Here we are in mid-summer and it was only last Sunday that I got to do some paddling in my fine city. It’s been a tough slog. There have been some HUGE things going on construction-wise along the Hudson River with the construction of the new park and my favorite outfitter – The Manhattan Kayak Company – has been in the process of moving. But lo, it turned out that this last weekend I was invited to a very exclusive inaugural paddle and, MAN, was it lovely. It is hard for me to express in words how good it felt to be on the river again. So maybe I’ll express it in a throaty scream instead: aaaAAAGHHHGGHhahhahhaaa!
There, that felt good.
But seriously, Eric Stiller, the MKC’s fearless leader, chose the perfect day for a paddle on the river. We ended up pulling onto a clean new beach in Jersey with a view of the city (pictured here). The MKC is gearing up big time for a (albeit late-summer) opening weekend this weekend. They have a gorgeous new boathouse that is, honestly, a big improvement over their old digs (which was a bit like an old hillbilly shack, to be perfectly frank).
You can find them now at the Hudson River Park Trust Boathouse at Pier 66, 26th St and the Hudson River. I’m not sure what kind of tours they’re running this weekend, but if the weather’s nice, that really doesn’t matter. They key is just to be out paddling.