor-walk andone inWestport.TheOsprey, afishhawkthatfliestoSouthAmericaeachwinterandreturnsinlateMarch,hasmadeadramaticcomebackinrecentyears.Thedecline in population has been attributedtotheuseofthepesticideDDT,bannedintheearly1970’s.Asof2009,thereare13active nests in theNorwalk area and ap-proximately17chickshatchedduring thesummerof2009...allgoodnews.

Ithenhadtheideaofwritingaboutthelo-calOspreypopulation,alongwithmyOs-preynestlocationlist.Afewlocalnews-papers published stories on my work. Ithen thought,whynotwrite about kaya-king around the Norwalk Islands. SinceIknewall thenooksandcranniesof thelocal waters and was well versed in thesport of sea kayaking, I started compos-ingchaptersandtakingphotographs.

The book took all year to produce withmanydraftsanddesignchanges,butitisfinally in print. There has been a lot ofenthusiasm over it including public of-ficials, thosewhohavean interest in thestewardship of the Norwalk Islands, thewatersofLongIslandSound,coastalandislandwildlife,and,ofcourse,kayakers.Thechapters includelocal launchsites...navigation...descriptionsofalltheislandswithalittlehistory...detailsoflocalkaya-kingincludingalongthecoastofDarien,

Kayaking In and Around the Norwalk Islands: A New GuideBy David Park

Peck Ledge Lighthouse.


Norwalk, and Westport, the three localrivers, and around the islandsoffshore...safety suggestions and other pointers...achapteronnestingbirdsincludingEgrets,Herons, Terns, and other birds...and, ofcourse, the latest Norwalk area Ospreynestlocationlist.

It hasbeena lotofworkand fun topro-ducethebookandIamquitepleasedwithbeingabletosharethebookandallithastooffer.Ithasproventobequitepopularasithasfilledaniche.Ifthebookcontin-uestobepopular,Iplanonupdatingitasneededanddoingadditionalprintings.

ThebookisonsaleattheOutdoorSportsCen-ter,80DanburyRoad,Wilton,(203)762-8797;SmallBoatShop,144WaterStreet,SouthNor-walk, (203) 854-5223; Maritime AquariumGiftShop,10NorthWaterStreet,SouthNor-walk,(203)852-0700ext.2236;NorwalkDeptofRecreation&Parks,125EastAvenue;and

Camping on south beach of Shea Island.

Southeast corner of Chimon Island.


NorwalkMuseumGiftShop,41NorthMainSt.Thepriceisabout$10.Parkissellingthebook to retailersatdirectcostwithoutprofit.Dozensofcopieshavebeensoldoverthepastcoupleofmonths.Thebookisnotavailableonline,butthekayakretailersarewillingtosendbooksoutoftownifyougivethemacallore-mailthemfromtheirwebsites.

DavidPark is chairmanof theNorwalkHistorical Commission, board mem-ber and secretary of the East NorwalkLibrary Foundation, East Norwalk Im-provementAssociation,andboardmem-beroftheNorwalkRiverWatershedAs-sociation.He lives inEastNorwalkandisretired.

Hehas been a canoeist ofNewEnglandlakesandriversallhislifeandkayakeroflocalwatersformorethanadecade.Heisalsoabackyardbirdwatcherenthusiast.

Formoreinformation,contactDavidParkat(203)[email protected]

Historic Sheffield Island Lighthouse


Wicked Local Paddles

Alongerthanusualhike—that’swhatitwasfromthestairsatthebottomoftheblufftothewaterlineatJailhouseBeachThursday.Ihaven’tseenthatmuchsandatJailhousein many moons, the evening’s near fullmoon, in fact, amajorplayer in thebay’slow-slunghemline.

Aboutthatfullmoon:itwasthebiggestandbrightestforallof2010,biggestandbright-estbecausethemoonwasascloseasitgetstoEarththisyear.Anothercloseencounterof thebigandbrightThursdaywasMars,theplanet’snextcloseflybyin2014.

