A few posts ago we told about the Downtown Boathouse in New York City which had a few location around Manhattan where you could go kayaking and get some instructions for free.

Well, we now want to tell you about similar opportunity to paddle in New York City - the Long Island City Community Boathouse. For those of you not too familiar with NYC, Long Island City is located in Queens, right on the East River. The LIC Boathouse offers free kayaking, canoeing, and educational programs on the East River.

They haven’t posted their 2008 event schedule yet, but if you go to their website, you can contact them directly for more information. Click here for street and water directions to the Long Island City Community Boathouse.

Finding all of these great paddling resources in New York City, prompted us to do some more digging for NYC canoer and kayaker, and boy did we hit the motherload! We found a ton of places to canoe and kayak in New York City. Each of the five boroughs - Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island - all offer several places to put in and paddle.

Check out our Places to Paddle in NYC page. If you’re a New Yorker who loves to kayak or canoe, tell us where your favorite spot to paddle is - we’ll post it!

If you’re looking for other places to paddle, canoe or kayak anywhere in the country, be sure to visit our Events and Races page, Places to Paddle page, or our Whitewater Kayak Parks page, or even out Kayak and Canoe Trips page.

See you on the water!

Fellow paddler Archie Thompson wanted us to tell all our paddling friends about this great place to canoe and kayak in South Carolina, “We have 23 self-guided trails with over 175 miles of paddling on our lakes, rivers, and creeks.”

 And you’ve got to check out this great Berkeley County Blueways website. They’ve got trail maps for every river in their footprint available as downloadable PDFs, including a comprehensive Paddle Guide showing the entire county and the numerous places to paddle and put-ins. The site also details the water trails and offers lots of beautiful pictures, safety information, a bit on South Carolina boating laws, even something on launch etiquette (thanks for that!), and lots more helpful information.

  

The good folks of the Berkeley County’s Blueways Group did a fantastic job with this informative website.

Thanks for letting us know about this great resource Archie! We hope to get out to Berkeley County, SC soon!

We’ve listed Archie’s suggestion on our Places to Paddle page. Do you have a favorite paddling spot or know of a region that has gone above and beyond to encourage the growing sports of canoeing and kayaking? Click here to tell us all about it!

A while ago we posted a story about kayaking in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. Well if you thought that would be a great experience, imagine kayaking the Hudson River around Manhattan!

We might be late to the proverbial party, but we just found out that…

New York City Downtown Boathouse Offers Free, Yes Free, Kayaking.

The New York City Downtown Boathouse is an all-volunteer organization that offers free walk-up public kayaking, free kayak trips on New York harbor, and free evening kayak classes - all available to the general public.

The Boathouse provides all the equipment and the know-how, so don’t hesitate to take full advantage of this paddling resource even if you’re a kayak novice. All you need to know is how to swim, be sure to wear a life jacket, abide by the Boathouse rules and sign their liability waiver.

All the equipment is paid for by donations from the volunteers, all the labor is provided for free by the volunteers. HINT: If you’re a paddler living in NYC, why not be a volunteer? You actually don’t need to be an expert, they’re looking for all levels of volunteers and they offer training. Click Here for more information on volunteering at the Downtown Boathouse.

This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning how to kayak or anyone that just wants to try kayaking to see if they’ll like it (we know you’ll love it!).

Most of the boats are self bailing (meaning you really can’t sink it) one or two person sit-on-top kayaks. Sit on tops are great for sight-seeing trips - and there are few more awesome urban sights in the world than the view of the New York skyline from the water (except maybe from the air, but we’re paddlers not flyers).

When’s The New York City Downtown Boathouse open?

For the 2008 season all locations of the boathouse will be open from May 17th to October 13th.

The Boathouse has three locations:

• Pier 40 at the western end of Houston Street on the river side of the West Side Highway. Hours from 9:00AM to 6:00PM Weekends and Holidays

• Pier 96, Clinton Cove at 56th Street and the Hudson River. Hours from 9:00AM to 6:00PM Weekends and Holidays. Open weekday evenings (June 16 to August 29) from 5PM to 7PM. Wednesday evening classes from 6:00PM to 8:00PM.

