Napatree Point Pre-Hurricane Irene Surfing - August 27th 2011

Drove up to Stonington CT saturday to see if any pre-Irene surf had developed. Fog ruled out going to the tidal races/overfalls east of Fisher's Island, so went to Napatree instead. Zip-tied a digital camera to my helmet to see how that would work. Managed to capture some video! Only uncertainty was knowing if/when the camera was on or off! Basically pressed the on/off button and hoped it worked.

Four (4) video links below:

Two Boats on One Wave

Various Rides at Napatree

Napatree Rock Slide

Unexpected Capsize

URI to Narrow River - ConnYak paddle 8.13.11 - "GoPro Hero" Camera "test"

Posted some photos from yesterday’s paddle from URI to Narrow River here: https://picasaweb.google.com/paddledude5/URIToNarrowRiverConnYak81311

The “experiment” with the suction-cup mounted GoPro Camera on the rear of the deck wasn’t perfect but fun to try – camera was on loan, I have to return it to my office traffic engineering department which uses it to record vehicle flow patterns, but wasn’t putting the waterproof housing to good use so I offered to “test it” for them. It was set to take just 1 photo every 60 seconds – on the paddle out it took roughly 150 photos (little over two hours) before the battery died (?) so no photos on the way back. Of these 150, only the ones on the link were marginally worth looking at. Key would be to get a taller mounting pole to get a wider view and to set it to take photos more frequently – the surf at Narrow River only had a few random shots. Ah well. Had a great time and a nice paddle back to the put-in with John.

Steinhatchee to Suwanee FLORIDA – 3 Day "Solo" Journey in March of 2008

Captivated by the less-developed gulf coast of Florida during my 2006 “scouting” trip, two years later in 2008 I decided to drive the trusty Pintail down again and do a solo camping journey along the “Big Bend”. Got a shuttle to the put-in from a nice fellow Capt. Russ McAllister who runs Suwanee Guides.  The coast was magical and desolate – bringing maps is “a must” to find the designated camping spots and keeping a sense of your paddling speed is helpful too because the coastline is so similar looking, few landmarks. Saw no other paddlers on the first leg (few motor boaters too). Reached the campsite, set up and settled in alone “in the middle of no where” with a minimum of supplies. The idea of solitary camping away from civilization, in a place where the Florida panther is known to frequent, was exciting and somewhat stress-inducing, but I was determined to be self-sufficient in this desolate and remote place, actually began to relish the challenge of solitude - when to my surprise 3 other paddlers showed up near sunset! They hadn’t reserved the site with the Fish & Wildlife Commission (as I had) but their company was welcome.  These other guests included 2 medical doctors and they had tons of extra food and wine!  So if I’d been injured and starving, I would have had no trouble finding help.



White Pelicans - FL Gulf Coast



Paddled both "Ends" in one short Weekend! (July 30th/31st, 2011)

Stayed at a friend's place this weekend in eastern Long Island. Since I usually avoid the "high season" for reasons of cost and crowds, it was a new experience for me - so decided to hit my two favorite LI paddling spots - Plum Gut and Montauk Point.  Plum Gut was supposed to be at 3+ knot ebb when I got there at 1:00 on Saturday, but no particular swell so mild conditions - a few fun rides nonetheless. Lots of jellyfish.  Then a paddle to Orient Beach State Park - great park with a kayak drop-off spot, beautiful beach, and nature trails.

Plum Gut - Southwest of Lighthouse

Montauk Point was super fogged in last time I visited, but this Sunday was totally clear.  Made the trek all the way to Ditch Plains beach and admired the many handsome properties along the bluffs - I'm told these include Stanford White "cottages" and homes owned by Andy Warhol and Dick Cavett among others. An inspiring paddle along a truly exposed coast.  Spear fishing seems on the rise in popularity as I stumbled across a few startled snorklers searching for fish.

View from the Cliffs of Camp Hero State Park

On my way to Ditch Plains (thanks for taking photos Becky)

Oyster Bay Paddling Trail - North Shore of Long Island - Fujufilm XP30 Camera

Creek Beach Kayak Racks, Millneck Bay

(Link to Kayak Trail Map Below)

I had the opportunity to merge two of my main endeavors - kayaking and my job (environmental planning) this past weekend as I offered to conduct a shoreline survey of Oyster Bay (for my job) and take photos by kayak (fun bonus). Used the new Fujifilm XP30 digital camera which puts a GPS tag on the photos (if you've got signal and the battery isn't dead).  Not the greatest photo quality but overall a decent camera. GPS takes a few moments to obtain satellite coordinates so if you take a photo quickly, it may not register its location. Video quality of the camera seems a bit better than the still photos.   For $200 a waterproof camera with GPS, not bad.

