For many Americans, the past week has featured a dramatic turn of events in the news about Coronavirus and COVID-19. The United States has declared a national emergency, and New York State, where Tubby Hook Paddle Company, has done the same.
The following resources from the CDC, NY State, and the City of New York, offer guidance and information about the virus and its associated disease.
The Paddlesports actvities organized by the Tubby Hook Paddle Company are generally very small in number, and with exceptions for rescues and rafting up, we’re inherently socially distant. Here are specific guidelines for upcoming courses:
All courses are offered with the caveat that they may be cancelled on short notice with a full refund. Some courses rely on third-party facilities, and their actions may also affect course offerings.
Coursework will be designed to minimize contact, especially participant-participant contact.
Read the terms and conditions. In addition to these, any cancellations by clients due to Coronavirus or Covid-19 will be fully refunded. The page will be updated by the end of April but these additional terms are in effect immediately.
If you are sick, feeling sick, or have been near someone who gets sick, please stay home.
As many of you know, the Tubby Hook Paddle Company is primarily Julie McCoy. That is who is writing this. I care about each of my clients, many of whom are also friends. I want everyone to avoid what is statistically becoming unavoidable. Stay safe, be well, and if you have to be outdoors, considering sitting in a boat of your own, hundreds of yards from “civilization”.
We’ve had great success at the winter pool program run by Tubby Hook and Kayak Dov, despite of a change of venue to a nearby New York Sports Club.
Practice!
Several students have come out to practice their rolls, whether starting out and perfecting hip-snap, or perfecting hand-rolls and other more advanced kinds of rolls.
Come Have Fun!
We’ve even had a wayward polo player come through! At least whitewater boats fit in the elevator!
The Pool
We have one more weekend left this year, two sessions available the afternoon of Sunday February 16. Sign up for a class or practice on your own; bring your own boat or rent from us.
Dov and I are happy to say that our first winter pool program in 2020 went well. We are now at a new location, in a gym off the Sawmill Parkway near Dobbs Ferry.
New Location!
Unlike the old location, the stairs are indoors and less treacherous. There’s also room to make turns easier. Additionally, some of our clients have said it’s the warmest pool they’ve used in the winter.
As we were loading in, we walked past several other gym patrons, most of whom took in stride the fact that 17 foot long sea kayaks were being walked past weight machines and treadmills.
The staff are very friendly, and the changing and showering facilities are quite nice. Come join us by registering ahead of time using the Scheduler. Space is limited to sign up soon. Driving directions and additional instructions will be sent out to those who sign up.
If you want a lesson, click on “Pool Lessons”. If you just want to self-practices, use “Pool Access”. In either case you can also rent a boat and gear by checking the “Pool Rentals” box after choosing your session type.
Happy New Year! Keep on Paddling and don’t let Old Man Winter stop you.
Dov and I are happy to announce we will have a winter pool program for kayakers once again this year. We’re going to try a couple of different things; read on for details.
First, instead of the Masters School, we are renting space in a pool at a gym in Dobbs Ferry, right next to the Sawmill Parkway (50 Hamilton St, Dobbs Ferry, NY). We’ll still need to carry boats in and out, up some stairs, but these stairs are indoors and it’s easier to make wide turns.
Second, we’re renting longer time on Sunday afternoons, February 16 and 23, and splitting that time into two separate sessions of 90 minutes each. You can register for one session or both, or a lesson in one session and personal time after.
We’re also trying out a Thursday night session, January 16, 7-9. The Thursday sessions are longer by half and hour, at the same price.
If Thursday night is your jam, let us know by January 10 and we’ll schedule another session for later that month. We need at least eight participants to make rent.
As was the case last
year, you can bring your own boats and gear, or rent from us. We’re simplifying
pricing this year to $30 pool access; +$30 for a lesson with no more than 3:1
students:instructor, and $30 if you need to rent a boat, which will include
gear.
Unfortunately, we
will have less space this year, so our Sunday sessions will be limited to 6 per
session, and Thursdays will be limited to eight.
Force 4 winds, and near-freezing temperatures? Sounds like a great day for a trip!
I was pleased that two long-time clients agreed to join me on a cold November day’s journey from Inwood to the Bronx Kill last weekend. It’s one of my favorite local paddling trips, and the brisk temperature and wind made the trip, which is normally a bit of a lazy-river trip, into something more adventurous.
The Bronx Kill is a narrow creek that separates the northern side of Randalls Island from the Bronx. It’s a narrow passage, requiring portage at low tides, connecting the Harlem River with the East River, just above Hell Gate. The eastern end affords one of my favorite waterborne views in the city, looking out on the upper East River.
We set out from Inwood, paddling into a stiff F4 headwind from the NNE for about a mile with plenty of flood current. Not far out on the river, the collision of wind against current made for some sizable waves, and on another day we might have gone downwind surfing.
In this case, however, the overall distance would be about seven nautical miles each way, longer if we opted to venture out and around the Brother islands. Once we passed under the railroad bridge into the Harlem River, we were sheltered from the wind, and enjoyed a quieter paddle for about a mile.
Under the Henry Hudson Bridge, past Muscota Marsh and the Columbia “C”, site of the old Johnson Ironworks, then under the Broadway Bridge and turning south past the MTA railyard, we paddled. By then, the wind had subsided just a bit, and in any case was a tailwind, and we continued on past Peter Sharp Boathouse, the Washington and Hamilton Bridges, and High Bridge.