All told, a spectacular show Thursdaynight.Theshameofitwaswecouldn’tsee

theperformanceexcept for ahazyfilmofmoon,andMarsnotatall.Themonth-longgraydrearythat’sbeensmotheringtheBayArea was a thick tent pole blocking ourpeanut-galleryviewofthemainattraction.

Thewater rushingaway toexposeall thatsand at Jailhouse was motoring towardAngel Island, a perfect destination for acurrent-assistedpaddle.Instead,theMayor,Billy Pilgrim, the Czar, and I ferried at a30-degree angle against that same currentto Red Rock.Whywe fought the currentratherthanflowingwithitisasbewilderingtomeastheweather.

There are two ways to paddle at cross-

purposes to a current: the right way andthe wrong way. The Czar and theMayorchosetherightway,anglingupstreamandto the north of Red Rock, paralleling ascloseaspossibletotheRichmond-SanRa-faelBridge.Whentheyweredirectlyacrossfrom the rock, they let the current carrythemthelastquartermile.

Billy Pilgrim and I chose thewrongway,paddlinga straight line fromJailhouse to-ward Red Rock. Twomiles out we knewtheerrorofourways,pilesofwhite frothchurnedupbythetideriponeithersideoftheshippingchannelmarkingthe200-yard-wide river pell-melling it toAngel Island.Paddlingagainst that river the lastquarter

Thurseve Paddle ReportBy John Boeschen

http://www.ccprc.com/ecckf


mile, we touched down on Toilet BowlBeachwellaftertheCzarandtheMayor.

Billyand Ifigured the smarter twoofourfoursomewouldhaveafiregoinganddin-ner simmering when we reached ToiletBowl.TheMayor and theCzar, however,outsmarted us again, fire and food absentwhenwearrived.

Tasks to be shared equally, we four setabout building a fire and cooking dinnertogether.The burnableflotsamand jetsamonToiletBowltoowetforunassistedcom-bustion, the Mayor did a ziggurat of wet4x4saroundaPrestologcourtesyofBillyPilgrim.Withinhalfanhour,wehaddinneraroundafirehotandhungryenoughtoig-nitewettinder,whichwefedfortwohoursbeforeleaving.

TheCzar’supcomingGonzopaddleateupa fair portion of our fireside chatter.Heldanynumberoftimesinpastyears,theideafor the Gonzo is to see how many serfstheCzarcansubject toa shoulderacheatonetimeintheNorthBay.Shoulderachesless thanagooddraw, theeventhasbeenfinessed into a challenge:Are you heartyenoughtokayakto14bayislandsbetweensunriseandsunset?

The 14 islands: Alcatraz, Yerba Buena,Treasure, Brooks, Bird Rock, Red Rock,TwoBrothers(2),TheSisters(2),RatRock,Chard, Buckwheat, andAngel. Twelve oftheseidentifiedonnauticalchartsasislandsandtwoasrocks,thetotalof14isquestion-able.SeveralauthoritieshavesuggestedRatandBirdbeconsideredoneisland,makingthetotalcount13.Theissueisyettobere-solved.

MarketedonBASK’slistservmoreheavilythanFordMotorCompany’s1957introduc-tionoftheEdsel,theSaturdayeventdrewarecordnumberofkayakers.Soalluringtheevent—itreachingnearmythicalstatuson-line—threeadditionalgroupsformed,eachofthethreepaddlingtosuccessivelyfewerislands: theClassicGonzo to 10, theGo-

With-the-FlowGonzotowhereverthecur-rentscarriedthem,andtheHalfGonzoto7,maybeless.

A combined total of more than 40 pad-dlers—kayakingeasyonthe jointsandat-tractingasmanywrinkliesasfair—alargeportionofSaturday’s40+were50+.Rep-resentingthewrinklieendofthespectrumwasVTDon,hisactualageindeterminate,butrumorssuggestingheauthoredtheRo-settaStoneareliableindication.VT,bytheway,paddledall14islands.

