"Reclamation", the powers that be are calling the proposal to turn some number of acres of Jamaica Bay into airport runways...
Here's a meeting that should be of great interest to those who love Jamaica Bay. I highly doubt that I will be able to make it because of work pressures, but I did want to spread the word.
JAMAICA BAY TASK FORCE MEETING
APRIL 7, 2011 @ 6:30 pm
NPS Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
Cross Bay Blvd. Broad Channel, NY 11693
AGENDA
6:30 - 6:45 Sign in, Introductions, Acknowledgment of Elected/Agency
Officials
6:45 - 7:05 Overview of Regional Plan Association Proposed Plan for
Expansion of JFK Airport- Environmental Response
Dan Mundy Jr. Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers
7:05 - 7:15 Potential impacts of JFK Expansion
Brad Sewell, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense
Council
7:15 - 7:35 JFK Airport Expansion and Bird Hazard issues
Don Riepe, Jamaica Bay Guardian
7:35 - 7:55 Marine Life in the targeted areas; A
commercial/recreational
Perspective from the local Fishing Industry
Captain Vincent Calabro
7:55- 8:30 Discussion, Q & A
Dan Mundy, Don Riepe
Co-Chairs
For more information and directions, please call 718-318-9344
Mar 21, 2011
Last Paddle of Winter + Paerdegat Proxigean Promenade
If everybody didn't know I was probably at the beach, I would call this picture "Tea in the Sahara".
It's one of a very few I took on my last winter paddle (to Breezy Point, that's Minh & TQ in the picture above) - first off, the weather was extremely breezy & I had to concentrate on paddling, and secondly, I was out of reach of my charger for the weekend & wanted to save the batteries for the very unusual and fun event that some very smart folks at Sebago had put together in honor of the midafternoon arrival of the Supermoon Proxigean Low Water - a shorewalk right in our own Paerdegat Basin!
It was GREAT - thanks to all who helped organize, I really enjoyed seeing our familiar basin from a different point of view.
More pictures from both days (but mostly the shorewalk) can be found here.
Mar 15, 2011
Sebago Canoe Club Teaches Kayaking to "Swim Strong" @ Flushing Meadow Corona Park Aquatic Center
Sebago ran a special session for some of the kids in New York City's SwimStrong program weekend before last.
I was sorry to have to miss it (tummy bugs don't go well with kayaking OR children), but TQ reported that everybody had a great time, and that's backed up by the faces in Chris's wonderful album! Click here to see more.
Mar 4, 2011
Spring Boating Safety -
That rescue story was the classic one you hear every year when the weather starts warming up. Nice thing was that this one had a happy ending.
Almost every Spring, when I hear the first story about a warm air/cold water incident, it triggers my Annual Spring Boating Safety Sermon over on Frogma.
Usually, the sermon is just a repost of the incident, followed by links to sites that are FULL of information on the topic, like Chuck Sutherland's coldwater pages and the Atlantic Kayak Tours Expert Center.
This year, in response to the rescue, and with Viv's encouragement, I actually wrote my own piece on the subject. I think it came out pretty well. Want to check it out? Click here to visit Frogma!
Almost every Spring, when I hear the first story about a warm air/cold water incident, it triggers my Annual Spring Boating Safety Sermon over on Frogma.
Usually, the sermon is just a repost of the incident, followed by links to sites that are FULL of information on the topic, like Chuck Sutherland's coldwater pages and the Atlantic Kayak Tours Expert Center.
This year, in response to the rescue, and with Viv's encouragement, I actually wrote my own piece on the subject. I think it came out pretty well. Want to check it out? Click here to visit Frogma!
A Rescue In Rockaway
I checked in with Viv, and she gave permission to post the email she'd sent around to the club once she'd gotten the story. It ended up being written up for the paper by another reporter there, and I've added that at the end, but I like Viv's writeup - good to have a kayaker's take on the story!
*******************************
There was indeed a very close call for a Jamaica Bay kayaker who faced possible death from hypothermia on Tuesday, and a well-prepared local resident, who fishes with the harbor rescue guys and knew just who to call, saved the kayaker's life within minutes! Sebago is responding with information and education for the public. Bonnie at "Frogma" and Vivian Carter ("RockViv" of Oy Vey Rockaway!) are on the job!
