Urban Outing: Kayaking in Manhattan
After hiking last week, we tried a
kayaking adventure today, a two-and-half-hour water trip to New Jersey, along the
Hudson River (managed by an organization called Downtown Boathouse of New York).
This was our first time to join one of their long tours. We usually just do their regular
routes, circling halfway the boathouse . Final verdict: Kayaking in Manhattan is a great
summer outdoor activity. It is unique in its own set up, an urban recreational adventure.
Getting in: We got to the boathouse early at 7:30 to get listed for
the kayak lottery. We filled up a waiver form and listed our names on another sheet of
paper. A staff was there to manage the listing process, making sure that people signed
both papers. More and more people came and our chances of being selected became less and
less:-( Another staff came to the awaiting group and announced that the lottery would soon
take place. He gave out blank papers; my husband wrote down our names. The drawing
begins…selection number one, two, three, four, five, and six – that’s us!
Yes, that’s us! I thought silently, Yuhoo! – one of my husband’s
favorite exclamatory expressions:-).
Setting Up: We put on our life jackets and picked our boats inside the
boathouse. We brought it out to the docking area for set up. 
I sat in front and my husband in the back. Before starting out, one of the staffs
first made sure that we were ready. When all things were OK, we started to kayak. And
off we went to our water Hudson adventure.
The Border: We paddled our way to the starting point. There was a
Kayak leader and four other guides. The leader gave us the direction to follow (the NJ
clock, the Marina) and important things to remember like "stopping when seeing a
guide raise his/her paddle" or "hearing a whistle from the leader."
Everyone in the group should be together even though the level of speed and muscle
strengths vary.
Paddle On: The pace was rightly enough for people to catch up.
We took stops to take some rest and let incoming boats and barges to pass.
Our way to the other side, we could see a magnificent view of the skyscrapers like the
Twin Towers and hear the whistling sound of the water tides, and the flying objects above
us. We reached our NJ destination and checked out the eating place. To our
disppointment it was still closed. Still, stopping there gave us time to recuperate from
the workout. After 20 minutes, we started to set back to the boathouse. We
paddled more and more...tides meeting us, and the Manhattan view slowly approaching our
direction.
We reached the starting dock and settled our boats up. The trip was truly a wonderful
outdoor experience. People of all adult ages will enjoy kayaking. As what it
says in the Downtown Boathouse web
site, "it's free, it's fun, and it's a workout!" It's in Manhattan, New
York! I am continuously fascinated by this city:-)
Saturday
August 18, 2001 |