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.
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