Rock Viv met the unfortunate (but extremely lucky) kayaker and his rescuer yesterday, and it is a good story. But I don't think either broadcast or print media picked it up, so you may not have heard. There will be a small piece in the Wave on Friday, and hopefully a longer piece on cold-water paddling safety penned by Bonnie for next week. You can buy the Wave on newsstands in Rockaway, at Ragtime in Howard Beach, or at Sherwood Diner on Rockaway Turnpike near Costco. However, the online edition can't be seen until two weeks from tomorrow, unless you have a subscription. This information is important to put out there right away, so feel free to circulate this email widely!
I was told that due to privacy restrictions, it's often difficult in police and fire rescue, crime and accident cases to find out more from either medical or law enforcement sources. I just happen to know a bay front resident from my church who gave me the name and approximate address of the rescuer. Believe it or not, I found him by looking in the phone book! So retro!
Anyway, here's the story:
Felix lives in the area known as "Arverne by the Bay," near Beach 70th Street on the Rockaway Peninsula. He has a bright orange, 16 foot kayak, and a wet suit. Recently, he's been kayaking several times a week for exercise, launching into the bay at Dubos Point (around Beach 60th Street), heading up past Brant Point (around Beach 70th), on to the Cross Bay Bridge (around Beach 95th), and then returning. Most times, he wears a wet suit. With the warm weather this week, he decided to try it without the wetsuit, although the water temperature was still quite cold (probably in the 40's). He was wearing woolen winter clothes and a warm winter hat (but no drysuit--not even a wetsuit!). He almost didn't return.
Felix launched (it appears) with minimal safety gear. He said that he was hit by a wave and a cross current (probably as he passed Silver Hole Marsh), and capsized. He tried to right the boat but it was filled with water. The tide was outgoing, so he tried to head toward land and wave for help. Not clear whether he had a pump, a whistle, a radio, or a cell phone.
Another neighborhood resident, Francisco, was (fortunately) sitting in his backyard along the bay at noon on Tuesday, March 1 when something orange caught his eye as it floated by. Then he saw a hand reach up and wave to him; he realized it was a guy hanging onto his boat. It was Felix. Francisco fishes frequently, often with the guys from the rescue units, so he didn't call 911, instead he called his buddies at the Parks Police rescue unit at their dispatch location. A helicopter arrived within 3 minutes, and plucked Felix from the water. Another resident had also called 911, police reported. Francisco said that they've seen similar incidents along the bay in that area over the years, and that if he had tried calling 911 he might have still been on the phone with the operator by the time Felix was rescued. So, being prepared and ready to respond, Francisco surely saved Felix's life!
After I got in touch with Francisco, he and Felix came to The Wave to tell their story, and have a photo taken. I hope it will appear in the paper, together with Bonnie's safety message.
***************
Here's the resulting article from today's print edition of The Wave:
So, a happy ending, and an awfully nice lead-in for my annual sermon.
And visiting the Wave's website reminded me - I'm an online subscriber, because Viv does get some fun stories about the club in there. She had a good one with pictures about the Frostbite Regatta - well, we're well past the 2 weeks from publishing during which articles are only available to subscriber, so that should now be available for everyone's enjoyment!
*******************************
There was indeed a very close call for a Jamaica Bay kayaker who faced possible death from hypothermia on Tuesday, and a well-prepared local resident, who fishes with the harbor rescue guys and knew just who to call, saved the kayaker's life within minutes! Sebago is responding with information and education for the public. Bonnie at "Frogma" and Vivian Carter ("RockViv" of Oy Vey Rockaway!) are on the job!
Rock Viv met the unfortunate (but extremely lucky) kayaker and his rescuer yesterday, and it is a good story. But I don't think either broadcast or print media picked it up, so you may not have heard. There will be a small piece in the Wave on Friday, and hopefully a longer piece on cold-water paddling safety penned by Bonnie for next week. You can buy the Wave on newsstands in Rockaway, at Ragtime in Howard Beach, or at Sherwood Diner on Rockaway Turnpike near Costco. However, the online edition can't be seen until two weeks from tomorrow, unless you have a subscription. This information is important to put out there right away, so feel free to circulate this email widely!
I was told that due to privacy restrictions, it's often difficult in police and fire rescue, crime and accident cases to find out more from either medical or law enforcement sources. I just happen to know a bay front resident from my church who gave me the name and approximate address of the rescuer. Believe it or not, I found him by looking in the phone book! So retro!
Anyway, here's the story:
Felix lives in the area known as "Arverne by the Bay," near Beach 70th Street on the Rockaway Peninsula. He has a bright orange, 16 foot kayak, and a wet suit. Recently, he's been kayaking several times a week for exercise, launching into the bay at Dubos Point (around Beach 60th Street), heading up past Brant Point (around Beach 70th), on to the Cross Bay Bridge (around Beach 95th), and then returning. Most times, he wears a wet suit. With the warm weather this week, he decided to try it without the wetsuit, although the water temperature was still quite cold (probably in the 40's). He was wearing woolen winter clothes and a warm winter hat (but no drysuit--not even a wetsuit!). He almost didn't return.
