Hello List, I was just about to shoot off an email to Ralph Diaz asking for his opinion on the water temps we're likely to encounter on Saturday's paddle to the Statue of Liberty when I decided to walk over and pick up my mail (snail mail, that is). What do I find, but the latest (July) issue of Canoe & Kayak magazine. Thumbing through it on my walk back, I find, on page 28, an article edited (written??) by Ralph himself on how to find the tides and water temp throughout the US at: www.nws.fsu.edu/buoys Scary, right? Anyway, I click on the web site and the closest I can come to the Statue is the Ambrose Light reporting a surface water temp at about 56 F. Cold! I live on the south shore of Long Island with shallow bays. I paddled off of Patchogue on 5/7/00 and measured the water at almost 70 F. I find that hard to believe myself, but there were lots of swimmers to back it up. So I'm asking input from anyone who might have some insight to the actual values of water temperature we might encounter at the Statue on Saturday to comment. I'm ready to "hang up" the wet suit if it seems prudient. Bill Leonhardt *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Yes, I did write the article. Those Sea Kayak Dispatches in Canoe and Kayak mag are(will be) all written by me generally unless there is a last minute hole or need to pull something in which cast the Managing Editor will fill it in herself unless there is time for me to do so. The Ambrose Light temperature is a pretty good guage with some fudge factoring. BTW, it was around 58 degrees Tuesday I think. As a rule of thumb for the harbor in the vicinity of the Statue and along side Manhattan, you add about 4 or 5 degrees in the beginning of the paddling season (April, May, etc) and at the end of the season (Oct, Nov) subtract about the same amount (the differential would be greater further up river so that perhaps at Bear Mtn it would be 7 degrees difference---all of this is ballpark estimates, not absolutely scientific). The ocean (where the Ambrose Light is) is slow to warm up in spring/summer and slower to cool off in fall/winter (there is another reference point off of Long Island straight out from the Fire Island inlet and it is a few degrees colder right now than the Ambrose Light reading as it is located farther out to sea in deeper water). So I think that the water temperature around the DTBH and Statue is in the upper 50s, maybe even 60 degrees. Other areas experience the same kind of differentials. I noticed that for the San Francisco area where the water generally is cold all around but as you get up into the furthest reaches of bays away from the ocean the water temperature is much warmer. You could wear a shorty wet suit if you like for the Saturday paddle or just normal paddling gear and have a change of clothing along. I have a shorty and will probably wear it until early June. best, ralph Bill Leonhardt wrote: > > Hello List, > > I was just about to shoot off an email to Ralph Diaz asking for his opinion > on the water temps we're likely to encounter on Saturday's paddle to the > Statue of Liberty when I decided to walk over and pick up my mail (snail > mail, that is). > > What do I find, but the latest (July) issue of Canoe & Kayak magazine. > Thumbing through it on my walk back, I find, on page 28, an article edited > (written??) by Ralph himself on how to find the tides and water temp > throughout the US at: > > www.nws.fsu.edu/buoys > > Scary, right? Anyway, I click on the web site and the closest I can come > to the Statue is the Ambrose Light reporting a surface water temp at about > 56 F. Cold! > > I live on the south shore of Long Island with shallow bays. I paddled off > of Patchogue on 5/7/00 and measured the water at almost 70 F. I find that > hard to believe myself, but there were lots of swimmers to back it up. > > So I'm asking input from anyone who might have some insight to the actual > values of water temperature we might encounter at the Statue on Saturday to > comment. I'm ready to "hang up" the wet suit if it seems prudient. > > Bill Leonhardt > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not > to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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