Come join The Sebago Canoe Club for a fun filled day on the water in Canarsie Brooklyn. Kayaking, Sailing, Canoeing and much more! Saturday 5/18 from 10 AM to 4 PM.
1400 Paerdegat Ave North
Brooklyn, NY 11236
718 241 3683
Really, folks, you should go! This is what got me started kayaking last summer, and you can see how much fun that turned out to be. 
See you there!!!!
Apr 21, 2013, at 2:22 PM
From: Steven Leslie <stevenmleslie@yahoo.com>
I’ve begun to research where to take a multi-day kayak camping trip this summer. I’d appreciate any suggestions and trip reports about good spots in the Northeast US/Canada. This outing will have to be on fresh and generally gentle water since we’ll taking small kids. Natural beauty, easily available camping and few, or no, portages are also part of the equation. Last summer we went to Lake George, which was great until the powerboats showed up for the weekend. The lower Delaware downriver from Port Jervis is nice too, but too short and lacking in camping for this 5-6 day trip. Saranac Lakes is probably my top pick at the moment, since I ventured out there a few years ago. I’m looking at trip reports on the Adirondacks and upper Connecticut River. Please share any enjoyable experiences you’ve had.
Thanks,
Steven
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Lee Riser:
Steven,
Try Assateague Island on the Delmarva Peninsula. See the wild Ponies which your kids will love, but Book NOW to get a permit. FYI State Park has HOT showers, Federal – Cold only, but both well maintained. I like Island Pond also, but there’s a separate fee & key over & above for that.
Lee
Harriman & Pass Availability
Hi All,
Paddled Lake Tiorati in Harriman State Park Yesterday. Sunny with a few clouds scudding by. Very windy, 15-20 knots with 25 knot gusts. Water temperature taken with my trusty pool thermometer was 49 degrees! Glad I had the drysuit with underneath layers on! Went out alone so I stayed close to the shoreline all around the perimeter of the lake and made sure I had all my self rescue safety gear handy.
Saw 3-4 active Beaver lodges and many Canada Geese nests with a male or female hunkered down incubating their eggs. Didn’t see the giant female Snapping Turtle in her usual place yet. Perhaps it was too cold for her.
I buy a pass and gate key ($45) from the Palsades Interstate Park System every year which allows me to paddle Lakes Welch, Sebago, Kanawaukee, Skannitati, Askoti, Stahahi, Silvermine, Turkey Lake etc., as well as the subject lake. Also lets me paddle at Lake Minnewaska (small but gorgeous) near New Paltz and to launch and paddle at Nyack Beach State Park, Upper Nyack NY, where one can paddle along the cliffs or walk (pass not needed) along the Riverside Trail all the way to Haverstraw and back. If you are interested in purchasing this pass, bring each boat ($30/each) along with a paddle and a PFD. You must have these and show them to a Park Ranger to get a key($15). Boat inspections and passes issued at Tiorati Circle Ranger Station, Seven Lakes Parkway which can be accessed off of Rte 17 N. Sloatsburg, NY.
Be safe out there especially now,
Lee
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Steve stevepete64@aol.com
Harrimans a great place to paddle and hike . Ya forgot to mention Island Pond which is My favorite .
Yes but well worth it , you also need a fishing permit even if you don’t fish . Appalachian trail crosses right over the entrance rd ,take a short hike along it to the Lemon squeezer you won’t be disappointed .
Steve you must take your family to the Bog river Flow / Low’s lake area. I’ve paddled the Adirondacks from stem to stern since i’m a Teen and this is the place I return to over and over again . You’ll hardly notice current going in and will slightly help coming out . This photo is from top of Low’s ridge with the Bog river down below ,it’s an easy with kids in tow 1/2 mile hike up .http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bog_River_Flow_from_Low‘s_Ridge,_St_Lawrence_County,_NY.jpg . It’s located between Long lake and Tupper lake . If ya want to just drive up without boats and rent contact Anne Fleck at Raquette River Outfitters in Tupper lakehttp://www.raquetteriveroutfitters.com/aboutus.html , Annes a sweetheart and top notch outfitters . They will drop off Canoes/kayaks at put in and ya just leave em on beach at take out . Area has 2-3 pairs of Bald eagles. I was up there last Oct and one pair nesting on southern end of frying pan island had a chick just taking to the air . I also spotted 3-4 pairs of Loons . This is a non-motorized area so no worries about that . Truly a magical place . Lake Lila close second : )
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<kayakmidwifelb@gmail.com wrote:
Another great area is the thousand islands in Canada-it’s really beautiful with fresh water and basically no tides so you don’t have to plan anything. There are tons of really cute little islands and it’s alot of fun. There’s also an ACA island there where you can stay if you’re an ACA member-it’s Sugar Island.