Felix launched (it appears) with minimal safety gear. He said that he was hit by a wave and a cross current (probably as he passed Silver Hole Marsh), and capsized. He tried to right the boat but it was filled with water. The tide was outgoing, so he tried to head toward land and wave for help. Not clear whether he had a pump, a whistle, a radio, or a cell phone.
Another neighborhood resident, Francisco, was (fortunately) sitting in his backyard along the bay at noon on Tuesday, March 1 when something orange caught his eye as it floated by. Then he saw a hand reach up and wave to him; he realized it was a guy hanging onto his boat. It was Felix. Francisco fishes frequently, often with the guys from the rescue units, so he didn't call 911, instead he called his buddies at the Parks Police rescue unit at their dispatch location. A helicopter arrived within 3 minutes, and plucked Felix from the water. Another resident had also called 911, police reported. Francisco said that they've seen similar incidents along the bay in that area over the years, and that if he had tried calling 911 he might have still been on the phone with the operator by the time Felix was rescued. So, being prepared and ready to respond, Francisco surely saved Felix's life!
After I got in touch with Francisco, he and Felix came to The Wave to tell their story, and have a photo taken. I hope it will appear in the paper, together with Bonnie's safety message.
***************
Here's the resulting article from today's print edition of The Wave:
So, a happy ending, and an awfully nice lead-in for my annual sermon.
And visiting the Wave's website reminded me - I'm an online subscriber, because Viv does get some fun stories about the club in there. She had a good one with pictures about the Frostbite Regatta - well, we're well past the 2 weeks from publishing during which articles are only available to subscriber, so that should now be available for everyone's enjoyment!
Feb 21, 2011
Marcus Demth Presentation
Marcus Demuth will be giving a presentation about his last two
paddling adventures.
When: Saturday February 26th at 6:00PM
Place: Sebago Canoe Club
http://www.sebagocanoeclub.org
The presentation will include details of his record 80 day Great
Britain circumnavigation and his attempt to circumnavigate Tierra del
Fuego with paddling partner Biff Wruszek.
For more details, check out his site at:
http://marcusdemuth.com/
Bring your own drink.
Coffee, tea and water will be provided.
A shuttle from the nearest public transportation is possible. Email me
and we'll arrange to have someone get in touch.
Feb 2, 2011
Spring is coming, and here's Sebago's Annual Spring Laser District 8 Regatta NOR to prove it!
 |
| From Sebaga Laser Regatta 5 22 2010 |
Hear Ye Hear Ye!
The Sailing Committee of the Sebago Canoe Club, Canarsie, Brooklyn, has a confirmed date of Saturday the 7th of May, 2011, for our annual Laser District 8 Regatta.
Spread the word, all ye snowbound sailors. Let's dream of Spring!
Links Are For Clicking:
Notice of Race
Sailing Instructions
Ahhhh, white sails, green green grass, green green trees. Remember?
 |
| From Sebaga Laser Regatta 5 22 2010 |
cross-posted at the Frogma
Jan 21, 2011
Seals, Snow, and Bigelow's - 1/15/2011 Jones Beach
They made us sweat this time, they did.
Once or twice every year for the last couple of years, Tony and Walter (aka "Pinky and the Brain", aaka "Co-Chairs of the Sebago Cruising Committee") have organized midwinter sealwatching paddles at Jones Beach.
It's one of my favorite winter trips. In the summertime, Jones Beach may be a pure people's playground, but in the wintertime, the maze of marshy islands inside the inlet becomes almost as popular a playground for our phocine friends.
The first time I joined the Cruising Committee on this trip in 2009, I actually didn't believe it. Tony and Walter were billing the trip as a sealwatching paddle - but in the NY Harbor and Jamaica Bay area, a seal sighting was a special treat. I took the name as a bit of optimism on our trip leaders' part and made elaborate mental preparations to not be too dissappointed if we didn't see any. Wildlife can't be expected to appear on cue, it shaped up to be a great group of people (of course Sebago trips all tend to have that happen), it looked like a lovely area to paddle, there'd surely be some lovely ducks and geese to see and hey, it was supposed to snow, I love paddling in the snow, so even if the seals didn't appear on cue, hey, it would be a fantastic day.
The first seal appeared off the fishing docks before we'd even launched, and once we were on the water, they were everywhere.
