Relieve your stress - try kayaking

When the rigors of work and the rapid pace of city life stress you out and your daily routine bores you to tears - what can you do?
There is one easy way to revive without leaving Queens - kayaking.
“It’s a wonderful escape for those who aren’t too nervous by intrinsic nature,” said Erik Baard, 38, founder of the Long Island City Community Boathouse (LICCB), a non-profit organization affiliated with the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club. “Paddling out further into the waterway at night,” he said, “brings me space and serenity.”
Three years ago, Baard decided to form the kayaking group on the western Queens waterfront and contacted one of the few local paddlers, John McGarvey, who has been navigating the city’s waterways for the past nine years.
The Boathouse, now in its third year and located on the East River off 44th Drive in Long Island City, aims to teach people about the nature of paddling and the environment. The LICCB is the only “steady continuous program in Queens,” said Baard, that offers free kayaking and canoeing, and the only kayak and canoeing program on the East River.
“When we take people out, so much of their stress is lifted off, especially when you get out there, in the middle part of the river,” McGarvey said on Thursday, June 21, pointing to the East River. “It is much quieter out there, and the air quality is very nice.”
During boating season, the LICCB hosts a range of events for those interested in this unusual sport, for anyone looking to step out of the daily grind for a few hours, and experience life on the river.
Every Sunday during the season, which runs from May to October, the LICCB hosts a “walk up paddle” kayak program from 1 to 5 p.m. as an introduction to those who would like to learn about kayaking.
Here, participants of the program are offered lessons on water safety and about paddling around New York’s waterways with a small group of experienced paddlers. The trip begins at the boathouse and goes around Hallets Cove, on 31st Avenue off the East River. Come early though, as spots fill up quickly in late afternoon.
Kayaking is not all about relaxation and blissfully gliding down the river, however, as “the wakes and wind-driven swells are more than some people can handle, especially during the height of the day,” explained Baard.
“When currents and winds oppose one another, the chop can be considerable,” especially around the Hell Gate and south of the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges, he said. The Sunday session teaches newcomers about water safety, how to navigate the waters and avoid the water traffic.
“Our motto is,” Baard explained, “Be visible and be heard. Assume you’re invisible and unheard,” and recommends that paddlers constantly look out for traffic on the water and stay out of shipping lanes whenever possible. The Boathouse uses bright yellow kayaks and has bright pink life jackets so that paddlers can be seen on the water.
Along with the instructional paddle on Sundays, on Friday evenings, the Boathouse offers a “Chill Paddle” session, where paddlers can go out and watch the sun set over the Manhattan skyline. Other programs include “Cinema Paddles” to watch outdoor movies at such venues as Socrates Park, Saturday trips, and tours around the five boroughs, or just specifically Manhattan.
One long-term paddle trip planed for the Boathouse is a full five-borough paddling and rowing tour on September 8. “The plan is to start in East Harlem and end in Snug Harbor in Staten Island,” Baard said.
“Everything is free,” Baard explained about the Boathouse’s activities, “but we always need volunteers and we desperately need boat sponsors.”
Baard also plans to begin a World Boat Building Museum in the warehouse that doubles as equipment storage and the Boathouse’s headquarters.
“Children from Queensbridge, working through the Jacob Riis Settlement, will build boats from cultures from around the world,” from now through July. The Boathouse, along with the East River Apprentice Shop, will be working with the children to build boats such as a Dugout Tulip Tree Canoe from the Shinnecock Nation and possibly two other crafts, Baard said.
The LICCB is located at 4-40 44th Drive in LIC, behind the chain-link fence to the left at the end of the street, across from the Water’s Edge Restaurant.
For more information on the Boathouse or the World Boat Building Museum, go to www.licboathouse.org, or contact Erik Baard at erik@licboathouse.org. To sign up for a spot on the Friday Night Chill Paddles, or any other events, email trips@licboathouse.org, or join their email list at https://licboathouse.org/mailman/listinfo/announce_licboathouse.org. There is no reservation needed for the Sunday paddles, walk-ups are welcome.