A friend just sent me the link to this home-built commuter row boat that a guy in NYC tows with his folding bike, then carries the bike in the hull to make a leisurely trip to work.
What, the wind never blows there? With the amount of current in that river, that guy could find himself in a heap of trouble if the wind comes up when he’s half way across. I also doubt that the tide adheres to his schedule and that boat is not going to buck the tide.
On the other hand, good for him and good luck to him.
Actually, according to the article, the tides run in his favor both ways and he sometimes just drifts.
I was reminded of the animated film “The Triplets of Belleville” in which a determined grannie rows a borrowed tiny dinghy clear across the Atlantic…
My take on this was that the guy probably knew the tides, as it said later on that he doesn’t do this all the time, just some days when conditions work for him. I suspect the reporter just reported the incorrect morning/afternoon tide thing.
@Peter-CA said:
My take on this was that the guy probably knew the tides, as it said later on that he doesn’t do this all the time, just some days when conditions work for him. I suspect the reporter just reported the incorrect morning/afternoon tide thing.
Peter is correct. It is simply not possible for the tide changes to occur at the same time every day. Because the moon passes any given point in the sky at a later time on each successive day (what is it, almost an hour later each day? I’ve never paid close attention to the actual timing but there’s no denying the principle that’s at work here), the timing of the tide will be delayed by a similar amount with each passing day (though since tide is affected by both sun and moon, I am guessing that the change in timing may not exactly match the changes in timing in position of the moon. I’ll leave that to those who deal with this in their paddling). I have no doubt that the reporter was too dumb to understand this and incorrectly reported what was happening, as reporters do this all the time, especially nowadays when news agencies are trying to minimize or avoid the costs of having editors (craziness). There are probably a few days in a row each month when the tides are favorable for commuting, a few days in a row each month when the tides are entirely in the wrong direction and running at a speed that is impossible to overcome, and then a bunch of other days when the tide is too slow during his commuting times to be worth taking advantage of, and a bunch of days when the tide is in the wrong direction and yet not running full speed.
If he works for Google, he almost certainly has a lot of leeway on the times he comes and goes to work. It might not work all the time, but you could probably make it work much of the time.
Not necessarily a new idea………………….
https://www.rapidmedia.com/adventurekayak/categories/departments/5549-transforming-the-daily-commute.html
In London……………you’ll get a kick out of his kayak clothes.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-arh-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=arh&p=commuting+by+kayak#id=14&vid=a5d7690f69e508c9624b57bb2aef4a8a&action=view
In Sydney by Epic V-10……………………….
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-arh-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=arh&p=commuting+by+kayak#id=16&vid=f3c845b0195e5a3d637bdc36bf89b185&action=view
I seriously doubt any of these is every day all year commutes.
Oh sure across the bay in San Francisco?
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-arh-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=arh&p=commuting+by+kayak#id=46&vid=ec5d59ca539197f57f4dcb5485fae7e3&action=view
Last…………….it appears that Google has done commuting challenges before. Do these two guys look familiar?
ps…….note that on the hitch hike day he has a sign for ''Google".
I was far less interested in his Manhattan commute schtick than in the design of the foldable boat and how it was being used in tandem with the folding bike.
There’s a YouTube video of a young Frenchwoman who uses a folding bike and a Pakboat Puffin folding kayak to take solo downriver trips. It’s a clever option when you don’t have a shuttle partner or don’t feel like paddling back upstream.
The row boat looked like a “drifter” as far as quality boat.
@willowleaf said:
I was far less interested in his Manhattan commute schtick than in the design of the foldable boat and how it was being used in tandem with the folding bike.
It’s a very cool boat design. It looks very strong and the materials look elegant. Quick set-up too.
@TomL said:
It’s a very cool boat design. It looks very strong and the materials look elegant. Quick set-up too.
As far as a rowing boat it ain’t a wherry, Oxford shell, Dory or anything long with a whine glass stern.
I would have to agree, Overstreet. That boat’s rowing qualities appear to be on a par with those of a one-man rubber raft. But of course, the ability to travel in some reasonable manner between Point A and Point B obviously ain’t the point here.
While he’ll never be a naval architect, I like his philosophy and the fact he’s doing something more than just gripe about traffic. It works for him and that’s all that counts.
It reminds me of the traditional Welsh “basket boat” coracle, in one of which St. Brendan The Navigator was alleged to have paddled to the New World from Ireland during the 6th century AD.
@willowleaf said:
It reminds me of the traditional Welsh “basket boat” coracle, in one of which St. Brendan The Navigator was alleged to have paddled to the New World from Ireland during the 6th century AD.
The rounded hull should take waves well too. Hopefully St Bendan had a spray cover. The design could be a viable alternative to the one person fishing pontoon boats that some people use to just get on the water and fish. Looks like it could be stored inside a minivan.
https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/the-colorado-xt-pontoon?a=467500&pm2d=CSE-SPG-15-PLA&utm_medium=PLA&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=CI&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkO7N3qCf3AIVQVmGCh11mQZjEAQYECABEgJWQfD_BwE