Soggy GPS

Hoping my GPS is not a lost cause after going for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean, I am trying some electronics first-aid. I removed the batteries, took the unit apart, and rinsed it with filtered fresh water. Now, I have it sealed in a zip-loc bag with some desiccant to hopefully absorb any moisture that may be left in it. Going to give it a few days, then put the batteries back in and see what happens. Wish me luck!!!

Valuable Lessons Learned

Since today is my birthday, I figured I'd treat myself and paddle someplace that I've always wanted to check out... Mecox Bay in Southampton. So, with my boat on the roof, gear in the trunk, and coffee in the travel mug, I headed out east.

The wind had picked up a bit by the time I launched on the northern end of the bay, but it was not too gusty to make the paddle uncomfortable. In fact, despite wearing a long-sleeved shirt, I was dressed as if it was still summer and the water was warm. I didn't even put on my spray skirt. The bay was beautiful, the waterfront homes were amazing to look at, and the water was quiet and enjoyable.

Before long, I reached the "cut", where a break to the ocean had been created (by the town?) to allow the salt and fresh water to mix. A quick glance down the channel showed nothing but calm water and a glassy ocean, so off I went. Very quickly the water picked up speed, though, hurtling me towards the Atlantic. I was still under control, that is until I hit the first of the many standing waves at the interface of the bay's and ocean's waters. The first wave hit me in the chest and pushed me backwards. The second swamped my boat and washed my dry bag (contents: digital camera, cell phone, wallet, and car keys) out of my boat and whisked it away. I survived the third, fourth, and fifth waves, but finally succumbed to the sea on the sixth. Amazingly, I rolled the boat and performed a wet exit in heavy surf, all without losing the sunglasses hat were sitting on top of my head!

Long story made short, I retrieved my dry bag (thankfully still dry), pumped out my boat and climbed back in, and paddled back to shore to take stock of my situation. Items lost: my faithful Nalgene bottle, a pencil for note-taking, and my GPS. Things could have been a lot worse... which got me thinking about my safety and what had gone wrong. As the adrenaline and fear left, and I could regain composure, I thought about what lessons I had learned form this boneheaded move.

Obviously, scouting the inlet before plunging down it would have been the smart thing to do.

Donning my spray skirt would have helped as well.

Double dry bags to protect my electronics will also become a fixture on my future paddles.

I always bring a spare paddle with me. Today, this one almost washed off my boat... Checking and tightening all deck lines and bungees will be done tomorrow!

I was wearing my PFD (as always) but had forgotten to buckle the waist strap. This allowed the vest to rise up over my head while in the water... Checking all buckles and straps will become part of my pre-paddle ritual.

My trusty SPOT Messenger was in the pocket of my PFD, powered up and ready to go. But, I had not sent any "OK" messages to anyone. Nor had I let anyone know where I was. Had I really needed help from a friend, how would they know where to find me? And, if they did receive my SPOT's "Help" message, would they know what to do?... After I finish typing this I am going to update my SPOT's contacts and write up an "action plan" for everyone on it, so they will all know what to do in any circumstance.

Scary mishap? Absolutely! Fun trip otherwise? Definitely! Good birthday despite the adventure? You bet!

Fathers' Day

How did I spend my Fathers' Day? On the water with my kids! Gotta love it!!!

Paddling the Nissequogue

I have been wanting to map the Nissequoge River for my new book for some time. So, despite the threat of thunderstorms in the afternoon and a rapidly ebbing tide, my father, brother-in-law, and I hatched a last-minute plan to paddle it last weekend. By the time we finished setting up our shuttle, and were ready to launch, the river was quite low. In fact, many paddlers were already on their way back from the mouth of the river, having already completed it that morning. Nevertheless, we launched our boats in the last remaining inches of water and headed north.

My father and brother-in-law launching from Paul T. Given County Park

Thankfully, the depth of the river did increase as we headed downstream, making paddling easier. I always take too long when paddling narrow rivers like this, taking pictures and identifying flowers and plants along the way. Thus, my dad and b-in-l left me behind with only a family of Canada Geese to keep me company.

Turn around little guy, you're heading the wrong way!

We did catch up to each other again, and had a great time floating along with both the tide and wind in our favor. In fact, the wind kept increasing as we progressed, giving a sign of the bad weather to come, though at the time we were still blessed with clear, sunny skies.

A river like the Nissequogue is a treasure because of its varying habitats. It flows from a fresh water pond and empties into the Long Island Sound, becoming increasingly saline along the way. As a result, you get to see a wide variety of plant and animal life throughout your paddle. Anything from snapping turtles, muskrats, ospreys, red-winged blackbirds, trout, striped bass, bluefish, horseshoe crabs, etc can be seen. It truly is a remarkable place to paddle

Snapping Turtle

Egrets on the river

We soon made our way to the spot where the river widens quite a bit into a vast salt marsh-like area. Thankfully, the thunderstorms had yet to come upon us, although the skies were growing increasingly overcast and the wind continued to pick up. Upon reaching the take-out (the Smithtown boat ramp), Eric decided to get out and stretch his legs while my dad and I headed out into the Sound to poke around a bit. It always amazes me how shallow the mouth of the river gets during low tide. People were walking in water about one half-mile out and were not even getting their shorts wet. Water that makes for good wading does not make for good paddling, though, so we quickly turned around and fought the last bit of the outgoing tide and the wind back to the ramp.