Numbers alone suggest much can belearned by observing others in an eventlikethis.Consummatekayakerandsome-times Thursday night paddler Don’t Fol-lowDontaughtmeaboutmaritimesignal-ingSaturday.

CuttinginbehindthedocksatChevrontoshavea fewpaddlestrokesoff thecourse,Don’t Follow re-emerged into the bay tochallengea tugpushinga largebarge, thetwin-diesel-enginedcomboturningdirectlyintohim.Thetugimmediatelyeruptedintoa series of 5 short hornblasts.Don’tFol-low eluded the barge by a paddle length,the tug’s 5 blasts nautical speak for “You@#$%,you’refishchumnow,”thecrew’sloud curses betweenblasts confirming thetug’sintent.

This type of all-hands-on-deck learning isasgoodasitgets.Thanks,Don’tFollow,fordemonstratingamaneuverIneverwould’vethoughtsurvivable.

Despiteadhocshortcutshereandthere,theGonzowasdesignedbytheCzartoridetheflood north to aChinaCamp lunchmeet-up,thenreturnwiththeebbtotheoriginallaunch at Horseshoe Cove. The first pad-dlerstotouchall14islandsinthe37-mile-longcircuitfinishedunder7hours.Thelastpaddlers may still be out there.We wishthemluck.

StatsDate:Thursday,28 JanuaryandSaturday,

30January2010.

Distance:Afairways.

Speed:Sometimes.

Time:Aworkday’sworth.

Spray factor:Hereandthere.

Dessert:Milkchocolatecrisps(Thursday),PilsnerUrquell(Saturday).

Comix -> http://web.mac.com/jboeschen/LCM/1.28.10.html

John Boeschen has been writing the Thur-seve Paddle Report about the weekly excur-sions into San Francisco Bay with his com-panions for more than a decade.

http://www.contoocookcanoe.com


Book Review

Puristseakayakersare sometimes abit scornful of thesuccessful 62-daypaddle by JamesCastrission andJustin Jones fromAustralia to NewZealand in thesummerof2007/8.After all, it was

nota“proper”seakayakbecauseofitssize,shapeand its living/survivalpod. It resem-bledthoseboatsrowedintrans-Atlanticrac-es,justnarrowerandpaddledratherthanoarpowered.A“real”seakayakcrossingoftheTasmanwas better represented byAndrewMcAuley’sexpeditionfromTasmania,eventhough that ended so tragically just off theNewZealandcoast.IrememberconcerninsomequartersthatCastrission’sbookCross-ingtheDitch(HarperSportsAustralia,2009)might have thewords “sea kayak” on thecoverwhenitappeared(itdidn’t).

From the intense media coverage as theynearedtheirlandfallatNewPlymouth,plustheslickwebsitewithyoung-personUtube-speak,Iwasslightlyskepticalthatanybookwould be little more than a brash Aussiegloat. But Iwas very pleasantly surprised.Castrission writes well, with a disarminghonestyandaquitematureselfawareness.Alongwiththeexpecteddescriptionsoftheplanning,designing,andbuildingoftheves-sel,thereisalsoanaccountoftheconflictingemotions, motivational issues, and seriousproblems with chronic sea-sickness beforethepaddlestartedinearnest.

Thismindovermatterthemeisfurtherde-veloped with the journey’s account itself.Running the gauntlet of sharks, storms,contrarywinds and seas, hunger and bro-ken equipment, the two lads come acrossas likeable, earnest, resourceful, andquitedevotedtohelpingeachotherthroughtheirrespectivebadtimes.

Theydonotoverlydramatizetheirnauticalplights and predicaments on their voyage,whichwereoftensignificantandlifethreat-ening,thoughcertainlydescribetheminde-tail,andthenarrativeisrelativelyunaffectedbythecommontendencyinadventurelitera-turetoselfaggrandizefeatsofenduranceanddifficulty.

There’slotsofgoodmaterialonriskman-agement,equipment,weather,kayakdesignandconstruction,gear,food,andsooninanexcellentappendix.

