Friday, March 14, 2014

The Big Meander - 3/1/2014

Ready to launch, shortly after 11.Crunchy water!Icy Buoy 12, just off Canarsie Pol.Old wreck surfacing on the sandbar by Canarsie PolOld wreck, daymark that shows the end of the sandbar beyond.Past Canarsie Pol, a tiny bit of ice left
Old mushy ice, melting fastA few weeks ago half the bay was frozen - just a little left now.Could've gone around but more fun to go through, crunch crunch crunch.Not much water in the bay!Manhattan in the distance. Tall building is the new WTC 1.Coconut! These are a common offering at a local beach that's a popular spot for Hindu rituals, so we see them all the time.
Ruffle Bar. I'd originally called for a group paddle, just around this island, stop for beachcombing & a snack & then home again, but nobody came!Most piratical buoy in the bay - buoy "Arrrrr!", getting close to the Rockaway Peninsula (I'm now peeling off from my original plan).Now over by the Rockaway Peninsulas. Here is where the alligators live.Looking west down the Rockaway Peninsula towards the inlet. Came over here to get out of what little breeze there was. Hm, very nice here...Maybe I'll just go down to the bridge. Hm. Looks pretty nice out past the bridge. Maybe just a little further? Yeah.Oh yeah. It IS nice out here. Rockaway Peninsula to the left, Coney Island to the right - and look, it's ALL mine!
Keep going? Why yes. Why not? Ahhhh.Breezy Point "Lighthouse" coming into view. Maybe I'll just go there...or why not all the way to Breezy Point? Yes, why not?Looking back towards the inlet.Approaching the "Lighthouse". This structure dates back to WWII and at that time it was disguised as a lighthouse.It wasn't a lighthouse at all, though - it was a control tower for the nearby gun batteries guarding the entrance to NY Harbor.2 more people enjoying the day. They waved, I waved back and then threw my arms in the air - "What a day!" - they did the same. I paddled away grinning.
The Big Meander - 3/1/2014, a set on Flickr.
Slideshow from that great long paddle I ended up taking on March 1. Such a beautiful day! 

4 comments:

clairesgarden said...

I am amazed at the coconut just floating about!

bonnie said...

Coconuts, oranges, flowers, small articles of pottery, you find all sorts of things floating around in the bay. They're from Hindu rituals that are frequently held at the northern tip of Broad Channel Island. Click here to read a good article about it in the NY Times..

clairesgarden said...

interesting article, sounds like they are working peaceably to tidy up a bit though, I just think its a waste of coconuts though

bonnie said...

It is. We tried cracking one open at the club one time, but it was no good. Disappointing!

One of my friends did eat an orange he found floating around - looked perfectly good, smelled perfectly good, and he was a bit peckish. Said it was fine.

They are getting better - you used to see things like styrofoam plates of flowers, now it seems like they just throw the flowers in.