All in all, it was a great paddle, highly recommended to anyone with a boat and a paddle!!!

SPOT Messenger

I've been playing around with a new piece of gear lately... a SPOT Messenger. Specifically, the SPOT 2 Messenger. With all of the paddling I'll be doing in places I've never been before (and don't know what to expect) it seemed like a good idea. Heck, if it's good enough for Survivorman, it's got to be good for me, right?

Seriously, though, I do think it'll work OK for me. I always leave a basic "float plan" with my wife before I head out, and always call her right before I head out on the water. I try to call her every couple of hours after that, and defintely once I am back in my Jeep after paddling. What the SPOT does is let me send her a quick message ("I'm on the water and am OK" or "I'm out of the water and am in my Jeep") that will let her know I'm fine. We've had some close calls in the past where I had forgotten to call or had no cell service, leaving her worried and looking up the phone # of the local Coasties. My hope is that my new SPOT will prevent that.

I had read some different reviews of the original SPOT Messenger, more than a few of which were troublesome. The SPOT 2 seems to be much improved from the original, although it did have its own little problem with its batteries, warranting a recall. There have also been some reports of failed messages, difficulty with reception, etc. Although I've only used my SPOT once on the water, it performed flawlessly, under cloudy, overcast skies. I am very optimistic that it will continue to serve me well in the future. Of course, I'll report back from time to time as it gets more use. But, I do think it'll remain a valuable piece of paddling gear.

Portage to Portage Paddling Project

How amazing is this? A kayaker named Jake Stachovak is paddling from Wisconsin, down the Mississippi, around Florida, up the East Coast, through the great Lakes, and back to where he started, in Portage, Wisconsin. Here is what his blog says: "The “Portage to Portage Paddling Project” is a 5000 mile solo kayak journey around the Eastern United States. An adventure that will link the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes via the Gulf Coast, East Coast, and New York Canal Systems starting and ending in the small town of Portage Wisconsin.

Beginning in early December 2009 Aqua Adventures kayaker Jake Stachovak (Sta ho vi ack) will put in on the icy Wisconsin River in Portage WI to begin his long time dream trip. The spirit of this trip is as much about the people as it is about the miles and miles of water. The idea is to show everyone the kind of adventure they can find right in their back yard, and to share in that adventure as much as possible."

I've been reading his daily posts for some time now and find myself checking my computer many times a day with hopes that he has posted again. His story is truly amazing. And, the GREAT NEWS IS... He'll be speaking locally, on June 8th, at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood at a special meeting of the Long Island Paddlers'. I 'll definitely be there!

Shore Birds

As the weather gets warmer, and my deadline (only a scant 13 months away) slowly approaches, I've been paddling more and more. Of course, my camera comes with me on all paddles - thank goodness for digital! I always come back with dozens upon dozens of pictures, many of which are discarded. But, I've noticed that a good number of my shots are of birds - and some actually came out pretty decent. Here are some of my favorites!

A group of Oyster Catchers in Shinnecock Bay

An Osprey in Shinnecock Bay

A flying Least Tern in Shinnecock Bay

Some gulls in Port Jefferson Harbor

My latest project...

So, really good news here!!! A dream of mine for about 5 or 6 years now has been to write a sea kayaking guidebook to Long Island's waters. That dream is what led me to write "Canoeing and Kayaking New York". It's also what led me to develop a professional development course for educators that explores Long Island's rivers. And now, finally, the book will actually happen. As I type this, my book contract for "Paddling Long Island" is sitting right next to me. All I have to do is sign it, mail it back, and, well, write another book.

So, 50 of the best spots to paddle on and about Long Island, including NYC too. Any thoughts? Favorite spots you'd care to share? By all means, email me and let me know. I'd be happy to share my master list, which is currently upwards of 75 locations.

Maple Syrup

What to do when it's too windy for a paddle... Today I decided to boil down the sap I've been collecting and make some maple syrup. I've never done this before (Long Island is not known for its delicious Maple Syrup -something a close friend of mine pointed out). But, I tapped a few trees in my yard this year to see what, if anything, I could make of it. And today, I found out!

Because of the ton of steam produced in boiling off the water, I opted to do the work outside in my driveway, using my Coleman stove. Despite the freezing cold wind, my system seemed to work fine. It only took about 2 hours and the half-gallon of sap I had collected to make about 1/2 cup of maple syrup.

As it turned out, the syrup is actually delicious! Now I can't wait for pancakes in the morning!!!

Winter Kayaking

Ohhhh, the pleasures of kayaking during a Long Island winter. Especially when you leave your boat out on your car with plans of paddling the next day, only to find that it has snowed and now your seat has a layer of ice on it.