[Paddlewise] Alone On the Waters of the Big Apple

Last Monday, I decided to do a paddle trip on the Hudson River off of
Manhattan from the 79th St. Boat Basin to the George Washington Bridge,
a little over 5 miles distance each way.  Not once in 2 hours of
paddling did I see another moving boat of any description.

This is really a nice time of year to be paddling in many places in the
Northeast because pleasure boat traffic ceases.  What was striking was
the absence of even commercial traffic.  That part of the river really
has no ferry traffic anyway and the Circle Liner that goes around
Manhattan was probably not operating until the afternoon.  But there are
always tankers and barges about.

One side benefit of this was that I was able to feel the turn of
currents.  I had little of it on the way north to the bridge and
actually quickly ran out of flood as slack began.  When I turned to go
south toward home, I felt those swells that mark surges in the current,
in this case as the current was beginning to ebb.  Bascom's book, I
believe, has the term for this phenomenon.  Often when paddling in busy
waters and you feel surges or swells it is easy to write it off as being
caused by some passing barge.  But without another moving thing on the
water (other than seagulls), I was, in effect, in a vacuum.

Bascom's describes it (again I am operating from memory) as surges as a
current builds up to different stages.  And he uses it to explain why
waves or swells seem to come out of no where to rock an anchored boat in
a sleepy harbor.  The effect is that of the wake from a passing large
vessel.

Water temperature was 55 degrees, so I was wearing a wet suit.  The
water did not actually feel cold to the touch but I would not have
wanted to be in it, although it was interesting reading a report about
swimmers doing their last distance-training practice on not-too-far-off
Long Island Sound just a few days before.

The secrets of prudent winter paddling in colder climes seem to be:

--Dress for possible immersion no matter what and know how to get back
into your boat within seconds.

--Keep the trips short, i.e. don't tax or extend yourself too much.

--Start later in the day and finish earlier than you might in the summer
so you are likely to be paddling in warmer parts of the day.

--Stay off the water if conditions are at all likely to be rough.  You
can always paddle another day or, if you look hard enough, find a more
peaceful place for a short paddle trip.

My "secrets" are not meant to reflect negatively on anyone who wants to
paddle longer in challenging conditions.  They are more a formula for a
peaceful trip to enjoy the relative solitude of winter 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 - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************