Laurie Bleich
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elizabeth green elizabeth.green10@gmail.com
Lets not forget the mosquitoes. The last and only time I was there, I got bitten up (in my tent) so badly I did not sleep at all and could not wait for morning so I could leave my campsite! But I do agree it can be a beautiful place to kayak as long as you take precautions.
Elizabeth
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Steve McAllister
<brooklynkayak@gmail.com wrote:
I agree with Laurie, but be aware that strong winds can be an issue at the Thousand Islands. Then again, winds can be an issue at many great paddling locations. I have camped on most of the Islands that allow camping. I recommend sticking to the Canadian side to avoid any border issues. Also, I recommend parking and a launching from Misty Islands Lodge: http://www.mistyisles.ca
It is near Sugar Island. Allow for inexpensive parking and other services.
I always go to the Thousand Islands near the end of August or early September to avoid flying insects and also the crowds.
Stevie
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Gordon, Peter” pgordon@tc.edu
Hi Steven,
We spend summers on Moosehead Lake in Northern Maine. It’s about 30-40 miles across with many other smaller lakes to explore as well. Generally uncrowded, often you’ll only see a few other boats, and it’s big enough to get away from others. It’s also near Mount Katahdin and Baxter State Park, which is the northern most end of the Appalachian trail. Lots of mountains to climb and beautiful lake scenery, and Moose of course! Camping is plentiful and generally available. No reservations needed, just pitch your
tent and pay the ranger when they come by. Thoreau wrote about the area in his travels in the Northern Maine. Let me know if you want more info, I can help you with the locals if needed. It’s about a 9 hour drive from NYC. Here’s a useful website: http://www.moosehead.net/
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Jean Kostelich jeankostelich@earthlink.net
Cooperstown gets our vote. Excellent camping, no-motors-allowed 9-mile Lake Otsego (“Glimmerglass”), lots of good food, art, history, and of course, music (The Glimmerglass Festival). See blog post below — links can help you plan your trip. http://2geeks3knots.com/tag/glimmerglass-state-park/
I am posting this for the NY NJ Baykeeper.
Kayak EcoCruise Volunteer
NY/NJ Baykeeper is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and restoration of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary. As part of the organization?s mission, we offer kayak and canoe tours of local waterways, including the Raritan, Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers, Raritan Bay and the Arthur Kill.
For the 2013 summer season, Baykeeper will be operating at least four weekend kayak and canoe trips. .
The trips will be approximately 3-4 hours long and range from beginner to moderate kayaking. Baykeeper will also hostThursday late afternoon shorter paddles in June in Raritan Bay. Exact locations to be determined.
This position will assist in facilitating and leading the group of kayakers on these trips. This person will gain knowledge on important ecological information on the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, as well as gain experience with eco-tourism.
Volunteer position is unpaid, but Baykeeper will reimburse travel expenses. Volunteer position is approximately 50 total hours from June 1 ? October 1.
Primary Responsibilities and Duties
? Assist the Kayak leader to provide a safe, positive and supportive environment for kayakers.
? Understand and be able to implement emergency procedures during a trip.
? Use and maintain equipment appropriately.
? Prepare kayaks for each trip.
? Hose down and re-store kayaks after each trip.
? Educate kayakers on the local watershed.
Qualifications
? Valid Driver?s License.
? Experienced kayaker
? Physically fit and able to lift over 25 pounds.
? Outgoing and positive attitude!
For more information on NY/NJ Baykeeper please visit our website at http://www.nynjbaykeeper.org. Please submit resume/qualifications to mail@nynjbaykeeper.org. No phone calls please.
First visits to: Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge, New England Thruway Bridge, Boston Road Bridge, Fulton Avenue Bridge, Pelham Bridge, MetroNorth Railway Bridge, City Island Bridge
Route Map – 12.6 miles More photos on Facebook (click on any photo to enlarge it)
Today I set out by subway and bicycle to find and photograph the bridges of the Hutchinson River.
I took the 6 Train to its northern terminus at Pelham Bay Park, then rode north following the Old Hutchinson River Parkway to the Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge.
Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge (south side) with Hutchinson River Parkway East passing under it along the west bank of the river
Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge north side
As I traveled along the west bank of the river, two words were at the forefront of my mind: missed opportunity. Access to the river is completely cut off by ugly chain-link fences, overgrown weeds and piles of trash. This situation prevails even in front of Co-Op City; even the small Co-Op City Field is run down and lacks river access. I couldn’t help but think what a beautiful riverbank park this whole area could be, improving the quality of life for thousands of residents of the area.
