Misty

Last Sunday I took a couple of newer paddlers in my club on a trip to Peter Sharp Boathouse. It's a nearby destination, but as we are truly in Autumn now, no less interesting. 

We got a bit of a late start, off through Spuyten Duyvil and past the Columbia C, their boathouse, and under the Broadway Bridge. By then the current was against us, but nothing terrible. We paddle on, passing another kayaker heading the opposite direction, having put in at Liberty State Park to do his circumnavigation. We waved, chatted briefly, then went on our way.

There was very little wind, so the water was flat. It was a great opportunity to teach how to read current, pointing out places where it hit objects and flowed around, forming small eddies. By staying close to the shore we were able to make good progress, until we landed at the beach of Swindler's Cove, had lunch, and got some passers-by to take our photos.

Turns out they were neighborhood lads, retired guys who had grown up in the area and then moved out, surprised to find the park and the people (us) so much more hospitable than either had been in the seventies and eighties.

The way back was easy - the current was with us, and growing stronger. Meanwhile, a fog had rolled down the Hudson River Valley, and we looked forward to a sublime journey.

Sure enough, the still waters and thickening fog made New Jersey nearly invisible. I'm very happy with the above photo, of TS, perfectly reflected in water.

Coming around the corner from Spuyten Duyvil, KH's boat was a sharp contrast, clearly meant for summer climes.

Anytime we looked west, or north, it was clear there wasn't much out there, perhaps the Hounds of the Baskervilles.

We did make it home, but it wasn't easily visible. The tower of the Cloisters looms over the trees, and closer, the boom of a barge laying new pilings near our club can barely be seen.