OneofthemoreinterestingfeaturesofthebookformewasthebackgroundaccountofAndrewMcAuley’s ill-fatedpaddleacrosstheTasmantowithinadayorsoofmakinglandfall.InfacttheMcAuleystory,astoldbyCastrission,islikeadarkShakespeareansubplottohisownvoyage.

According toCastrission,McAuley foundout about Castrission’s and Jones’s plansforacrossingwithoutrevealingthathetoohad a similar goal, and indeed used someofCastrission’s riskmanagementmaterialthat Castrission sent him. When Castris-sion foundoutaboutMcAuley’sproposedexpedition, they planned a coffeemeetinginSydneyduringwhichMcAuleyrevealedhis “turmoil” that he might be upstaged.McAuleywaswellknownforhisextremesea kayaking trips and other outdoor ad-ventures. Castrission and Jones were es-sentially a couple of adventure upstarts.Castrissionwas an accountant. From thenontherewasnothingbutoutrighthostilityfromMcAuley.

McAuley abandoned his first attemptedcrossingfromTasmaniaduetofatigueandcold,butheadedoutagainforwhatlookedlike a triumphal arrival atMilfordSoundin2007,wellinadvanceoftheCastrission/Jonesexpedition.CastrissionflewtoNewZealand and was on his way to MilfordSoundtocongratulateMcAuley.Butwhen

McAuley’s wife found out she told himinnouncertaintermstogoawaysincehehadhelpedtomakeherandherhusband’slifesoterribleduetothemedia-perceivedtrans-Tasmanracerivalrybetweenthetwoexpeditions.CastrissionleftTeAnaudeep-lyhurt.

Shortly afterwards it was revealed thatMcAuleywasdead.Castrissionand Joneswereblamedbysomefortheloss,andtheycertainlyrodetheirownemotionalground-swell of guilt. So it’s not entirely a prettytale,andweonlyhearoneside.Butithelpsto give this book a good dose of dark re-alism.NotablyCastrission’s book is dedi-catedtoMcAuley.

Andregardlessoftheextentofanyrivalrythetwovoyageswillalwaysbecontrasted.Onewas a solo effort by a loving familymanacrossthesouthernTasmaninabasicseakayak(withonlyahoodoverthecock-pit forprotectedsleepatnight).Theotherwas farther to thenorth,bya coupleexu-berantyoungstersinatwo-manvesselwitha survival pod. One voyage ended in tri-umph, theother tragedy.DoubtlesspeoplewillmakeacomparisontopolarexplorersRobertScott’sandRoaldAmundsen’sracetotheSouthPole.

Thosewholikereadingaboutmajoroceancrossings in various kinds of small boatswillappreciatetheadditionofthisbooktothe genre.Who cares whether it’s techni-callyaseakayakornot.Thevoyagewasasignificantachievement.

Buttheseakayaker’sholygrailremainsun-claimed–will/cananyonepaddlesoloandunassistedacrosstheTasmanina“proper”seakayak(withoutasail)?

Youcanorderthebookdirectlyfromwww.crossingtheditch.com(notforsaleonAma-zon.com)

ReprintedbyPermissionfromtheSea Ca-noeist Newsletter,JournaloftheKiwiAssn.ofSeaKayakers,NewZealand,PaulCaffyneditor,December2009/January2010.

Crossing the DitchReviewed by Kerry Howe


Calendar

GET [email protected],P.O.Box520,Ipswich,MA01938.

