Where’s Griet? High tide at Marshlands Conservancy. Griet takes a pic of us taking a pic through the salt marsh spartina. See more interpretations of this week’s Photo Challenge: Dense 🙂 🙂
Kayaking
Bea’s Avocet weathers the wintry mix. But why let a nor’easter stop you? There’s plenty to do indoors while you watch icicles melt! Like, practicing staying right-side-up in a racing kayak. We’re inspired by this video, “Core Stability and Balance Progression For Kayakers” i.e., staying atop a balance ball without smashing your head into that bigscreen TV behind you! Click for awesome video by kayaker Ivy K:
P.S. We are getting better at this… stay tuned for our own video, albeit with different music and padded surroundings. 🙂 🙂
I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.
—John Masefield, Sea Fever: Selected Poems
This photo is from last summer, at Olympic National Park; Washington. Wish we were there! See more interpretations of this week’s photo challenge, Wish 🙂 🙂
May the stars carry your sadness away,
May the flowers fill your heart with beauty,
May hope forever wipe away your tears,
And, above all, may silence make you strong.
—Chief Dan George
See more photos from this week’s challenge: Solitude.
Talk about using your friends! Felix readjusts his footpegs mid-paddle and needs to be outside of the boat to do it. Five kayaks become one “raft.” See more interpretations of this week’s Photo Challenge: repurpose.
It was lovely day on the water…but not for everybody. One of the peregrines that haunts Execution Rocks lighthouse made a meal of this pigeon. And it was seriously considering Luke’s new drone for dessert!
Luke recalled the gizmo ASAP when the falcon took a second, then a third fly-by…
Drone survived to see another day. (See blur, top of photo; Execution Rocks lighthouse on horizon.) Jonathan, Bob and Troy in City Island
Haha, we might’ve been watching footage like this instead of the aerial paddling video Luke made. Click below for the ultimate “flying camera” POV! 🙂 🙂
Is Execution Rocks lighthouse haunted? Definitely. By cormorants, gulls, peregrine falcons, seals (see arrow at :52) and us paddlers. Despite the unholy stench of bird guano, it’s one of our favorite haunts. Click for video—an impromptu “family reunion” on 1/16/17—courtesy of the mega-talented Luke (aka kayakhipster) and his new drone. 🙂 🙂
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Long Island Sound consists of a diverse collection of unique marine, estuarine, and terrestrial ecosystems located in one of the most densely populated regions in the United States. The Sound and its coastlines are home not only to myriad species of plants and animals—from shorebirds and turtles to whales, seals, and fish—but also to more than twenty million people.
Until now there has been no single reference for those interested in exploring the Sound’s rich natural history. Author, photographer, and scientific illustrator Patrick Lynch has filled this gap. Brimming with maps, photographs, and drawings created by the author, this guide introduces readers to the full breadth of the Sound’s environs from shorelines to deepest waters. With coastal areas at particular risk from climate change and pollution, Lynch’s timing couldn’t be better. Whether you are interested in the…
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Recently, a NYC paddler listed his used PaddleOne kayak erg for sale online. Dov (aka, kayakdov) beat us to it, but he kindly tossed it into his car—at <30 pounds, it is quite tossable—so we got to test it apres-real-paddle, post-Dov’s-Subaru. (Drysuits optional, haha!). Click for video.
Our take on it: As apartment dwellers, we like the small footprint it requires and the fact that it’s easily stashed into a corner. But we weren’t too keen on the simplistic “paddle” and rather rough approximation of paddlestroke it allowed. For now, we figure we’ll just get out on the water and breathe fresh air—even if we do have to layer up, zip up and shut up already about the cold. It’s January! 🙂 🙂
The last paddle of the year. Jerry and Luke (aka, kayakhipster) joined us on the Sound, 12.28.16, a windy Wednesday. Paddling into the sunset (argh, only 4:36 p.m.!), Luke stops to take a snap of NYC on the horizon.
The sun’s last “hurrah.” May your 2017 be bright. Best wishes, 🙂 🙂
2 Geeks @ 3 Knots 