New York City offers great adventure for human-powered boaters on its busy waters alongside a number of amazingly beautiful places to explore nature. The NYC Water Trail provides a network of 47 legal launches and landings for kayakers.
Kayaks share the water with commercial vessels, excursion boats, ferries and pleasure boats, all of which have right of way in some of the most heavily trafficked waterways in the country. Visibility on the water is crucial and knowledge of local tides and currents is essential. The water is cold, choppy and the currents are swift, reaching four knots.
Inwood Canoe Club (inwoodcanoeclub.com) founded in 1902 is the city’s oldest paddling club located on the Hudson River at the foot of Dyckman Street. Sebago Canoe Club (sebagocanoeclub.org), established in 1933 on the banks of Paerdegat Basin, offers access to Jamaica Bay. There are clubs offering free paddling days in each borough. Most clubs provide members with storage and have canoes available for member use. The Downtown Boathouse (downtownboathouse.org) offers free walk-up kayaking at several locations on the Hudson River. Long Island Community Boathouse (licboathouse.org) has free walk-up paddling on sunday at Hallets Cove on the East River. Hudson River Park (hudsonriverpark.org) and Brooklyn Bridge Park (brooklynbridgeparknyc.org) feature boathouses and kayak and rowing programs. The programs are administered by volunteers. Novices are provided sit-on-top kayaks, lifejackets and guidance at sites throughout the city. Once paddlers have learned the basics, they can join free guided paddles around the harbor.
In addition to the free community programs, local outfitters provide instruction and guided tours for a fee, starting at around $40 an hour. The Sunset Marina in Broad Channel offers kayak rentals. For a safe and enjoyable day on the water, it is advisable to paddle in groups with local guides or join a community boathouse. The essential kayaking trip is the circumnavigation of Manhattan Island. The 28.5-mile trip takes 7-10 hours and should be timed to take advantage of tides.
Canoes are great for exploring the shallow creeks that meander through the marshes of Marine Park in Brooklyn, Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, Alley Creek in Queens and Fresh Kill on Staten Island. Free seasonal canoeing activities are offered by NYC Park’s Urban Rangers. Periodic tours of the Bronx River are offered by the Bronx River Alliance and the Gowanus Dredgers program paddles on the Gowanus Canal.
Excerpt from GOING COASTAL NYC WATERFRONT GUIDE.
Going Coastal’s NYC WATERTRAIL MAP & GUIDE and the HARBOR ESTUARY PADDLING GUIDE are available at NYC parks locations, community boathouses and by mail upon request to info(@) goingcoastal.org. Electronic versions of the two maps are available online at goingcoastal.org.