NORTH ATLANTIC

SYMPOSIA AND SHOWS

March 26-28: Paddlesport 2009 Show, Somerset, N.J.Akayak,canoe,andoutdoorshow,GardenStateExhibitCenter,Somerset,N.J.SponsoredbyTheJersey Paddler. Exhibits includemanufacturersofkayaks,canoes,accessories,sportswear,pad-dlingclubs,professionalinstructionandexpedi-tions.Lecturesandvideo/slideshowsofexotictripsandexpeditions,pluspaddlingtechniques.Formoreinformation,call(888)22-KAYAKorvisitwww.jerseypaddler.com

March 27-28: Small Boat Shop Warehouse SaleSmallBoatShop,Norwalk,Ct.TheLatest2010models.Usedboats. All in-stockboats andac-cessoriesatspecialpre-seasonprices.Seakayaks,recreational kayaks, canoes, rowing shells, rowboats,peddleboats,andsmallsailboats.Freead-mission.Formoreinformation,SmallBoatShop,144WaterStreet,Norwalk,CT06854;(203)854-5223www.thesmallboatshop.com

April 24-25: Collinsville Canoe & Kayak Annual Spring Demo Weekend & Storewide Sale. Saturday9-6;Sunday10-5.Free.Majormanu-facturers on hand; demo equipment; classes,talks, and tips.Friendly staff onhand.Rainorshine.41BridgeSt.(Rte.179),Collinsville,CT;(860)693-6977;www.cckstore.com

May 21-23: Adirondack PaddlefestOld Forge, N.Y. Sponsored by MountainmanOutdoorSupplyCo.Morethan1,000canoesandkayaksonsale.Testpaddlekayaks.Lecturesandskillsessions.Livemusic,food,andfunforthewholefamily.www.mountainmanoutdoors.com

May 23: Contoocook River Kayak & Canoe Demo DayContoocookRiverCanoeCo.,Concord,N.H.Morethan200kayaksandcanoestodemo,talktothereps.On-the-hour in-water and on-land presentations.Call(603)753-9804orwww.contoocookcanoe.com

June 5: World Ocean Day FestivalOldQuarryOceanAdventures,DeerIsle,Maine.Familyorientedweekendfestivalofoutdoorac-tivities,education,andfun.http://oldquarry.com

June 10-13: New England Intermediate Rough Water SymposiumPointJudith,RhodeIsland.SponsoredbyMaineIslandKayakCo,andNDK.Focusoninterme-diate level rockgardenplay, tidal streamworkincludingtripsout toTheRaceoff FishersIs-lands, and surfingwith a bit ofGreenland andBCU.Facilitiesata“youthcamp”facililtyonaprotectedbayontheedgeofthissmallRhodeIs-

landtown.TomBergh,MaineIslandKayakCo,PeaksIsland,ME04108;207-766-2419h;207-232-6733c;www.maineislandkayak.com

June 12-13: 21st Annual Atlantic Canada Sea Kayaker’s MeetingTangier,NovaScotia.Discoveroneof thebestpaddlingdestinationsineasternCanada.Clinics,slidesshows,traditionalchurchsupper.Preandpostmeetingsessions(June11–TidalCurrentClinic;June14–SurfingClinic).SpecialGuest:JimPrice,EasternEdgeOutfitters,PaddleCan-ada Senior IT. Scott Cunningham, (877) 404-2774;www.coastaladventures.com

June 25-27: Wooden Boat ShowMysticSeaport,Mystic,Ct.Enjoyhundredsofwood-crafted boats including kayaks, test pad-dle, seminars, programs, special events; www.thewoodenboatshow.com

RACES

April 24: 28th Annual Run of the CharlesGreaterBoston.Seriesofprofessionalandamateurcanoe and kayak races for ages 12 and up,withmorethan1,500participants.RaceswindalongtheCharlesRiver throughDedham,Needham,New-ton,Wellesley,andWalthamtoHerterPark,Sol-diersFieldRoad,Allston.Racesincludethe$5,000Professional Flatwater 26-MileCanoeMarathon,24-MileCanoeRelayRacefor teamsof ten,and19-,9-andsix-milecanoeandkayakraces.Takenote:Thesixmilerisportage-free.SponsoredbytheCharlesRiverWatershedAssociation,with43

Charles River Watershed Association

28th Run of the CharlesCanoe & Kayak Race

Sunday, April 25, 2010 • Boston, MA

Register now by visiting www.CharlesRiver.org.

??Questions?? Call us at 508-698-6810.

