Mid-Season Newsletter
“Paradise is just a paddle away.” — unknown
Paradise is Newtown Creek and the East River! On City of Water Day we gave another 50 or so people a taste of paradise on our kayak public paddle. And in the last month many of our beginner paddlers have upskilled to intermediate. Congratulations if you're one of them! As always, a huge thank-you to everyone who's volunteered to make this possible.
News
ACA Level 2 Kayak class. 📚 Early in July, NBCB trip leader and instructor Matt D lead a comprehensive ACA L2 two-day class, supported by Sally-Ann (TL) and Christina (TA). Day 1 was spent on the water practicing strokes and maneuvers, before hitting the classroom to discuss skills and weather considerations. On Day 2, they headed to Anable Basin to work on rescues.
The American Canoe Association (ACA) are the leading national paddling organization in the US. They set standards for kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boarding. Level 2 is essentially a nationally recognized 'intermediate' certification, much like a swimming badge. NBCB encourages its kayak and canoe trip assistants to be L2 certified, and it's a prerequisite to becoming a trip leader.
Below: T-rescues at the ACA L2 class, and smiling faces at the public paddle!
City of Water Day Public Paddle. 🌊 We had both kayak and canoe paddles scheduled for July 13 in partnership with Newtown Creek Alliance and Hunters Point Park Conservancy. City of Water Day lived up to its name, with thunderstorms and rain causing the canoes to cancel, and the kayaks to reschedule to July 14. Thanks to all our volunteers who were able to rearrange their weekends, or step in at the last minute. The day was a great success.
Boathouse. 💵 When the new boathouse opens (no news yet, we hope to share an update next month) NBCB will have increased operating costs. Fundraising Committee members have begun pitching to an initial list of potential donors. This is a great opportunity to help secure the club's future, and to get valuable experience in the world of fundraising. Do you have ideas about companies or people to pitch to? Would you be willing to help? Reach out to Alan and Dewey.
Social Media. 📸 Did you take some amazing pics on a recent NBCB trip? You can be an NBCB social media contributor. Email contact@nbcboathouse.org to learn how.
Upcoming Events
The 8th Annual Kingsland Wildflowers Festival is on Saturday, July 27, 2024 from 2- 5 pm. Located at 520 Kingsland Ave, Kingsland Wildflowers is a 25,000 sqft native pollinator garden nestled in Greenpoint Brooklyn’s industrial business zone. Explore their rooftop of wildflower meadows, experience art installations, performances, live music, and learn about native wildlife and ecology.
NBCB will again have a table at this event, coordinated by Mary. She is looking for volunteers to help, either with a craft on the day, poster creation, or just come hang out and represent NBCB at the table to advocate for the club and sign up new members. Let Mary know if you would be available to help at this fun, family-friendly event.
Public Paddles We run these one a month for both canoes and kayaks as a core part of our mission of introducing the community to their local waterways. Volunteers are integral to making these happen, and they are usually a lot of fun and very rewarding.
The next ones are:
August 10th: Canoes, launching from MASE.
August 17th: Kayaks, launching from Queens Landing Boarhouse.
Please consider volunteering, and hold these dates. Volunteer sign ups will be begin in earnest a couple of weeks before - watch for emails and on our social media.
Nautical Knots for Paddlers
Do you know how to tie your boat up to the dock? To a rail? Could you tie it to the roof of a car? Is this picture you?
Join Thiago and Fiona on July 30 at Manhattan Avenue Street End Park to have fun learning the most useful knots for paddlers including the bowline, clove hitch, rolling hitch, square knot, lark's foot, and how to make off your boat to a cleat.
Nautical Knots is part of NBCB's Safety and Marine Knowledge Series.
Register here.
Support us. (Re)join as a member and tag us on social media.
Seeking volunteers. NBCB is run by dedicated member-volunteers. Volunteering is flexible, and the time commitment is based on your schedule. You'll always be supported by a team of dedicated and experienced volunteers. If you're interested send us an email.
Paddling
Join us for one of these upcoming trips or events. (Note that more trips are added week by week, watch the calendar, and subscribe to email updates).
July
23rd: Kayak: Sunset Skills & Drills
24th: Kayak: The Ecology of Newtown Creek
25th: Canoe: Beginner/Intermediate: Skills & Drills on the Creek
28th: Kayak: Assisted Rescue Practice
30th: Kayak: Beginner, Sunset Skills & Drills
30th: Nautical Knots for Paddlers
August
7th: Kayak: Intermediate: To Williamsburg Bridge and Sunset
10th: Canoe Public Paddle - Volunteers needed!
17th: Kayak Public Paddle - Volunteers needed!
Sign up here.
Launch Locations. Canoe trips launch from Manhattan Avenue Park (next to 1205 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222).
Kayak trips are across the creek at Queens Landing Boathouse and Environmental Center (57-28 2nd St, Long Island City, NY 11101).
Cabin at Lake Sebago
Here's our new view of the water next to NBCB's cabin. The tree that was once there fell, and has since been removed. Cabin visitors might also recall it did double duty carrying an electricity supply cable.
After severe storm damage, ACA camp Sebago has partially reopened. Tree clearing work is mostly complete, but electricity is not yet restored. Work will continue on weekdays, but we expect the camp to be open for day visitors each weekend. Please email Alan if you plan to visit so he can let you know the latest info.