A couple of miles upriver, the next bridge is the New England Thruway Bridge, blocked again by fences and fields of trash. And a sour, intransigent security guard at the entrance to the MTA yard….
New England Thruway Bridge, south side from Hollers Avenue
The dump below the Boston Road Bridge
The trash situation got even worse at the Boston Road Bridge. At least here there was a short distance without a fence. However, the area was full not only of trash and overgrowth, but also broken down trucks, cargo containers and the like. I climbed through it to get the photo below, testing every step to make sure I didn’t fall through something and break my leg. I kept thinking that for all I knew there could be bodies buried in all that mess!
The Boston Road Bridge
I got this shot of the bridge from upriver thanks to the security guard at a cement recycling company on Dock Street. More climbing — this time up and over piles of crushed recycled concrete and under heavy machinery (not running, thank goodness) — to get to the top of a pile of rubble at the water’s edge.
The Boston Road Bridge from upriver
The Fulton Avenue Bridge was considerably easier to photograph and was the first bridge of the day that I was actually able to cross. (The drawbridge was stuck in the up position for several months recently. It is back down now, but I saw a few “Detour” signs still in the area.) The photo at left was shot from the cement recycling plant; the photo below from a grassy bank at the edge of the parking lot of the Post Road Plaza shopping center.
The Fulton Avenue Bridge
I retraced my path nearly all the way back to my starting point at the subway station. I would have to hurry, but with about an hour of light left I figured I would just have time to get the Pelham Bridge, the railroad bridge and City Island Bridge.
I was surprised at how lovely Pelham Bridge is — not only the bridge itself but the view out over Eastchester Bay. (I got only a couple of photos before my camera shut into “energy saver” mode with an almost-exhausted battery.) This is an area I would love to go back and explore by water next year when the weather is warm again.
Pelham Bridge
Easterchester Bay from Pelham Bridge
The Pelham Bridge was quite busy, and since there is no walkway on the other side anyway, I decided not to try to cross the bridge. So, this photo will have to suffice for the railroad bridge just to the north. A nice little surprise though was that the bridgekeeper happened to step out of the bridge house just as I was walking by and I got to meet and chat with her for a couple of minutes — her name is Kelly.
Railroad (MetroNorth?) bridge just north of Pelham Bridge
With time running out, I rode as quickly as I could toward City Island, and got this photo with the very last light and the last bit of power left in my battery. Again, I was impressed with the beauty of this area and look forward to going back to explore by water.
City Island bridge
Throughout my exploration today, I was struck at how different the two banks of the Hutchinson River are: the west bank abused, ignored, dumped on, while the east bank is covered with wild marsh grasses that surely must welcome wildlife and birds. I’m anxious to go back and explor the river by water, to be able to experience the river itself without having to look through layers of urban neglect.
As the sun sank below the horizon, I rode back to the Pelham Bay Park subway station and headed home.
P.S. I’m very excited to say that I have ordered my Oru Kayak — an “origami” kayak that folds itself into a 25-pound parcel about the size of a suitcase. This super-portable, lightweight kayak will easily go on a subway or bus, just the way my bike did today. Next time I do this trip, this subway station will once again be my jumping-off point, but with a kayak instead of a bike. I can just see it now — this picture, only with a kayak in the foreground. For more info about Oru Kayaks, go to http://www.orukayak.com/
First visits to: Roosevelt Avenue Bridge, Long Island Expressway Bridge, Northern Blvd. Bridge, Van Wyck Expressway Bridge, Porpoise Bridge
Route Map – 3.6 miles (from the 7 Train) (Click on any image for a larger view)
I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather today to log some bridges and burn off some of yesterday’s excess Thanksgiving calories, traveling via my other favorite mode of human-powered transport: my bicycle.
The list of bridges from Wikipedia that I started this project with doesn’t even mention the Flushing River. It wasn’t until I was checking the route for our Whitestone Bridge trip that I noticed this little waterway near Willets Point. Seeing it, you have to admit that calling it a river is a rather grandiose gesture; even Maspeth Creek and the Gowanus Canal have greater length and depth.
I rode the bike along the Hudson River path to 42nd Street, then over to Port Authority where I boarded the 7 train to Mets-Willets Point Station in Flushing, Queens. Turns out the first bridge — Roosevelt Avenue — was easy to find: the 7 Train tracks are on the bridge. All I had to do was ride under the tracks along the pedestrian/automobile level to the bridge.