• Riverside Park Promenade. Take the 72nd Street stairs into the park and head to the river. Hours from 10:00AM to 5:00PM Weekends and Holidays

What sort of kayaking can you enjoy at the Boathouse?

• Walk-up kayaking is the most popular program. You can take a 20 minute paddle inside the protected embayment in front of the boathouse.

• Three hour trips go out into the Hudson River and lower harbor. The trip destination will depend on the tides and weather. They will usually go 4 or 5 miles. They do require you to have previous kayak experience or go out on their walk-up program several times to gain strength and be familiar with the kayaks.

• Kayak classes are every Wednesday evening. Most of the classes are on the water and cover basic kayak skills and a variety of kayak- related topics.

• Winter pool classes are also held in conjunction with the Riverbank State Park swimming pool.

As with any free service, donations are encouraged. Its the only way to keep these kinds of great opportunities available to everyone and anyone who loves to be on the water or even just thinks they might! Click here to donate to the Boathouse.

And if you live in or near New York City, stop by, take a few strokes out in Hudson and join our growing community of avid paddlers.

Visit the New York City Downtown Boathouse website to find out all the details.

***Does your city or town offer a great paddling opportunity like this one? Send us a note and tell us about it. We’ll post it on the blog and also on our Places to Paddle page.

We ran across this story at Tampa Bay Online about Sean Fitzgibbon, a Florida kayaker, and thought it was worth repeating.

Stories like this really make the point that a disability does not have to keep you off the water. Kayaking and canoeing is something almost everyone can enjoy - even those with physical challenges. Paddling is truly a universal sport.

We wish Sean and his team success and safe passage!

Disability Doesn’t Faze Kayak King

By Stephen Thompson
The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 12, 2008

SEMINOLE - Sean Fitzgibbon was born without a fibula in his right leg, and his right foot was deformed, too.

So on his third birthday, the leg was amputated at the knee. But Fitzgibbon, now a 34-year-old husband and father of two, has learned to cope. He also learned that he didn’t want his disability to squelch his athleticism. And he became a champion among his peers in surfing and kayaking.

Now Fitzgibbon and three of his cohorts want to impart his message of hope and perseverance to all of those who have lost a limb, including troops returning from Iraq.

To that end, they are embarking on a 220-mile kayak trip today to circle the Florida Keys. Thirteen days have been set aside for the voyage, but Fitzgibbon and his friends hope to do it in eight to 10 days.

In addition to raising awareness, they hope to raise money for Extremity Games, an annual extreme amateur sports competition for people who have a limb loss or disability. This year’s contests will be in Michigan from July 24 through 26.

Fitzgibbon loves the Extremity Games concept because it encourages people who feel alone and isolated to come together and show how skillful they’ve become in their sports. “We want to bring a message to amputees: Love life; don’t be a victim of the amputation,” the Seminole resident said.

That call especially needs to be heard by veterans returning from Iraq without an arm or a leg, he said.

Fitzgibbon is more than aware that some amputees can’t afford the help they need. As a full-time prosthetics technician at St. Petersburg Limb & Brace, he often comes across amputees whose health insurance doesn’t cover the full cost of a prosthetic device.

The name of the quartet taking the kayak trip is Team Topahonu. “Topahonu” means “great sea turtle” in Hawaiian. Fitzgibbon earned the nickname there as a surfer because turtles are able to swim after they lose a flipper.

Other team members are Jeff Fabiszewski of Dunedin, whose wife has paralysis of her left side; David Tranor, an Orlando outdoorsman who has helped the disabled with sports such as skiing; and Brian Doehleman, a Largo war veteran whose brother owns Osprey Bay Outdoors, a Clearwater kayaking shop.

Click here for more information about The Extremity Games.

