Author Topic: Paddling the Hudson  (Read 9156 times)

michmich

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Paddling the Hudson
« on: May 20, 2015, 07:52:56 AM »
I went paddling on the hudson in Red Hook, Brooklyn last week, and wound up getting stuck because of a fast-moving current. The coast guard was called...yada yada.

Anyone out there that goes paddling on the Hudson regularly? If so, any advice for next time? I've been googling Hudson Tide report, but I'm a novice/beginner and I'm not sure what to be looking for.

spookini

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2015, 08:41:01 AM »
Welcome to the 'Zone!

You're certainly not the 1st to have the Coast Guard called on them.
But now you can look back and laugh...
So c'mon... share the details of your "paddle of shame".
We look fwd to reading and laughing at with you  ;D
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Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2015, 11:40:19 AM »
Mich, welcome to the Zone, and, yes, I paddle the Hudson all the time. I'm a little north of you in Peekskill. I'd be happy to take you out and show you the ropes if you care to come up and visit. Do you have a car?

The thing you have to remember about the Hudson is that there's wind + tide + current, and these can create some pretty screwy conditions. When two or three are in the same direction, it can be hard to fight. Always remember that the river is an estuary, which means it changes direction with the tide. You need to have a good sense of the tide especially, but also local conditions. I've never paddled out of Red Hook (but I am a Brooklyn boy) but I'll be things can get a little crazy. Let me guess, you got swept downstream and couldn't get back?

I use a tide app called "Tides" and it works fine. Make sure you're getting the tide for your location or as close as you can get. You might have high tide at one time at one place on the river then at separate time at another location. Also, the river doesn't switch direction at the moment the tide changes. Sometimes there can be a delay of an hour or two between the high or low point and the river current changing direction. To make things more fun, during that switchover period you can have the river running one direction near the shore and the other direction in the channel.

Got it?

Best bet is to spend time in some safer areas before you go out into NY Harbor. That's a crazy area with a lot of things happening at once. I've been told the swells can be very high, plus there's all that boat traffic. Once you've got some good skills and a feel of the water, you can try the rougher areas.

Get in touch, seriously.


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SeaMe

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2015, 01:01:21 PM »
I went paddling on the hudson in Red Hook, Brooklyn last week, and wound up getting stuck because of a fast-moving current. The coast guard was called...yada yada.

Anyone out there that goes paddling on the Hudson regularly? If so, any advice for next time? I've been googling Hudson Tide report, but I'm a novice/beginner and I'm not sure what to be looking for.

Welcome MM  :)

Ichabod gives good advice. I would add that scouting a location prior to paddling is also important. The differences between high and low tide can be startling.

If you need help finding tidal charts try Saltwater Tides: http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/newyorksites.html It's a very straightforward site and also provides sunrise/sunset times. I would recommend using it in conjunction with a weather site for wind speed; once the wind enters double digits, it will play a strong factor in how difficult the paddle is.

Kudos to you for braving the Hudson, it's not for the faint of heart. If I still lived in Brooklyn I don't know that I'd be willing to take the risk. A better paddle place might be Gravesend Bay. It's not 'nearby' (assuming you live in Red Hook), in fact there are no direct trains if I remember correctly, but it's fairly protected and not highly traveled from what I remember.
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Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2015, 01:20:05 PM »
I would agree with SeaMe, that some other locations are good. I would also suggest Plum Beach. It's a popular windsurfing spot, but if you get a calm day, it's very nice. I used to go there as a kid.

BTW, people will call it "Plumb" Beach, but that's wrong because it's named after the beach plums that grow there. My mother would bake them into a fine pie.


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hbsteve

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2015, 02:37:52 PM »
Also, do a Google search on the Hudson and tides.  You may find articles or even books that give detailed information on your area.
I'm on my iPad.  I don't know how to drag & drop.
But, look "Planning a Kayak trip on the New York River:  Tide or Current? "  It seems to have a lot of helpful information and links that mught help you in the future.
« Last Edit: May 20, 2015, 02:55:40 PM by hbsteve »

michmich

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2015, 05:35:16 PM »
Thanks so much for ALL the helpful information! I'm going to study up before venturing out there again. Or if I do, I won't try to go to the Statue of Liberty so soon.

Anyway, I was being ambitious - with my limited experience - and wanted to paddle to Liberty Island. Without any water, I quickly tired and decided to turn back and try again another day. That's when I realized I was 'going nowhere fast'. A nice boating couple asked if I was alright. They stayed with me for awhile and saw I wasn't making any progress. I was getting pulled southeast.

They called the coast guard. Coast guard came. Super nice. And brought me back to Louis Valentino Park. I got some good go pro shots outta the whole thing...

Hopefully, I can figure this out so I can get my Statue of Liberty selfie.

Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2015, 07:43:25 PM »
I took Mich out today. She was nice enough to drive up to Peekskill where I live and the two of us did a near-shore loop together. She was on an 11' Bote inflatable and I was on my Amundsen 12'6".

