Hackensack River Canoe &
Kayak Club
www.hrckc.org
Sea Kayak Trip Report: Western Long Island Sound......aka: A BRONX TALE
by Jim More
Saturday, April 24, 2010
After hearing of an unfavorable weather forecast for Sunday our
already rescheduled trip (due to the flooding Nor'easter in March) was
re-re-scheduled again at the last minute to Saturday. Five sea kayakers, all
paddling NDK kayaks: Bill B., new members Joe M. and Jeanette and guest Tony F.
met me at the launch site on Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx. Yup, sea kayaking in
da Bronx!
We launched into the lagoon among a group of competing rowing shells from the
local rowing club and a pair of very well equipped local kayak fisherman. We
then made our way around into Long Island Sound and headed southwest along the
coastline paddling in mild conditions with a light breeze at our backs. The
water was uncharacteristically______ flat and clear. Typically at this time of
year, there would be wind and wave....but not on this day.
Our first stop was for a brief break on a rocky beach on the spooky shoreline of
Hart Island. Most of the out islands in the NYC metro area all seem to have a
colorful history that involves either hospitals, cemeteries, prisons or the
military. Hart Island has been involved in all four. It still serves as NYC's
Potters Field and for over 150 years it has accumulated over 850,000 graves.
It's also been a prison, an asylum and a NIKE missile launch site. The beach we
stopped on had collected piles of marine artifacts ranging from lobster buoys to
shipwrecked pleasure boats resembling "Gilligan's Island".
We then crossed LIS over to the Nassau county shoreline and followed it
southwest to the 1876 Stepping Stone Lighthouse. Continuing on, we passed the US
Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point. After a lunch stop, we passed Fort
Totten. Starting way back in 1776, the colonial army had built a series of these
harbor forts to guard NYC from a marine attack . This particular fort was built
in 1862 to guard the city from an attack via the East River. After crossing the
eastern end of the East River and passing the mighty Throgs Neck bridge we then
came upon Fort Schuyler, which is now part of the campus of SUNY Maritime
College. Fort Schuyler operated jointly with Fort Totten. None of the many NYC
waterfront fortifications ever fired a shot in anger.
After an open crossing of Eastchester Bay we encountered a Fire Dept NY boat
putting on a colorful water display near City island. Then on past the NYPD
Firing Range on Rodman's Neck and under the City Island bridge. Typical on a
sunny afternoon on LIS, the south-west sea breeze then picked up.
A few more miles and passing the swimming beach at Orchard Beach and we were
back at the launch site.
This was one of those very rare trips where we had a favorable current that took
us all the way to the Throgs Neck bridge and it switched as we arrived to help
push us back to the launch site and the wind cooperated as well. We had a light
breeze at our backs until we got back to the "Loggia Lagoon" where predictably,
it was in our face.
We were on the water about six hours and covered about seventeen miles. No shots
were fired, no one was arrested and we were not chased off any of the beaches.
We all survived da Bronx!
Yet another interesting paddle with some great company on an beautiful day!
Jim