Back in mid-June we had quite a bit of chop disturbing swimmers and kayaks in a round-Manhattan marathon swim. One reason, cigarette boat race on the Hudson that churned up the waters. I was looking this week at a Boating Hudson magazine whose lead article covered the race and its results. Over 180 boats participated both cigarette type and another type (I really don't understand the distinctions). I read that the winning boat went from the George Washington Bridge to the Tappan Zee Bridge in under 5 minutes a distance of 15 miles. I did a quick calculation in my head and got 180 mph, then I noticed the previous sentence had stated a specific average speed, 178 mph. The winner in the second class did that distance in 118 mph. All the boats went interestingly enough to get their cards punched and trophies at a place called the Ossining Boat and Canoe Club, an odd name for what is strictly a marina which had probably started life as a Canoe Club probably in the late 1800s but is still kept as a name for permit basis, I suppose. The boats all then churned water all the way back down to just below mid-Manhattan's Chelsea Piers where they Chelsea Brewing Co. put out a barbecue and brew feast for the crews. My mind wondered as I read about those 180 boats operating at over 100 mph and in some cases approaching 200 mph in waters I regularly paddle. The Coast Guard issued warnings and guarded the race course. But 15 miles is a long stretch and it runs along an area with a number of kayak put-ins as well as inconspicious landing spots. What would have happened to some poor slob kayaker who had paddled over early in the day to some of the favorite beaches along the foot of the Palisades, which are probably not really known to the Coast Guard. And what if that said slob started paddling across river in his dark green PFD, dark blue boat, dark paddle. 180 miles an hour would mean that the cigarette boat would cover 3 miles in one minute, 1 mile in 20 second. How fast is your back paddling? ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 02:54 PM 8/3/00 -0700, ralph diaz wrote: And what if that said >slob started paddling across river in his dark green PFD, dark blue >boat, dark paddle. 180 miles an hour would mean that the cigarette boat >would cover 3 miles in one minute, 1 mile in 20 second. How fast is >your back paddling? On the other hand, you could probably hear them coming from 15 miles away. As Kelly Blades said, "use all of your senses...okay, maybe just your sight and ears; smell and touch are probably not going to help you and... tastes...that's just too wierd to talk about" *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
John Fereira wrote: > On the other hand, you could probably hear them coming from 15 miles away. > As Kelly Blades said, "use all of your senses...okay, maybe just your > sight and ears; smell and touch are probably not going to help you and... > tastes...that's just too wierd to talk about" They certainly are loud. That race (or is another one?) is/was held off of lower Manhattan. The boats ran laps. The sound of them was deafening several blocks inland. As for hearing them, the river is quite wide...it can take 20 minutes to a half hour to cross depending on the kayaker. The race has a number of helicopters hovering and zooming along with the race boats; carry TV camera crews, officials etc. You might think the sounds were helicopters. By the time you decide to get out of there it might be tight. But yes, you would likely have heard all the commotion and had the good sense to stay put. ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 03:35 PM 8/3/00 -0700, ralph diaz wrote: >John Fereira wrote: > >> On the other hand, you could probably hear them coming from 15 miles away. >> As Kelly Blades said, "use all of your senses...okay, maybe just your >> sight and ears; smell and touch are probably not going to help you and... >> tastes...that's just too wierd to talk about" > >They certainly are loud. That race (or is another one?) is/was held off >of lower Manhattan. The boats ran laps. The sound of them was >deafening several blocks inland. With that much noise it would probably be difficult to tell which direction it was coming from. On another note...when I sent the last message it got email bounced from an NYCKAYAKER mailing list. If you or anyone is sending email from that account it might be worth noting that anyone that is not on that mailing list that responds to a message on Paddlewise (without editing the headers) isn't going to get email bounced back to them. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Hi John and All, > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net > [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net]On Behalf Of John Fereira <Snip> > On the other hand, you could probably hear them coming from 15 miles away. > As Kelly Blades said, "use all of your senses...okay, maybe just your > sight and ears; smell and touch are probably not going to help you and... > tastes...that's just too weird to talk about" Strangely enough I think smell counts for sure. One of the things I used to love when guiding in the fog (thick can't see 20 yards Maine fog) if it was dead calm, is that I could smell the islands before I could see them. Suddenly the smell would change from sea to conifer and duff. If there was a slight breeze you could feel yourself come into the lee and feel the temp change before you could see the islands. And if the tide was out you could smell the seaweed or mud (definitely could smell the mud) before you could see anything. Sometimes you could smell someone grilling on a sailboat before it was within sight too. Fun stuff that fog. Cheers, -- Rob Cookson "I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the Atmosphere." Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Abigail Adams, February 22, 1787. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This is an timely Subject. This past weekend I saw a twin hull race boat coming from the the lake I usually kayak. Now this is a large lake, at least 10 miles long but there are several major roads crossing the lake which divides the lake in large pools. that aren't more than 3-5 miles long. How a fast boat like this was running safely out there bongles the mind. But there is not a speed limit on the lake as far as I konw. The lake also has a LARGE areas of standing timber in the water. The areas are well marked but I have run into tree tops hidden just below to the surface on several occasions. They would easly rip the bottom out of a power boat. When I'm kayaking I try to keep close to shore or in the timber stands to lesson the danger of power boats. At least if they get me they will eat a tree! 8-) But this tactic has failed on a couple of occasions and I have had some VERY close calls. What really worries me is that the near misses where with boats moving at wake speed and I had made eye contact with the operators...... The Go Fast boats scare me so much that they cause me to get out my little red buddy with the screw on cap....... 8-) Later.... Dan McCarty *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
The upside is that these boats produce very little wake. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dan McCarty wrote: >The Go Fast boats scare me so much that they cause me to get out my little >red buddy with the screw on cap....... 8-) Little red buddy: Flare? Hip flask with scotch? Torpedo arming device? :) -- Shawn W. Baker 0 46°53'N © 2000 ____©/______ 114°06'W ~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^\ ,/ /~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ baker_at_montana.com 0 http://www.geocities.com/shawnkayak/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I believe that that was the Hudson River Poker Run. An annual event, it draws the cream of the go fast crop. BTW, the "180 mph" boats were probally a couple turbine powered cats that run that area. Oh so quiet, oh so fast. Ears not much help in this case... Scott Finally, north of Elian.... *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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