Mich was a little green — a little too green for the rough waters of New York harbor. While we did our loop together, the two of us worked on paddling technique, especially keeping a good cadence going during the wind.

We had breezes from about 5-10 mph the whole time, and good for her to keep it going the entire time. Those can be a little rough, and highly localized. There were situations where we would paddle through a wind line and the breeze would double, or half. We would be in shelter in one area and twenty yards away there was chop. Weird conditions, but that's the Hudson. Good training too, because while the weather was quite variable, there was nothing too difficult to deal with.

Main things she took away was the paddling technique, especially doing 4–6 strokes per side before switching. Try to get that glide going. Also very important to avoid that boat channel and keep close to shore. Use local geography to your advantage when the wind is blowing. Pay attention to the tides and current.

I got to try our Mich's inflatable briefly, which was interesting. I'd never been on one before. It was pumped to 15psi, but I could feel a little mushiness under me. The board reacted to the chop under my feet in a more organic way. I swear I could feel every ripple. Mich kicked my ass on my Amundsen, so that was interesting. It was slow, but a very stable board. I didn't like it all that much, but if you're living in a Brooklyn apartment, then I see the attraction. The board had a lot of good attachment points, which was cool.
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photofr

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #8 on: May 25, 2015, 11:12:42 PM »
Welcome and enjoy.
I too would suggest starting out and building muscles, endurance, and confidence in calmer waters.
Later, you'll be able to venture in more places with more "room for errors". When you do, keep this in mind:
Water flow will always look for the path of least resistance.
This simply means that in most cases, water will actually flow faster in the center of a path than on the sides.
When trying to paddle upstream, use the sides; some obstruction can be your friend.

Regarding tides, here in France, we too have very strong tide.
Here's the crash-sharing version:
Tidal strength vary from day to day. A coefficient of say 50 isn't bad here… but 118 is insane !
An area that narrows (similar to a bottleneck) will always have more current than a wide open area.
Water movement is great increased in the middle of a tide. An hour before and after the switch, water movement will always be less.
If you can't paddle upstream when you first get started, you most likely will not be able to after 2 hours of paddling: paddle up current first, and with the current at the end.
Better yet: know your tides & paddle with the current first, then take a break and have lunch while the tide changes. Then get going again and paddle with the current on the way BACK.

You can fight current… but why ?

Be safe. Get an instructor.
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eastbound

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #9 on: May 26, 2015, 08:42:03 AM »
hey icky spoon--what's your take on the lovely mrs graswald?

seems she mightn't be the best paddle partner!
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Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #10 on: May 26, 2015, 04:22:18 PM »
Eastbound,

Mich is a beginner, and she didn't realize how green she was until we paddled together. That's fine. We all start there. For me, I do need someone a little more advanced as a paddle partner. However, I may have to train those people. Oh well.

Photo, good advice for the beginner on a river. We went over how to use the landscape to your advantage and to read the current and the wind.
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SeaMe

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #11 on: May 27, 2015, 11:38:58 AM »
Thanks so much for ALL the helpful information! I'm going to study up before venturing out there again. Or if I do, I won't try to go to the Statue of Liberty so soon.

Studying is a good idea, but also look for opportunities to paddle. Experience on the board will trump anything written in a book or on a forum.

I hesitate to recommend Round Valley because of the bridge and tunnel tolls if you're driving from Brooklyn, but it's a gorgeous body of water and under the right conditions super easy to paddle (it gets more challenging as the wind picks up). It's just about the same travel time from Red Hook as Peekskill, but like I said, bridges and tunnels can put a financial damper on the idea.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2015, 11:45:29 AM by SeaMe »
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Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #12 on: May 27, 2015, 11:55:45 AM »
Definitely, time on water (TOW) is the best teacher.


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eastbound

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #13 on: May 28, 2015, 05:39:34 AM »
ickyspoon--either my joke flew over your head--or your response flew over mine

Mrs Graswald is the allegedly murderous hudson river kayaker--sposedly drowned her husband--thus my joke that she mightnt be the best choice of paddling partners.

mica, pm me if youd like. i operate out of park slope. and pls be careful launching into ny harbor!
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Zooport

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Re: Paddling the Hudson
« Reply #14 on: May 28, 2015, 09:44:12 AM »
ickyspoon--either my joke flew over your head--or your response flew over mine

Mrs Graswald is the allegedly murderous hudson river kayaker--sposedly drowned her husband--thus my joke that she mightnt be the best choice of paddling partners.

mica, pm me if youd like. i operate out of park slope. and pls be careful launching into ny harbor!
Yeah, that's what I thought this tread was about at first.  On that note: Seems like sending him a text saying "I want to break up" is a little better idea than killing him...but what do I know?

 (sorry for the thread hijack)
« Last Edit: May 28, 2015, 09:48:42 AM by Zooport »
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