Ederle Swim

Today I was a volunteer paddler for the Ederle Swim which is a 17.5 mile swim from Battery Park to Sandy Hook. I was paddling for Ethan Herschenfeld of Brooklyn. We got to meet each other in the rain before the race along with his Dad Phil and friend John who were his support team. The support boat was Sparky captained by Al While and his friend Tony. Our NYSwim boat observer was Randy Savitt.  Here is the Zodiac that Ethan began  from and the Spark is below.

That orange cap is Ethan!

  Coming up on the Verrazano Narrows. We had a number of ships that came in and out while we were paddling. We crossed the Ambrose Channel under the bridge and then paddled just outside its western edge.

 Coming up on Romer Shoals Light House. From here we headed straight to the closest tip of Sandy Hook however the outgoing tide continued to carry us a bit east.

 Ethan ended up on the north east end of Sandy hook but more on the ocean side. What a swim!

 "I made it!"   We all knew he could. What a terrific swim. I didn't have any official time but my gps was showing just over 5 hours.  Below is Ethan & Tony talking as we approach Manhattan again. A video produced by NYSWIM is found HERE.

The whole crew back at North Cove. Front row is Randy & Tony, back row is Al, John, John, Ethan & Phil. 

Madison Ave. on the Passaic

Tonight Eric and I offered another congregational Paddle on the Passaic River. Above you see Lavern, Melonie, Al, Lois, Dominick, Alisa, Eric and Githingi. From the Elmwood Park "marina" we paddled north under the Rt. 4 bridge and just about to the Burger King on  Rt. 20 &10th Ave. For most it was the first time in a kayak and after getting over some of the initial uneasyness everyone did terrific   

Githingi and Al going under the Rt. 4 Bridge.


We  stopped to reflect on the beauty of God's creation that is all around us. We also reflected on the fact that "we own the river". Every river that you can paddle anything on is "held in trust" by the state for the people. That means we own it and should take care of it. You own the River. Read more about it!

 Everyone had a great time and we went out for ice cream cones to celebrate at Guernsey Crest.

Here are a few video clips of our evening together.

New York Swim Manhattan Island Relays

 On Saturday I was a volunteer kayaker for New York Swim.  Manhattan Island Relays. They do many different swimming events and use kayakers to help shepherd the swimmers to keep them on course. On the longer races they assign one kayaker and one support boat  to a swimmer or team. They kayakers gathered early to register and for a final orientation at North Cove  at the end of Battery Park City just across from Ground Zero.
 I was assigned to the team Greenwich Masters from Greenwich CT: Anton, Sean, Adrian and Sam. The race began at south cove with the first wave of swimmers in Zodiacs and the others in the support boat.

There were 3 ft. standing waves in the east river to swim through

Anton, Sean, Adrian and Sam.were all great guys and amazing swimmers. Although they started out in the 3rd wave they very quickly moved to the front of the pack. Here we are coming around the Staten Island Ferry approaching the Brooklyn Bridge. By the time we got to one of the bridges just north of the  Triboro Bridge they were in first place. They maintained that all the way into the Hudson until somewhere near 79th St. when a swimmer coming from closer to shore moved ahead.


They were still very close until the whole race was interrupted by the Norwegian Gem Cruise ship was backing out. All had to stop and mark their time and gps place until the ship left.   The final leg of the race was close and they were getting very close. We're still not sure who won. I was really proud of them for a great swim and privileged to be part of this special day.Here are a few video clips and my gps track. A NYSwim video can be found by pressing HERE.

Passaic River Paddle

 Tuesday night members and friends of Madison Ave. went on a paddle on the Passaic River around part of Paterson. Eric White and I have been teaching kids in the River of God School of Paddling and decided to offer some adult paddles as well. Although hot and the river low we had a wonderful time enjoying the beauty of God's creation and the river. We saw a snowy egret, Great Blue Heron and other water birds as well as a giant turtle. We paddled over and through the fish weir that was built by Native Americans before the founding of Paterson.

 Here is Diane & Xiomara Robinson with Colin Barrett in the background as we approach the Lincoln Ave. Bridge. We put in by the Hawthorne ballfields just upriver from here.

 My friend Richard Naramore and his son Thomas joined us from Jersey City paddling their canoe. There is now a Passaic River Blueway that includes 90 miles of river that can be paddled from above Lincoln Park  to the Newark Bay. For more information check the website of the Lower Passaic Watershed Alliance.
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 Go Xiomara!

 The river was low but we made it though and once we were past the Fair Lawn Ave. Bridge there was plenty of water.

 Gary & Malcolm Carter stop for a short break.   Look at us below....this is right off of the 10th Ave. Circle. A whole different view of Paterson. Below are a few short videos.

 Heres a final group picture. In addition to those mentioned above we had James Barrett, Dominick Pettway  Eric White & myself.  Come join us sometime for a new way to experience God's creation in Paterson.

Blackburn Challenge

 July 15 I paddled the Blackburn Challenge. I drove up on Friday to spend time with my brother Robert & family. He was also my shore support and cheering section on Saturday.

 There were many different kinds of boats in this race. Above is a "work boat". There were also whaling boats, dorys, shells, surfskis, OC6, stand up paddle boards and of course kayaks of all kinds.

 Here I am getting in at the start. We all lines up a bit upriver with staggered starts for the different classes over an hour

 Here is the first and last lighthouses with many more in between. The Blackburn Challenge is a 20 mile (19.44 by my GPS) in mostly open water around Cape Ann, MA.


The finish line is under the "greasy pole" to the right. During some festival it gets greased and folks try to walk to the end before falling off.
I averaged 4.3 mph and finished in just under
4 1/2 hours. It was great conditions and a great experience with nearly 250 boats and about 350 people.

Michigan Challenge

 The last week of June Ben and I paddled a portion of The Michigan Challenge: The Manistee 150 from Grayling MI to Manistee, about 158 miles. Emily drove us to Grayling and I actually got a little fly fishing in on the river the night before we began.  The river is very beautiful, small, shallow and  bendy at the beginning.

 Toby began at Lake Huron and paddled up the AuSable River and portaged over to Grayling.
He was waiting just below the bridge when we started Wednesday morning and we paddled together for the day and into the next. My Spring Run, which is a sea kayak, did well in some of the tight turns and easily rode over many submerged trees.

My good friends Jon &; Mae DeBruyn from Traverse City had been tracking us and surprised us on Thursday afternoon by meeting us at one of the bridges to cheer us on. The second night we camped  on the Tippy Dam Pond and were treated to a beautiful sunset.

Sara's big fish

 After another night in Traverse City we rested on the long ride home. Ben did a video of our entire trip.
Just press HERE to see it

River of God School of Paddling

We are again out paddling in as young men are learning how to appreciate and enjoy God's creation and have a great time doing it. This year Eric White is our other adult volunteer and we are having a wonderful time each week. So far we have paddled the Passaic River below and above the falls.

 Here we are on the Monksville Reservior after having crossed over it even while the wind was blowing up.