24-Mile Relay 19-Mile • 9-Mile

6-Mile

Amateur

Races

include:

Activities for the whole family at the Finish Line Festival!

http://www.CharlesRiver.org


yearsof improvements to thehealth,beauty,andenjoymentoftheCharlesRiver. Entryfees$40-$55apaddler.FreeFinishLineFestivalatMDCHerter Park. Race or Volunteer. Contact: (508)698-6810orrotc@crwa.org.Lookforon-linein-formationandregistrationatwww.crwa.org

July 17: Blackburn ChallengeGloucester,Mass. 23-mile race onmainly openwater, circumnavigating CapeAnn. The race isopentoanyone,butthereisahalf-waycheckpointwithatimelimit,andafullracepull-outlimitofsix hours. For race info and online registration,[email protected](978)764-9407

ClASSES

May 15-16 and May 22-23: Maine Sea Kayak Guide Courses, Lincoln Canoe & KayakTwoweekends.Thefirstweekendwillbeamixofclassroomandonwatertime,thesecondwillbeanovernighttriponCascoBay.June 2-5:Fulldayofclassroomprepandathree-dayexpe-dition in Muscongus Bay. Designed to provideleadershiptrainingforoutdoorprogramtriplead-ersandtoprepareguidecandidatesfortheMaineSea Kayak Guide Exam. Courses will train andinstruct participants in the knowledge and skillsrequiredtoleadsingleormulti-dayseakayaktripsontheMaineCoast.Theyarealsoanopportunityfor recreationalpaddlers todeveloppaddlingex-pertise.Thefour-daycoursecontentgoesbeyond

theessentialskillsrequiredtobecomeaRegisteredMaineGuide.LincolnOutdoorCenter, 8VarneyRd., Freeport,ME; (207) 865-0455; [email protected];orwww.paddlelincoln.com

March 13-14: WMI of NOLS Wilderness First Aid Course put on by Crossing LatitudesSebagoCanoeClub,Brooklyn,NY.

March 20-21: WMI of NOLS Wilderness First Aid Course Cattus Island Park, Toms River, NJ. Price:$250.00perpersonforboth.TwodaysofintensetraininginWildernessFirstAid.TheWildernessMedicineInstitutestaffwillteachyoutheskillsneededsoyoucancareforaninjuredfriendun-tiltheprosarrive.AfewspotsareopenonthisWildernessFirstAid course to folkswhoneedto recertify their Wilderness First Responder.60%hands-onwithrealisticscenariosand40%lectures,demonstration,anddiscussions.Amustfor all guides! Crossing Latitudes, (406) [email protected]

SOUTH ATLANTIC

SYMPOSIA AND FESTIVAlS

April 16-18: 20thAnnualEastCoastCanoe&KayakFesti-valJamesIslandCountyPark,Charleston,S.C.Oneofthepremierkayakingeventsoftheyear.Lectures,on-waterclasses,anddemonstrations.Fourclasses runat thesame time.Refineyourskillsinamasterclass.Learnstrokes,rescues,or

rollsfromH2Outfitters.Demos.Formoreinfor-mationwww.ccprcevents.com

EVENTS

March 20: River Quest 2010. Downtown Beaufort Water-frontPark,1106BayStreet,Beaufort,SC,10:00a.m.StartTime.Kayak andCanoe races of 3.0miles or 7.4 miles. www.active.com or www.HigherGroundBeaufort.com