The Harlem River is a the most bridged waterway in New York City, as far as I can tell. Its history is curious, since until the nineteenth century it wasn’t really navigable; the area between the Hudson and the Broadway Bridge was more of a creek, one that was deepened and partially straightened out when Marble Hill was separated from Manhattan. The Harlem up to that point was more of a narrow, nearly-dead end tidal canal.
As it happened, I was at a local Revolutionary War re-enactment the next day, and picked up a printout of the area from that period. Look closely, and you’ll see how much more serpentine the water flowed back then.
We paddled down, past various other bridges, eventually arriving at the NYPD marina on the northwestern corner of Randalls Island. At that point, we entered the kill, and paddled along its mix of industrial and bucolic scenery, until we came to the railway and highway bridges at the end.
Bronx Kill Bridges.
The Triboro (now RFK Jr.) bridge and Amtrak railway bridge extend over the kill, as well as a nice foot bridge connecting the island and the Bronx.
Foot Bridge over Bronx Kill.
We paddled out to the mouth of the Kill, and contemplated cross further out to the Brothers. However, that would have exposed us to a strong wind abeam, and the shipping channel looking a bit busy with traffic. We opted instead to turn around and find a place for lunch.
We paddled back up the kill, then down the Harlem a bit more, and ended up having lunch in Little Hell Gate Park. A large marshy area has formed in the inlet separating what used to be Wards Island from Randalls Island, when the eastern end of the passage separating the two – the “Little” Hell Gate – was filled in to build a water treatment plant.
After a bit of rest, re-hydration, and use of facilities, we set out again, with plenty of current on our side, but a steady headwind most of the way back.
Harlem River. Two Kayaks in this picture.
The trip was mostly uneventful. We were just paddling, seeing again the sights we’d seen before. The entire day had been free of traffic on the river, except for a Circle Line boat we saw pass by at lunch, and then the Manhattan II, a regular tour from the Classic Harbor Line.
River Traffic.
One thing about paddling in New York City, you’re sure to be in other peoples’ scrapbooks!
As we came around the the Broadway Bridge, we were once again sheltered from the wind, and enjoyed the remaining mile or so to the Hudson. We were a little concerned because we could see big white waves on the Hudson, in the distance, but in the end they turned out to be farther out in the channel.
Spuyten Duyvil.
The last mile was uneventful, and with plenty of current, we arrive back where we started, unloaded and cleaned boats, and went our separate ways.
Most pictures of kayaking are sunny, beachy, summer. As we move into autumn, however, paddlers with Tubby Hook are reminded that proper sea kayaking may experience a wide range of weather, and there’s no reason to let a little rain cancel a trip.
These are some photos from a mid-October journey through Spuyten Duyvil and the upper part of the Harlem River.
We paddled north and then went under the railroad bridge at Spuyten Duyvil.
Onwards we paddled, past the Columbia C and under the Broadway Bridge, water dripping down through its grates in addition to the rain.
At the 207th Street Bridge, we took sight of our goal: the Peter Sharp Boathouse in the distance. A little further south, a Classic Harbor Line vessel would pass us.
At Peter Sharp, we took in a view of the Hamilton, Washington, and High bridges.
Return to the Palisades.
We got a heavier dousing of rain on the way back, between 207th street and Broadway, but after that, the weather lightened up. As we came around Spuyten Duyvil, we had a beautiful view of the Palisades, though considerably less visibility than when we set out.
All in all, it was a lovely paddle. Cool, clear of traffic, quiet except for the patter of rain. Proof again that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad attire.
I took three students out to Democrat Point, Long Island, the other day. It’s known as a good surf spot, but there are some other features there as well.
With Force 4 winds, the first thing we discussed was how to manage wind in our paddling.
We then moving on to a recirculating eddy, practicing how to cross an eddy line and how to keep and attain position in current.
At the tip of the point, a wide tiderace forms, and after hopping out on the beach to scout it, we had a bit of play. One of the students practiced his roll in the tiderace – success!
We finished the day with some surf. At low tide, the incoming swell was breaking up over some barrier shoals, giving us nice, long but gentle wavers to surf along.
I (Julie) was hoping to get some events together in April, but unfortunately a drysuit repair is going to take a few weeks, so no on-water activities until May.
That said, I’ve super-excited to say my fourth annual weekend-long kayak touring course at Lake Sebago is set for the weekend of June 22-23. You can register here.
In addition to the course, I’ve rented a cabin for participants to opt-in to stay at Friday and Saturday nights. There’s a refrigerator and stove for preparing meals, and the lake is a great getaway from urban life. I can also provide boats and a limited set of rental equipment.
The course is essentially the American Canoe Association’s “L2” skills curriculuum, covering strokes and rescues. The ACA’s sample syllabus lists the course as being do-able in about a day, leading to a common question I get, almost every year: why is this course a two-day course?
The main reason is that it’s a lot of material to cover, and cramming it all into a day is a bit of a smash-up. I’ve taught the course in a single day, in the past, and it becomes a long day. Students who I continued working with afterwards would remark that they didn’t feel everything stuck, and they spent more time in subsequent sessions honing in on the details.
So, that’s one approach. What I prefer is to dedicate the better part of a weekend, allowing more time for practice, for reflection, and for participants to let their synapses fire on their own. It takes more time and a bit of patience, but pays off in a stronger foundation for the long haul.