They were following us.
They were watching us.
At one point we stopped paddling and just gawked because we were completely surrounded by a circle of seals. At another point, a seal popped up right in our midst - missed the shot by that much, the biggest ripple marks where the seal had been a split-second earlier.
Second year, it wasn't quite as easy to see them. There was a brisk breeze blowing, and it's a lot harder to spot those little round heads when it's choppy. We didn't see them quite as quickly, and a couple of guys who were landing just as we were launching said that they hadn't seen any, so once again, I began to tell myself the whole beautiful spot/lovely ducks/nice people/seals would be the sprinkles on the sundae story...
Of course, they were out there again, and then for the sundae-sprinkles on top of the sundae-sprinkles on the sundae, I jokingly asked ace birder Mary to find us a snowy owl, and guess what - she did! Incredible.
There was a 3rd trip that I missed. I think that was the one where the term "hundreds" came into use. The crew that did that one came back with a story of not seeing many seals and thinking it was going to be a so-so sealwatching day - until they rounded a bend back in the marshes and found themselves smack dab in front of a beach where a huge herd of seals was hauled out.
Unfortunately this resulted in an instant departure of every seal there - seals can get hypothermia too, and their sunbathing time is key to their health; they are very skittish while hauled out so the idea is NOT to suddenly appear right on top of them - in this case the humans and seals were equally surprised, there was nothing to be done but apparently the exodus was quite spectacular.
By my records, then, last Saturday was the 4th Annual-Plus Sebago Jones Beach Seal Paddle.
It was a cold and snowy, slightly blowy day,
but we had a very nice turnout, including a few paddlers with a little less winter experience who were nevertheless drawn by the prospect of seals, and even a very nice prospective member who'd found out about the club, came to the Frostbite potluck to meet people and decided she was interested in joining us for this trip.
L to R - Almost a group shot by Mary Ann (thanks Mary Ann!): Commodore Tony, Susan, Dotty, Walter, Mary Ann, TQ and me - missing: Martha, hiding behind Susan (bummer!): Danica (I hope I spelled that right!)
Jones Beach is actually a great introductory winter trip. It's very protected and quiet inside the inlet, you're never really too far from land, and it's all about watching the seals, there's no particular distance that has to be done for the trip to be a raging success.
They'd all heard so much about this trip, and we launched with confident promises of wonders to come...
But as I said at the beginning of this post -- the seals let us sweat this time.
I don't know if they heard that we were taking them for granted and wanted to teach us a lesson, or maybe they were down at the inlet having lunch, but we paddled for a VERY long time without seeing any.
And once again I found myself working through the litany of ways in which a seal-free seal paddle would be OK - this time, with others joining in.
Mary Ann, God bless her, started to point out the birds. A loon, a longtailed duck, how lovely!
Someone else commented on how beautiful the marsh islands were and what a nice place this was to paddle as we paddled on past the second seal-free inlet.
And once again it was a really great group. Sebago paddles are like that. Oh, did I say that already? Well, it bears repeating. They just are.
And then, finally, just at the other end of the inlet, the first one was spotted. We stopped, we drifted, we gawked, we paddled backwards, and those little round heads kept popping up here and there. It was still nothing like the density we sometimes see there (I actually didn't end up taking any pictures on the water because I didn't see any opportunities for shots that were going to be any better than pictures I'd taken on other paddles with seals, plus I was a little more in trip-leader mode than I had been in the past, which makes me lay off the camera a bit) but all in all, it was another good Jones Beach seal paddle. I don't think the first-timers were quite as blown away as I was on my first trip, but I think everybody was happy.
And then -- how do you make happy paddlers even happier?
Oh. My. Gosh. BIGELOW'S!
Doing wonderfully, deliciously unhealthy things to seafood in Rockville Center since 1939. Faaaaaabulous!Walter introduced this to the Seal Paddle last year. I begged to go back this year.
Guess what, I didn't have to beg too hard!
I once again chose the Ipswich belly clams with a cold Harpoon IPA for there...
and a quart of the best New England clam chowder I've ever had anywhere (except maybe TQ's homemade) to go.
And Danica got a slice of key lime pie and a bunch of forks, and I was SO happy - I LOVE key lime pie, I was way too full of clams to have a whole dessert to myself but a couple of bites of creamy key lime yumminess to top of the meal? Wonderful. Oh, gosh, and that reminds me, there's a sailing committee scheduling meeting on Saturday. I wonder if I could hunt down a Steve's Key Lime Pie somewhere in Manhattan tomorrow?
