Viewing posts from April, 2013
CU and I slid into the traditional kayaks around 2pm on Saturday, April 27. The air temperature was just over 70F, and the water was just over 50F. We paddled six miles round-trip in a gentle 5 knot breeze against the very tail end of the flood. When we got down to Bannerman's at a leisurely pace of about 2mph, the current was visibly beginning to ebb over the walls of the tidal pool. On our slow return to Long Dock, we ran into DG and her flotilla of paddlers. A great treat: we saw two bald eagles soaring over the waters between Denning's Point and the shore.
As of April 24, AM had not paddled yet this season. The winds were up at 15 knots from the south, the water was a touch over 50F, the air just over 60F, and the time was 6pm. With a little lubrication, AM squeezed into the skin-on-frame, dressed her skirt – with a little assistance – and made a bee-line through the sheltered waters toward the picket of fishing rods guarding the mouth of Long Dock. I slid straight-legged into the Black Pearl, dressed the tuilik, and charged after AM. We navigated the fishing lines and nosed into the waves – three feet trough-to-crest – toward Denning's Point.
John, Paul, and I got out in 50F sunshine Sunday morning for a quick approximately eight mile loop from Long Dock. We fought a stiff west wind of nearly 15 knots to cross from Long Dock to Gully's on the Newburgh waterfront. We floated, paddled, and did a little surfing down to Plum Point. We then paddled under the train tracks and about a half-mile up the Moodna to a point where strainers prevented us from travelling further, within eyeshot of Route 9W. We reentered the Hudson and paddled to a point where tiny waves were breaking on the sandbar off of Plum Point, littered with downed trees. The most striking thing about the trip was the numbers of downed trees resting on that sandbar and on the shoreline of the creek. By this time, the wind had shifted to blow stiffly out of the northwest. We struggled to cross. I opted to take the wind at my beam and made good time, then turned to put the wind more to my back and got some surfing. The waves did not provide particularly good surf, but they did crash in my cockpit and create some excitement. I did a few rolls and balance braces, just to feel the cold water on my face.
Paul and I spent April 7 paddling out of Stonington, CT, to Catumb Rocks to catch the peak of the ebb tide and ride the waves that pop up at the ledge between Fisher's Island, NY, and Napatree Point, RI. We met our coaches, Paula and Greg from Kayak Waveology, at Noah's in Stonington at 8:30 for coffee and second breakfasts, having departed Beacon before daybreak. We met our classmates. Josko is a paddler out of Wood's Hole, MA. Ivan came from Kingston, NY. Greg and Paula showed us the excellent Android Currents app. Predicted maximum current was ebbing at 2.2 knots 11:52 AM 0.7 miles (nautical?) southwest of Napatree Point.