Camping on Governors Island, New York Harbor

City of Water Day 2011, well, post- for much of the kayaking community. If you were heading south on the Hudson to reach Governors Island and did not want to fight the flood current you could either get up around 0200 (2 a.m.) to catch the 0446 ebb current or you had to wait until late afternoon. CWD was not picked w/kayakers in mind this year. And the number of boats appeared significantly lower than last year. Though last year was evidently a miserable experience for those that participated. A 100 degree F day followed by a downpour that night. I already had too much gear so I left my digital SLR at home this trip and traveled w/only my iPhone in its Otterbox and it was pretty rough on the water so it stayed there. There happened to be a Yonkers Canoe Club kayaker Manhattan circumnavigation Saturday that coincided w/CWD. While I prepared my boat at 59th Street a parade of little groups of kayakers were heading south escorted by a couple of power boats. I thought this was a contingent headed to Gov. Island.

I was supposed to meet up with three guys at Pier 96 but I was late getting my boat assembled and I thought for sure that all those boats that passed by were with the Governors Island flotilla. I could not raise anyone on my radio as I passed by Pier 96 so I did my best to catch up. As I passed the NY Waterway terminal I caught up with a cranky old feller from the Yonkers group who interrogated me, thinking I was a straggler, "no," and explained what I was up to --- he was totally unaware of CWD. I arrived at Pier 40 and no compadres. So I hung out with a Yonkers guy also headed to CWD in a beautiful hand-made wooden kayak of native American design. Then wouldn't you know it the guys from Pier 96 arrived.