BTW - interested in going to see the seals at Jones Beach for yourself? You don't need a kayak or a drysuit, just warm clothing, some good walking shoes, and maybe a thermos of something hot (ok, and a car would probably help). The Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center offers guided seal walks all winter. Click here for schedule and details.
Jan 17, 2011
The Future of Plumb Beach
Here is an older video of Anthony Weiner talking about the future of Plumb Beach after hurricane Earl, August of 2010.
The future of this beach and the Belt Parkway is in danger. Every 20 years, the erosion from constant wind, storms and just the shape of Plumb Beach causes it to wash out to sea. Nature really wants to connect Plumb Beach to Gerristen Creek, but something is standing in her way. It is the Belt Parkway. Unfortunately, Robert Moses did not know that nature would want to destroy his beloved highway, so he built it like a belt around a mans pants, going around the outer section of Brooklyn, showing it's great waterfront.
If several Northeaster's this winter as well as a few hurricanes gang up this year, the Belt Parkway will be underwater in no time at all. What that means is if you want to go anywhere near Sheepshead bay, you will see traffic jams like you can't believe. If you are in favor of nature taking her course, perhaps this won't be the best solution. Come to the meeting and let your feelings known..
tion.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETINGS
ALTERNATIVES FOR ADDRESSING SHORELINE
EROSION AT PLUMB BEACH, BROOKLYN, NY
PRESENTED BY: New York District Corps of Engineers, New York City
Department of Parks and Recreation, and Gateway National Recreation Area
TIME: 6:00PM – 8:00 PM open house (with agency presentations at 7:00 PM)
DATES and LOCATIONS
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 (snow date Feb 22) at NYCDPR Salt Marsh Nature
Center, in Marine Park, East 33rd St and Avenue U, Brooklyn (718- 421-2021)
By car: Take the Belt Parkway to Kings Plaza/Flatbush Ave exit, then north on Flatbush Avenue
to Avenue U. Turn left on Avenue U and continue west past 33rd Street and look for the parking
lot on the right. Nature Center is across Avenue U from Parking lot.
Thursday, February 17, 2011 (snow date Feb 24) at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center,
Crossbay Boulevard, Queens, NY (718-318-4340)
The future of this beach and the Belt Parkway is in danger. Every 20 years, the erosion from constant wind, storms and just the shape of Plumb Beach causes it to wash out to sea. Nature really wants to connect Plumb Beach to Gerristen Creek, but something is standing in her way. It is the Belt Parkway. Unfortunately, Robert Moses did not know that nature would want to destroy his beloved highway, so he built it like a belt around a mans pants, going around the outer section of Brooklyn, showing it's great waterfront.
If several Northeaster's this winter as well as a few hurricanes gang up this year, the Belt Parkway will be underwater in no time at all. What that means is if you want to go anywhere near Sheepshead bay, you will see traffic jams like you can't believe. If you are in favor of nature taking her course, perhaps this won't be the best solution. Come to the meeting and let your feelings known..
tion.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETINGS
ALTERNATIVES FOR ADDRESSING SHORELINE
EROSION AT PLUMB BEACH, BROOKLYN, NY
PRESENTED BY: New York District Corps of Engineers, New York City
Department of Parks and Recreation, and Gateway National Recreation Area
TIME: 6:00PM – 8:00 PM open house (with agency presentations at 7:00 PM)
DATES and LOCATIONS
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 (snow date Feb 22) at NYCDPR Salt Marsh Nature
Center, in Marine Park, East 33rd St and Avenue U, Brooklyn (718- 421-2021)
By car: Take the Belt Parkway to Kings Plaza/Flatbush Ave exit, then north on Flatbush Avenue
to Avenue U. Turn left on Avenue U and continue west past 33rd Street and look for the parking
lot on the right. Nature Center is across Avenue U from Parking lot.
Thursday, February 17, 2011 (snow date Feb 24) at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center,
Crossbay Boulevard, Queens, NY (718-318-4340)
Jan 10, 2011
Matinicus Double Ender Update- By Jim Luton
 |
| Fitting floor timbers, and making floor board patterns. |
 |
| One of the frames marked for sawing out. |
The holidays found me this year working away once again on the Matinicus Island peapod, after a long hiatus during the sailing season at Sebago. At this point, she's all framed up and I've generated patterns for the floor boards to come later. I'm working on the interior furniture now, seats and the like, and laying out the decking arrangement. Everything needs to be fitted, then pulled back out to paint the hull interior. A full report can be found on my own blog, Small Craft Warning. Stay tuned...
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