Do you have a story about an amazing paddler you know or know of? Please send it to us using our Contact Page. We’ll post it here on BornToPaddle.com.

We just got wind of these upcoming paddle events in July and August. They span the U.S., so there is most likely one near you! If you can’t make it to these kayak and/or canoe events, look at our Races & Events page. We have canoe and kayak events for all skill levels listed by state and by month.

 First, take a look at our newest events below. Whatever events you choose, get registered today. Having a great paddle to look forward to makes every day better!

If you live near San Antonio, Texas, Albany, New York, Poulsbo & Port Gamble Washington, Saint Paul Minnesota, or Lake Onalaska, Wisconsin, check out these kayak and canoe race and events that we found in your area.

San Antonio River, Texas

• If you always wanted to paddle down the San Antonio River, here is your chance. Sign up for the 40th annual Ford Canoe Challenge on Saturday,  August 16 in San Antonio TX. Over 90 teams compete in timed heats. The race begins at the Chamber of Commerce, heads east through and around the Convention Center Lagoon, through the River Center Mall Lagoon and ending back at the Chamber of Commerce. Come out to paddle or just to check out the teams of local celebrities, city officials, corporate teams, and boy scouts and girl scouts.

New York - Albany to Manhattan

• The eighth annual Great Hudson River Paddle (GHRP), a 144-mile kayaking and camping trip from Albany to Manhattan will be held Thursday, July 3 - Sunday, July 13, 2008. If you can’t paddle the 144 miles they are offering several shorter paddle courses. GHRP is being held to celebrate the 156 mile long Hudson River Greenway Water Trail (HRGWT), the improvement of public access to the Hudson River, and the diversity and heritage of the riverside communities of the Hudson River Valley. Come out to support this great cause!

Port Gamble - Poulsbo, Washington

• If you live in Washington State than check out the Paddle Kitsap on August 1-2. This paddling event will start at Port Gamble and ends at Poulsbo, Washington.  This is a 2 days fully supported paddle. Paddle the Pearls of North Kitsap communities and help establish the North Kitsap water trail.

Mississippi River, Saint Paul, Minnesota

• The Great River Energy Mississippi River Challenge, Saint Paul MN.  is a one- or two-day event, July 26 & 27, 2008, to raise awareness of the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities. The Mississippi River Challenge takes you on a journey from Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park to Grey Cloud Island. You’ll travel with voyageurs, paddle the only gorge on the Mississippi, and negotiate the cavernous St. Anthony and Ford Locks. At the historic Fort Snelling overnight camp, you will enjoy a hearty meal provided in part by Thousand Hills Cattle Company (hearty vegetarian options available as well) and celebrate with an evening of live music, historic reenactment and revelry.

Paddlers have two Challenge options: paddling the 44-mile two-day route, or paddling 22 miles on Saturday only.

• One-day paddlers get to experience the launching at Coon Rapids Dam, the prairie stretch of the river, the locks and the urban wilderness of the gorge.
• Two-day paddlers go on to experience the mighty floodplain river, paddling through downtown Saint Paul.

Lake Onalaska, Wisconsin

•  The 6th Annual Brice Prairie Canoe Race and Pig Roast will be held on Saturday, June 28, 2008 on Lake Onalaska, Onalaska WI. The canoe & kayak race is a recreational event that starts and ends at the Upper Brice Prairie Boat Landing. The canoe race is about 2 or 3 miles long and the kayak race will be longer, going out into Lake Onalaska.  Funds raised from the event are used to preserve open spaces on Brice Prairie for all to enjoy.

Got your next paddle event lined up? Why not drop us a line and tell us all about it? We’d be happy to post kayak and canoe event information and race results right here on BornToPaddle.com. Use our Contact Form to send us all the details. 

Have a kayak, canoe event or race you would like to have us post? Send us all the relevant information using our handy Contact Form. We’ll post it on our paddle blog and add it to our kayak and canoe race and events calendar.