(A side note: I don’t know where Flushing got its name, but the area around the Flushing river smells like that’s what the city is sending into it.)
My next bridge was the Long Island Expressway Bridge. Impossible to access by bicycle or foot, but I got shots of it through the chain link fence where the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge passes over it.
From Roosevelt Avenue I turned left onto College Point Blvd., riding past dozens of construction supply yards (lumber, stone, concrete, etc.) to the Northern Blvd. Bridge. I got a good shot of it from the parking lot behind the U-HAUL, but the best shot was through the chain-link fence on the northern side of the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge.
Northern Blvd. Bridge over the Flushing River
A bit further along I reached the Van Wyck Expressway Bridge:
Van Wyck Expressway Bridge over the Flushing River
From here I turned and rode back along College Point Blvd. to 41st Avenue, then cut through the Home Depot parking lot, which eventually got me to the Avery Avenue entrance to Flushing Meadows. It took a bit of searching to find the next bridge, but eventually I located the Porpoise Bridge near the 16th hole of the Pitch-n-Putt:
Porpoise Bridge over the Flushing River, in Flushing Meadows
From the Porpoise Bridge, I was able to see the LIRR trestle that crosses the river. It is really a dike with a couple of small conduits under it to let water through – nothing you could count as a bridge; there’s certainly no way you could pass under it in a kayak. But the spot does afford a nice view of the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge — I even got the shot with a 7 Train running over it.
From Flushing Meadows it was an easy matter to hop back on the 7 Train and head home. I look forward to visiting these bridges again via kayak next spring or summer.
First visits to: Throg’s Neck Bridge, Whitestone Bridge, Riker’s Island Bridge, Hell Gate Bridge, Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge (Randall’s Island to Queens); [name] Bridge (under construction)
Repeat visit to: Queensborough (59th Street) Bridge (Manhattan to Roosevelt Island); Ward’s Island (Randall’s Island) Bridge
Route Map – 14.5 miles More photos on Facebook (click on any image for a larger view)
Our expedition: Luis M, Nick B (behind), Rosalba, Larry L, me (RaNae), Violet D, Bob, Carlos N, and Derrick M from our launch site at Fort Totten, with the Throg’s Neck Bridge in the background.
Saturday, September 29 we paddled from Fort Totten to the Long Island City Community Boathouse (LICCB) with 7 members of Sebago Canoe Club and LICCB. Our friend Larry L, who accompanied us on last week’s circumnavigation of Jamaica Bay, organized the trip for us, including transporting kayaks by car to and from Fort Totten.
The day got a bit of a rocky start when the 7 train shut down due to electrical problems, forcing Rosalba and I to re-route our trip to Long Island City. Eventually we got there via the E train, where Bob and Violet picked us up. Nevertheless, we made it to Fort Totten Park in time for our 11:00 launch.
Bridge #1 for the day was the Throg’s Neck Bridge.
The Throg’s Neck Bridge, from Fort Totten Park
After passing under the Throg’s Neck, we paddled past amazing waterfront properties along College Point en route to the Whitestone Bridge.
The Whitestone Bridge
After passing the Whitestone Bridge we had to make a decision, whether to go north past Riker’s Island — where the prison is — or to go south of it in order to pass under the Riker’s Island Bridge. We weren’t sure if the bridge was a restricted area, but decided to go for it and hope for the best.
In order to take that route, we had to paddle past the end of one of the runways at LaGuardia Airport. It was pretty wild watching planes take off right over our heads. It felt as if you could hook your paddle over the landing gear and fly away.
As it turns out, we were able to pass under the Riker’s Island Bridge.
The Riker’s Island Bridge
We decided to stop for lunch at Barretto Point Park (the appeal of clean flush toilets was irrestible). Not only did this give us a rest, but it let a bit of time pass so we would not be going through Hell Gate at full ebb tide, which, as NYC kayakers know, can be a pretty wild ride.
A barge was coming down the channel behind us around North Brother Island, so we waited for it to pass in an inlet off the northeast corner of Randall’s Island where we spotted another bridge, this one currently closed for reconstruction. That’s Nick, one of the trip directors from LICCB and a super-experienced kayaker, who represented LICCB on the trip. [name of this bridge?]
Once the barge passed, we headed into Hell Gate. We have heard many stories about how treacherous the current can be here, so we were quite glad to find it relatively calm. The bridge is beautiful, and we got a fantastic view of both the Hell Gate Bridge and the Triborough Bridge as we passed.