March 6-April 4: Ultimate Florida ChallengeThis race circumnavigates Florida starting inFortDesotoinTampaBay–1200mileswitha40-mile portage.The first stage startswith theAnnual Everglades Challenge. At Key Largoyou turn north and head for Sebastian Inlet.Fromthereyougotothefarthestnortheastcor-nerofFloridaatFortClinch.Thenit’sabout90miles upstream on the St. Marys River to St.George.AtSt.Georgeyoubegin the infamous40-mileportagetotheSuwanneeRiveratFargo.Afterabout220milesdownriveryouarebackintheGulfofMexico-nextstopCedarKey.ThefinalsprintfromCedarKeyfinishesbackatFortDesoto.It’shardtopredictwhichstagewillbethe toughestsinceweatherwillbeafactor.Al-thoughthedeadlinesallowjustabitmorethan29daystocompletetheUltimateFloridaChallenge,hardchargersmightbeabletodothisin15daysorso,but theweatherwouldhave tocooperate.Amorereasonabletargetis20daysgive.Cruis-ersmaytakeamoreleisurelypaceanduseeveryminuteoftheallowedtime.Ofcourse,thischal-lenge is so tough that it ispossible thatnobodycan complete it in the allowed time limits. Formoreinformationwww.watertribe.com

GREAT LAKES

SYMPOSIA AND SHOWS

March 12-14: CanoecopiaAlliantEnergyCenter,Madison,Wisc.One ofthe biggest paddlesports shows in the country.SponsoredbyRutabaga.www.canoecopia.com

July 15-18, 2010Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium. GrandMarais,Mich.www.downwindsports.com

Aug. 26-29: Lake Superior Goes GreenlandNaturally Superior Adventures hosts Ontario’sonly Greenland-style sea kayak symposium onLakeSuperior,Wawa,Ontario,Canada.InstructorsincludeBonniePerryandDougVanDoren,twoofNorthAmerica’s finestGreenland-style paddlers.Perfect forfirst-timeandexperiencedGreenland-stylepaddlersalike,registrationincludestheuseofahandmadepaddle.Contact:MeganGamble(800)203-9092;[email protected]

INTERNATIONAL

May 29-31: 10th Jersey Sea Kayaking SymposiumJersey, Channel Islands, England. Highly ex-perienced local and visiting coaches. Featuredspeakers. Four-day post symposium programwith trips to offshore reefs and other islands.www.seapaddleruk.blogspot.com

www.peconicpaddler.com

Peconic Paddler is back in business. We specialize in paddling Canoes,

Kayaks and Stand Up Paddleboards.

500 watercraft are in stock including the following brands: Current Designs

Composite Sea Kayaks, Ocean Kayak Sit On Top Kayaks, Valley Canoe Products

British Kayaks, Wenonah Canoes, Grumman Canoes and a bunch of

different stand up Paddleboards. We have over 50 of the coveted Werner San Juan Paddles, Lightweight Werner SUP Paddles, a full line of Yakima Roof Top

Carriers for kayaks and canoes and many super comfortable PFDs.

Open Thursday through Sunday. Other days by appointment. Delivery is available up to 150 miles.

89 Peconic Ave. Riverhead, NY 11901 631-727-9895

Jared on his Stand Up Paddleboard

http://www.ospreyseakayak.com

http://www.peconicpaddler.com


Klassifieds

SURGE.Kevlar,Fast,LightweightOutfittedWeight 38 lbs. (Specifications L.O.A 17’7 3/4” L.W.L. 15’Overall Beam 22 3/4”,Waterline Beam 21 3/4”, Prismatic Coef-ficient(P.C.)0.56LateralCenterofBouy-ancy(L.C.B),Station5.1,Volume11.7cu.ft.CockpitSize16”x27”,CockpitHeight13 3/4”. Excellent boat, 3,100.00 proventrack record call Cathy: (518) 893-1567,SaratogaSpringsNY.(4)

WET WILLY.Custombuilt(80workhours)“Spirit”flagshipmodel,17ft.x24ins.Wideswede form, mahogany wood deck andhatches, largemahogany keyhole cockpit,deck height 131/2 inches, carbon/Kevlarhull.ExpeditionlayupandSeawardKayakSmartRuddersystem,whitehull,specialtygraphics and compass. Excellent condi-tion,alwaysgaraged.Weight59 lbs.Price$2,500neg.Saleisduetoagingandhealthreasons. Custom wood paddle, sprayskirt,cockpitcoverincluded.ErnieJochen,Mas-tic,NY11950;(631)281-7873.(4)

