There’s no pier pressure when kayaking with Red Hook Boaters

I’ve kayaked only once in my life, about eight years ago on Lake Mohonk – a half-mile long glacial lake in upstate New York. For me, the experience was terrifying with the wooden pier disappearing from sight as I paddled away with so much empty water surrounding me in the single-person kayak. At one point I stopped, struck with panic and with weary arms, after going around a bend. It felt like I’d never be seen if something bad were to happen, especially since no one else was that far out on the water, so early in the morning. When I made it back to land later, I told a resort employee that would be my first and last time on the water. What I should’ve done was stay by the pier and go a little bit further each time during my stay to feel more comfortable – rather than paddle all the way out in one trip because I felt pier-pressured to check it off my vacation to-do list.

In hindsight what I probably could’ve used back then to prep for that experience was something like Red Hook Boaters (RHB). They’re a volunteer organization that has been providing free kayaking to kids and adults since 2006. Their mission is to help people get on the water and enjoy the New York Harbor, and to instill a sense of protection for the city’s unique coastal environment by maintaining the small-boat launch site at Louis Valentino Jr. Park and Pier.

“It’s really cool and fun to be out on the water and to get to see some cool ships passing by,” RHB volunteer Sherry Legg said one Thursday evening as kayaks were being taken out of the group’s container behind her.

Kayaking with Maggie Dalencour. Photo by Sherry Legg.

The way it works is you arrive at the very end of Coffey Street, put your name on a list (first-come, first-served) and then take a kayak out for 20 minutes to explore the cove at your own pace. While many have paddled out toward the end of the pier and back from the small beach, some have gone out to Governors Island, the Statue of Liberty and Gowanus on RHB guided trips/tours.

Twelve-year-old Maggie Dalencour, who’s been kayaking with RHB for six years now, enjoys going out on the water whenever she can.

“I love coming here. It’s something easy [to do] after school when I’m done with my homework [because] I don’t like technology too much,” Dalencour told this paper. “So this is something fun I do on Thursdays and, on Sundays, it keeps me really active throughout the summer.”

While you might be able to consider her a seasoned pro, compared to people like myself, she added that there’s no reason to be afraid of the recreational sport.

“Most people think it’s scary [because] that they might get tipped over,” Dalencour said. “Even if you’ve never kayaked before, there isn’t a big chance you’ll flip out – unless you’re rocking the boat.”

This summer you can hone your kayaking skills on Sunday afternoons (1 to 4 pm until Sept. 22) and Thursday evenings after work (6 to 8 pm until Aug. 15), weather permitting. Legg notes that wait times on Sundays are usually about a half hour. RHB offer single and double, sit-on-top kayaks that are unsinkable and self-bailing. Children under the age of 14 need an adult to go in the boat with them. Anyone under the age of 18 needs a parent or guardian to sign a waiver before they can paddle, and the adult must stay on the beach while his or her child is on the water.

Since water pollution is a major problem, attendees are encouraged to join in the group’s beach cleanup efforts, removing trash and debris that have washed ashore with supplied gloves and trash bags. For more information, visit redhookboaters.org.

 

Top photo from Red Hook Boaters’ website

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Comments are closed.

On Key

Related Posts

An ode to the bar at the edge of the world, theater review by Oscar Fock

It smells like harbor, I thought as I walked out to the end of the pier to which the barge now known as the Waterfront Museum was docked. Unmistakable were they, even for someone like me maybe particularly for someone like me, who’s always lived far enough from the ocean to never get used to its sensory impressions, but always

Millennial Life Hacking Late Stage Capitalism, by Giovanni M. Ravalli

Back in 2019, before COVID, there was this looming feeling of something impending. Not knowing exactly what it was, only that it was going to impact the economy for better or worse. Erring on the side of caution, I planned for the worst and hoped for the best. My mom had just lost her battle with a rare cancer (metastasized

Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club returns to it’s roots, by Brian Abate

The first Brooklyn Rotary Club was founded in 1905 and met in Brooklyn Heights. Their successor club, the Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club, is once again meeting in the Heights in a historic building at 21 Clark Street that first opened in 1928 as the exclusive Leverich Hotel. Rotary is an international organization that brings together persons dedicated to giving back