The Robert F. Kennedy (formerly Triborough) Bridge has three spans. Rosalba passed under the Manhattan-Randall’s Island span on the Manhattan circumnavigation but we had not yet visited this span, which goes from Randall’s Island to Queens.
Coming around the bottom of Randall’s Island, we got this beautiful view of the Ward’s Island (Randall’s Island) Bridge. (Rosalba visited it on the Manhattan circumnavigation, but it was at night so the pictures didn’t turn out.)
Traveling south from Randall’s Island, we took the western channel past Roosevelt Island, passing under the Manhattan span of the Queensboro Bridge.
Finally, making a hook around the south end of Roosevelt Island, we arrived back at LICCB. We quickly stowed our gear and took off because the Gowanus Dredgers’ fundraiser was that night.
It was another fantastic day of kayaking. (Did I mention the air was cool and the water was warm?) Thank you Larry for setting this up, to LICCB for their generous assistance and to everyone who joined us. See you on the water again soon!
First visits to: Marine Parkway/Gil Hodges Bridge; Cross Bay Veteran’s Memorial Bridge (aka Broad Channel Bridge); South Channel Subway Bridge; Grassy Point Subway Bridge; Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge; Old Mill Creek Bridge; Hendrix Creek Bridge; Fresh Creek Bridge; Paerdegat Basin Bridge
Route Map – Total miles: 14.8 More Photos on Facebook (click any photo to enlarge)
We couldn’t have said a more beautiful goodbye to summer than we did on Friday, September 21 when — thanks to Commodore Tony Pignatello and our new friends from Sebago Canoe Club — we did a circumnavigation of Jamaica Bay and logged nine more bridges.
We launched from Jacob Riis Park, at the foot of the Marine Parkway/Gil Hodges Bridge.
Our paddling companions for the day were Leona S (second from left, between me and Rosalba), Larry, Walter (incoming Commodore-elect of Sebago Canoe Club), Tony P (outgoing Commodore of Sebago Canoe Club), Vivian, and Carlos N. The day was a perfect 75 degrees with a light breeze, though the breeze was in our face most of the day.
The Cross Bay Veteran’s Memorial Bridge (aka Broad Channel Bridge) was our next destination:
As we approached the South Channel Subway Bridge, we watched A trains cross the bridge while overhead planes approached for landing at JFK Airport:
We stopped for lunch at a little beach just alongside the bridge, then it was under the bridge and away. The South Channel Subway Bridge actually has two parts. Here’s Tony getting a photo of Part Two:
From here we had a rather long and challenging paddle past the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge as the current and wind kept trying to turn us to starboard (right) which would have ended us up on a runway at JFK. But this part was also the most rewarding — we saw many egrets, herons, ospreys and other waterbirds, while fish jumped from the water — sometimes entire schools all at once.
Our next bridge was the Grassy Point Subway Bridge:
We stopped again to rest on another small beach before passing under the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge. When we arrived, we found coconuts on the beach . . . had we paddled all the way to the tropics? No, it was the remnants of a Hindu religious ceremony.
Under the bridge and on to the next one . . .
We were well into the afternoon now, with about 3/4 of the mileage covered, but three of the last four bridges — all part of the Belt Parkway — were up on creeks that feed into the bay. The first was Old Mill Creek Bridge:
With arms, shoulders and camera batteries starting to give out, the rest of the group waited while Carlos accompanied Rosalba and I up to the bridge and back, which took nearly an hour, running against current and wind.
The Hendrix Creek Bridge was not so far from the bay, but we decided just to get close enough for a photograph and keep going. Unfortunately, that was when my phone/camera battery died. Tony took this photo for us:
Hendrix Creek Bridge
Thankfully, Fresh Creek Bridge was an easy shot from the bay. Tony again did photography duty and we carried on.
Fresh Creek Bridge
Our last bridge was the Paerdegat Basin Bridge. At first I didn’t recognize it, because the last time I saw it, on August 30, there was still a construction crane on it. Right now there are two bridges there — the old one, and a new one which is still under construction. The crane was gone. Until the other side of the new bridge is open the old bridge will serve westbound traffic. Once the new westbound section of the bridge is complete, the plan is that the old bridge will be demolished.
Paerdegat Basin Bridge
On Paerdegat Basin – almost home!
Paerdegat Basin is the home of the Sebago Canoe Club and we were tired but happy when we reached its dock. We want to again thank both Commodores and the members of the club who shared their knowledge of Jamaica Bay, their time and even their club equipment to help us accomplish this part of our goal. Also thanks to John Daskalakis at Jacob Riis Park, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, who lent us two Zest sit-atop double kayaks.
