Choose a different trip
At your skill level, why don’t you find a good river guide and spend two days paddling down the Delaware River ending in New Hope. It’s a great trip. There are a few dams and rapids but they can be missed.
I’m sure you could also find some fine coastal paddles in New England.
If you want to paddle around New York (why have you been in the water there, not my idea of fun at all?) find an outfitter who takes groups and do some training and reading first.
OK
Look, I didn’t say the OP should use others as their safety equipment - I said it sounded like that was the plan he proposed.
wow
Manhattan?
You got more guts than I do.
Using others for your safety source
I agree with Carl here - people regularly act as the safety margin for beginners. Guides and instructors, of course, do this on every trip.
The question, in my mind, is whether this guy’s experienced friends really have the experience to safely guide him on an advanced trip like this.
To the OP. 15 miles is a quite long day for a new paddler. With good guidance I’ve seen it done by beginners in good physical shape. But for the vast majority of beginners, that’s more miles than they can do.
who to trust
Sometimes the hardest thing for beginners is knowing who you can trust. As a beginner you don’t know where the dangers lie, and you are relying on someone else to make safety judgements on your behalf.
When you say you’re asking a key kayaker at SU about doing the Manhattan trip, you need to figure out if he has the skills to give you an informed answer. Does he/she have lots of ocean paddling experience? Does he have any certifications in ocean paddling from training organizations (like ACA or BCU)? Does he have experience paddling in an extremely busy port?
He could be an outstanding whitewater paddler, but all that would be nearly useless in accessing the feasibility of the trip you’re considering.
not for beginners
I paddle from a boathouse in far northern Manhattan, frequently and sometimes on long trips. I have been around Manhattan three times, once taking 6:00 and twice taking 8:30. It can be done in 3:15 (clockwise) by the world’s fastest racers and was done in maybe 11:00 by a recent mass circumnav (60 boats). You have to plan the tides just right. All three of my trips I planned so as to be at the Battery early on a weekend morning, when there wasn’t much traffic. The conventional float plan is counterclockwise, not clockwise.
Some of the dangers: At some spots at some times, there are currents strong enough that, if you get off course or off schedule, you might find yourself taking an unplanned trip down a different river. You have to know not just the current but also the ferry terminals and security zones (entering the zone around the U.N. is a good way to get people with machine guns to pay attention to you, and the zone varies in width depending on what is going on at the U.N. that day). At the Battery, you are exposed to waves coming from all directions across New York Harbor; the waves reflect off the seawall and hit you again while you’re not looking. Hell Gate (which in my definition extends all the way down to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island and is therefore, contrary to what an earlier poster said, an unavoidable part of circumnavigating) has strong and varying currents; my two longer circumnavs were planned so that I crossed Hell Gate exactly at the slack current, and I recommend that plan to others.
I discouraged a few new members of our club from going this year, and I would discourage you. It depends on your skills, endurance, natural athleticism, and willingness to do research, of course, but why not work up to it? The stretch of Hudson from 56th Street northward is much less risky than the southern stretch, so you can, on a favorable tide, paddle two thirds the length of the island pretty safely. Then you can paddle the length of the Harlem River, again without much risk. Turn back just above Hell Gate! I can give you more details if you send me a private message.
Having discouraged you from doing a circumnav now, I do recommend that you do one someday. It’s a great way to see Manhattan, the other boroughs, the Jersey shoreline, and the harbor. My advice is to do some research, work on your skills and endurance, and join an outfitter trip, a Downtown Boathouse trip, or (next year) Jerry Blackstone’s mass circumnavigation (very slow but very well planned).
Mark
P.S. to kayamedic: Last I heard, the Mayor’s Cup is cancelled this year due to lack of funds.
No, that was me
I “circumnavigated” Manhattan on a bike one day. Much of it was on the street, including mid-town at rush hour. Only one mishap: I hit a curb and bent my rear derailleur. Otherwise it was lots of fun.
Thanks for the clarification
.
I stand corrected, sir…
– Last Updated: Jul-19-11 5:57 PM EST –
I looked at the NOAA chart and you are indeed correct re: the extent of the Hell Gate - it begins much further south than I realized, beginning between Hallett's point in Astoria and Mill Rock. This is not quite the northern tip of Roosevelt Island, but might as well be, as the currents are going to be 'all squiggly' throughout this area due to mixing from the different channels.
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/12339.shtml
Here’s the article on Hell Gate
If you want to read it. The link will open up a pdf of the Hell Gate article.
http://www.outer-island.com/photos/hell-gate.pdf
“experienced”
"The question, in my mind, is whether this guy’s experienced friends really have the experience to safely guide him on an advanced trip like this. "
That’s a very good point. And it applies to just about everywhere and every trip. There’s a saying “you don’t know what you don’t know”. Unless the “experienced” paddler have a fair amount of seat time on different locations, chances are they haven’t seen enough to handle the unexpected!
There has been too many stories of so called “experienced” paddlers who themselves gotten into condition above their head, with their charge of novices.
Though in this particular case, the technical challenge isn’t all that great. The only part that has any rough water is at Battery Park. (though that’s make more challenging by the amount of motor boat traffic) The distance is considerably short than the 15 (or 30) mile on the map, because the tide can almost carry you all the way around while you lily-dip. (that’s something for the OP to consider also, as your brag-able accomplishment will be deflated by the herd of out-of-shape moms and pops on sit-on-tops also finishing the same trip with ease)
As a local, I’ve done this trip more than once. And I have seen quite many not-so-expert paddlers having a good time doing the trip. What they need (and get as local paddlers) are other paddlers who are familiar with the route and knows how to deal with the current, the traffic and have a few bail out options. In this case, it’s not advance skill, but local know how that will make the trip safe.
Go with a group
– Last Updated: Jul-19-11 6:12 PM EST –
As others have said, go with an experienced group. It will make all the difference and you will have a much better experience. I have done this during swim support several times and it's really neat but you need to know the tides/currents and you need to be safe from ferry and commercial traffic. Definately not for the novice as a solo trip.
Gary
I think
– Last Updated: Jul-19-11 6:45 PM EST –
there's more than one patch of rough water on a Manhattan Circ, depending on the tides and wind, of course, cf. the ConnYak article linked below by jaybabina.
i have read
This whole post and have nothing to say regarding advice. But it got me thinking. Isn’t kayaking in nyc kinda like playing beach volleyball inside. Sure you could, but wouldn’t you go somewhere else. It’s like snow skiing in indiana, you can, but if I was planning an accomplishment in skiing it would be out west.
Ryan L.
Excellent idea
Do let us know how you get on, and who gets the kayak.
just kidding
I’m happy to see you are giving this some second thought.
nope
its pretty awesome.
well…
Hell Gate can be rough if you pass it at the wrong time.
But at slack, it’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
I would LOVE to see Manhattan from
a kayak, espcially toward sunset. Biking around Manhattan and up over the Brooklyn bridge was one of my best trips ever, even though I’m usually a Maine wildnerness kind of person.
when in rome
Actually urban paddling is pretty cool. Views are great and the disconnected feel you get while still hearing all the hustle and bustle is unique.
But yeah, I’d rather paddle the San Juan islands any day.