BETSIE BAY ARAL.Greenland stylekayak18’X201/2”33 lbs.PurchasednewJan.2007andisinexcellentcondition.Locatedin Grand Rapids, Mich. Asking $3,500.Contact Dale @ 616-868-6745 or email:[email protected](3)

EPIC 16. kevlar touring with SmartTrakrudder only 39pounds.Near newyellow/whiteplusnewfittedneopreneskirt.Superwoman’sboat.$2000/(860)3349433.(3)

SEDA IMPULSE. Kevlar. Rudder. 18 feetX21 inches. White deckwith clear hull.Oldermodel,butlikenew.Usedapprox.6times.$1,200.SealLineSmartTrackpedalsystem goes with it, but you install. CallPaulat(978)[email protected].(12)

FENN MAKO XTsurfski.19’x19”,nearnewcondition,adjustablefootbraces, tworud-dersandboatcover$1400

FUTURA “SPEAR” surf ski 16’x19”, verygood condition, adjustable foot braces,over-sternrudder,$800.BothboatslocatedinWilmington, NC. Michael (910) [email protected](12)

TWO KAYAKS FOR SALEbecauseofshoulderinjury.VALLEY NORDKAPP. 18’x21”,skeg,

fiberglass, yellow overwhite.Used only 7days. $2,600.NECKY ARLUK 1.9. 18’x22”,Kevlar,rudder,redoveroyster,usedinfreshwater,$1,700.Bothkayaksarecomfortable,fasttouringboats.Skirtsandallneededgearavailableatveryreasonableprices.Bill,Ai-ken,S.C.(803)648-6087.(11)

NDK ROMANY. Yellow over white, blackseam, skeg with string pull. New rearhatch cover. Original seat in good shape.HullIdentificationnumberendsin99.Ap-proximately60pounds,about16ftX21.5inches.MustbepickedupinCT$1,600.00orbestoffer.Forsaleasitis.Thisismyfa-voriteboat.OnlyreasonI’msellingitisbe-causeIgotanewRomany.(203)606-9459,[email protected].(4)

KAYAK CAMPING on Cross Island Farms,102-acre organic farm. Just one mile fromlaunch intoSt.LawrenceRiveronbeautifulWellesleyIsland,N.Y.PaddlearoundpristineCanadianislandsinfreshwater.Runbykay-akerandACKphotographerDaniBakerandDavidBelding.Refuelonorganicveggiesandpasturedpork.Calloremail(315)482-FOOD(3663), [email protected] orwww.crossislandfarms.com(8)

SEA KAYAKING ALONG THE NEW ENGLAND COAST2ndeditionandSeaKayakingAlongthe Mid-Atlantic Coast, by Tamsin Venn,published byAppalachianMountain ClubBOOKS.Send$18.95,plus$1.50postageandhandlingtoTamsinVenn,POB520,Ip-swich,MA01938.

KAYAKS • CANOES

ACCESSORIES

Specializing in SURGE KAYAKSand WARREN LIGHT CRAFT KAYAKS

On-Water Demos & Rentals • Instruction at all levels

billingtonseakayak.com 508-746-5644

http://www.mita.org

http://www.billingtonseakayak.com


AtlanticCoastalKayakerPOBox520Ipswich,MA01938

Change service requested

Wis

per

Xp

Kayaks that go everywhere

www.feathercraft.com888.681.8437

Small or large.Expedition-ready.The new Wisper XP hastwo sizes of cockpits to choose from, with rudder as standard. Fits you. Fits your travels. Made in Canada by Feathercraft, naturally.

http://www.thesmallboatshop.com

http://KayakCrystalRiver.com

http://www.cckstore.com

http://www.feathercraft.com

http://www.sunyrockland.edu/continuing-education/center-for-personal-and-professional-development/personal-development/courses/kayak-building-workshop/?searchterm=kayak

Circumnavigating Manhattan - Atlantic Coastal Kayaker · 2010. 6. 17. · 2 10 Atlantic Coastal...

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