 (Editors note: this report was not received until Spring 2010 ) Most kayakers visiting New York City have paddling to the Statue of Liberty as their priority. My daughter Olly and son-in-law David, both keen kayakers, live in New York. On a visit in October 2009, they decided it was time I circumnavigated Manhattan, a trip they do frequently. Not being the world’s fastest paddler, I have, in the past, declined the offer. It is a 28 mile trip and timing is important. There are horror stories of kayakers arriving late at the notorious Hell Gate where the East & Harlem Rivers & Long Island Sound converge. Olly assured me, weather conditions were good & a small tide would mean weaker currents. As an added bonus, David offered to go with me in a double for extra speed; I had no excuses left.
We set off from Pier 66 on the Hudson at 12.15pm against the current, down to the upper part of New York Harbour where the Hudson meets the East River. This can be a confused stretch of water but on this day it was comparatively easy. Avoiding Staten Island ferries, sightseeing trips, water taxis, NYPD & coastguard boats, we proceeded up the East River with the current. The first major landmarks were the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. Seen from beneath, you realise how enormous they are. We made good headway past the Empire State, Chrysler and United Nations buildings on the left, then Roosevelt Island on the right. Swept by the current along Brooklyn and Queens, we were fast approaching Hell Gate. I was a little apprehensive but slack had been timed to perfection. Instead of the standing waves and whirlpools I had imagined, we were confronted with a mill pond. I was not sure whether to feel relieved or a bit disappointed, I had expected a bit more than this, it was just too easy. On crossing over to the Harlem River, it was time to stop for lunch and wait for the currents to turn. The lunch stop was Ward’s Island, home to a huge psychiatric institute. After a rather novel landing on a beach no wider than a scarf, bordered by a low wall, (bearing in mind the Americans like ‘Big’ and their doubles are no exception), we proceeded to have lunch. It was time to relax and with the sun shining, Brie and cucumber sandwiches with a flask of hot ginger tea never tasted so good. It was soon time to get back in our boats and onwards. What a contrast of scenery, it is a very industrial area and the river becomes quite narrow. Not a particularly impressive river to paddle unless you are fond of bridges, there are 20 of them altogether round Manhattan and most of them on this stretch. The sun was setting as we neared the point between Manhattan & the Bronx where the Harlem River meets the Hudson. This was a different world, trees and bushes, no buildings & except for the noise of birds, complete silence. Again we stopped for the currents & fitted lights to our kayaks, finished our food & the last of the hot tea. It was much colder now & the extra clothing was needed as there would be no more breaks until we were back at Pier 66. With 2 hours to go there was only a light wind against us and as far as weather was concerned it had been perfect. Rounding the top of Manhattan into the Hudson, it was dark and quiet, nothing else moving on the river. In the distance in a blaze of light was the George Washington Bridge. As we passed it, the lights of Manhattan came into view & we began to see boats on the river again. Reaching the aircraft carrier Intrepid and Concorde, we were nearly home. For me, the worst part of the journey was still to come. I am useless getting out of a kayak on to a slippery floating dock with nothing to hold on to, when it is bobbing up and down with the wash from passing boats. After giving an impression of a landed fish, I finally managed to flop on to the dock feeling tired, but with a sense of achievement. We arrived back at 8.15pm, a total of 8 hours, 2 hours of which were spent eating, chatting & waiting for currents. The idea was for me to have an enjoyable paddle, not to break records. It can be done quicker & the record is clockwise on a surf-ski at 3:14:45. We did it counter-clockwise as there is less stress with the current. There is now an annual Mayor’s Cup challenge but sometimes conditions are bad & only the professionals can take part. They were happy enough with me that the following week we went on the big trip, down through New York Harbour, under the Verrazano Narrows on to Staten Island. This completed my tour of the 5 boroughs. Chris Gotel |
Despite the Loch’s size, many of the more sheltered bays had a covering of ice, some up to an inch thick. Although able to paddle through the thinner areas, as the ice got thicker your paddles could not break through and so you could not get purchase to maintain progress. However, a most enjoyable day was had paddling among the islands off Luss with a drum up at the Lagoon. As may be imagined we had the place pretty much to ourselves, apart from one other group of paddlers, the resident Canada Geese population and the increased numbers of other waterfowl due to adjacent lesser bodies of water being completely frozen. With so many interesting things to take up our attention we only managed to cover about eight miles. 
In this manner we sledged over the ice to the island of Inchlonaig where we camped, having taken the precaution of bringing two sleeping bags each. The morning sunshine brought strange noises. As the ice heated up under the winter rays it expanded, creaking as it crept up over the shoreline boulders, the overhanging pieces then breaking off to land with a clatter. Cracks could be heard zinging their way across the Loch, some running for miles. After a hike to the top of the island, where we lay sunbathing in the heather, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch before breaking camp and sledging back to the puddle for a final short paddle back to Luss. It does not seem like that was fifty seven years ago and at the time I never thought that I would ever see the Loch like that again. Who knows, maybe next winter! And will my modern fibreglass kayak stand up to the challenge as well as my old plywood one?