Oyster Bay has a bunch of nice tidal marshes, many launch sites - some with free parking - and food/services in close proximity to the shore (especially in Bayville and the Oyster Bay hamlet).   The Town is among a number of Long Island Towns that have issued RFP's recently with guidance/funding from NYSDOS to enact "Blueway Trails" for small boaters. Improvements to launch points, signage, and facilities are the ultimate goal.  A potential success story for paddling ACCESS - always a problematic issue for kayakers.

Cormorants off Peacock Point, Lattingtown, NY

Frost Creek, Golf Course Crossing and Baby Horseshoe Crab

In response to a request for more info on kayaking the Town of Oyster Bay's coastline (Hempstead Harbor, Oyster Bay Harbor, and Cold Spring Harbor) - I've listed launch points and sights for kayakers based on my 2011 reconnaissance of the shoreline for the Town's Blueway Trail RFP.    The locations numbered below are shown on 3 maps that I've put on Google Docs - link to maps here: Oyster Bay Kayak Launch Map. 

All of these sites are viable kayak launch and/or rest stops - but the best kayak launches (typically with free parking and easy boat access) I've starred *. Some launches require a specific Village Parking Permit, but some you may be able to park nearby. Enjoy.


Primary Launch Points – with a public boat ramp and/or kayak/canoe storage:


1. Harry Tappen Beach – Town of Oyster Bay* (fee to park, but nice ramp)

2. Garvies Point Boat Ramp – City of Glen Cove* (Best Kayak Launch in the Oyster Bay region in my opinion, no fee)

3. Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Beach – Town of Oyster Bay* (2nd Best Kayak launch in region, drive to west end, no fee in DEC lot)

4. Creek Beach – Village of Bayville* (excellent kayak friendly, but I recall a fee in season).

5. Bridge Marina – Village of Bayville

6. Sea Cliff Beach Park – Village of Sea Cliff



Secondary Launch Points – public access to shoreline and parking:

7. Crescent Beach Road – City of Glen Cove (steep carry, but no fee)

8. Welwyn Preserve – City of Glen Cove

9. Garvies Point Boating Association (Garvies Point Preserve)

10. Pryibil Beach – City of Glen Cove* (public beach, but stairs distant from bathers at west end of lot)

11. Oak Neck/Stehli Bathing Beach – Village of Bayville

12. Oyster Bay Cove Beach – Village of Oyster Bay Cove (very nice, but Village parking)

13. Centre Island Village Beach Park – Village of Bayville* (3rd Best Kayak Launch in region, no fee)



Points of Interest and Stopover Locations:

14. Frost Creek Tidal Creek and Marsh - Village of Lattingtown Wildlife Preserve

15. Welwyn Preserve and Holocaust Museum

16. Dining and Amusements along the Beachfront of Bayville

17. West Pond Marsh (accessible during high tide)

18. Rum Point Park

19. Mill Neck Preserve (tidal marsh in Mill Neck Bay)

20. Village of Laurel Hollow Beach (residents only, and they're serious)

21. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

22. Morgan Park (possibly launch, need wheels to reach beach, parking fee)

23. Commercial Center of Downtown Oyster Bay

Swells Circumnavigating Monomoy Island - Atlantic Kayak Tours Cape Cod Trips



Coming Down.

Going Up!

Took these photos just a few seconds apart - shows the big swell offshore when rounding Monomoy Island, pretty much an all-day trip considering the times I've done it we've run into shallow water on the west side due to moving sands in the area - had to walk/tow. Beautiful, remote, exhilarating trip every time.  These photos above are from 2005.

Each year AKT staff and clients head up to Cape Cod to paddle in October for the Columbus Day long weekend. Monomoy, Provincetown, Pleasant Bay, Barnstable Harbor, Wellfleet - lots of paddling options. Some add'l photos of other trips below - can be warm and sunny, or more often cold and windy. Either way, the Cape is relatively empty in October and the foliage is there to see.  These trips are among my favorite kayaking experiences - having spent the summer season staffing trips/programs but only seeing other AKT staff members occasionally when assigned to the same programs, it's nice to all get together an the end of the year and just enjoy a new, fun venue.  Awesome.



Bill walking the decks at water break time - Cape Cod 2006

Pleasant Bay, 2006



Barnstable, 2004



Barnstable Harbor 2004, 20 knot head wind

Beach Football, Cape Cod 2004



Outer Beach on way back from Provincetown tiderace, 2005

Playing at Beavertail Point - Rhode Island, Sept. 2008

Towing Practice - Beavertail Point

I have a wealth of photos from staffing trips with Atlantic Kayak Tours - even though a bit dated, am posting a few.  This was a great trip practicing skills in conditions.  Taking turns towing, rescuing in moving water.

AKT is a great place to learn core sea kayaking skills and to enjoy the sea with a group of instructors who are fun and knowledgeable.  Bill and Janice Lozano have run it for 30+ years (at this writing) and their on-line Expert Center is a valuable resource.  I worked for them for number of years in the 2000's and learned so much - was a great time in my life.  Check them out! 

Balancing boats at Lunch Time - outer Narraganset Bay (me on the far right)

Narrow River (I assume)