Kayaking.. in Manhattan!

I've been wanting to try kayaking on the Hudson River since I read this post on A Cup of Jo last year. I've always been a little chicken to try it so with the encouragement and organisational skills of my friend, Sarah, I'm glad we took the plunge (!)..

There was major iMessage debate over appropriate attire.. "What is the likelihood that we will actually fall in?", "Do we wear bikinis, swimming costumes or just workout gear that dries quickly?", "How do we take pictures to prove we actually did this?" etc.. In hindsight, we totally over-analysed the situation (obviously). This became blatantly apparent when one guy rocked up minutes before (or maybe even after) we were supposed to be in the water, wearing jeans and a formal shirt - two of the specified "no-no's" (denim and cotton) on our "what to wear" list!

In my humble opinion the essential kayak list for a beginner kayak-er would be:

1. Shorts and a T-shirt (preferably fast drying but you actually don't get that wet so you could get by easily with an older T-shirt that you don't mind being exposed to the elements. That ol' Hudson is salty! Don't be misled by the word "river".
2. Sunscreen and various sun barriers (hat, sunglasses) depending on your level of pigmentally challenged-ness. For me, I would have felt more comfortable with a long-sleeved quick-dry top but I didn't have one, and no-one actually wore long sleeves. I layered up on the factor 30 and I was fine. Your decolletage is protected anyway from the life-jacket and I wore a cap which made me feel like I was permanently going under a bridge (and so in my mind, I was in the shade at all times)!
3. Your cellphone for the camera and a ziploc bag. I was definitely most nervous about this but the lifejacket has a little pocket to put your must-haves in and for the most part everything stayed dry.
4. A lock and key to keep your essentials on dry land and a change of clothes and towel if you need. If it's a hot day, you'll probably dry pretty quickly but if you wanted to shower or change afterwards, it's nice to have the option.
5. You can totally be barefoot in the boat if you like, but considering the chances of capsizing are minimal with this time of floating structure, flip-flops would do the trick. 
6. A snack! Kayaking is tiring! I would have appreciated my Luna bar with me on the kayak for when we stopped and bobbed briefly, but it was still good when we were done. 
7. And last but not least, deodorant or body spray! Kayaking is a great workout but you're out in the sun on an urban river (read possible rubbish dumping ground), wearing someone else's used lifejacket for over an hour. You don't smell like roses when you dock. Just saying. 

So here goes, don't judge until you try it (and I will probably be better equipped next time!).

Oh my, I look one hundred shades of ridiculous with a paddle on dry land with my weird "prettier" crocs on (the only shoes that were waterproof and I felt wouldn't fall off if I went for a swim..) but they did the job!

Sarah - arguably (read absolutely) the more stylish of the two of us - showing us how it's done.  

 Ready to launch!

 

I was so nervous, in the beginning, to take my hands off the paddle to get out my cellphone in case I dropped it or I capsized, but I managed to snap a shot looking back onto Downtown Manhattan.  

 

 Sarah in action!

 

 Made it! No "capsizisers" in sight!

If you're in Manhattan between May and September and are looking to kayak, we did it through Mahattan Kayak Company launching from Chelsea Pier 66.