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On Saturday, 27 members of the North Brooklyn Boating Club completed a circumnavigation of Manhattan. This was the club’s first circumnavigation of Manhattan, and their flotilla included canoes, kayaks and a row boat.  Fellow Untaped Cities contributor Charles-Antoine Perrault, was also present for this amazing trip.

The East River and Hudson are not rivers in the traditional sense since they are tidal, and their currents can be really rough to paddle against (something we evidenced in our recent jet ski tour around Manhattan). We timed our trip to follow the current as much as possible, and to avoid tug and ferry traffic in the harbor.  We left at 10 p.m. Saturday night and returned to our boatyard at 8 a.m. the next morning. From there we cooked a full breakfast over a campfire to replenish the calories we burned over the night.

We have a time-lapse video of our trip, which also has a GPS map of our trip.

Exploring the waterfronts of Brooklyn and the Bronx along the Harlem River was a really unique way to see such a forgotten stretch of the city. Paddling down the Hudson was the most challenging, as we were met with winds blowing against us and some waves. But the sunrise as we rounded Manhattan made it all worth it.

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Enjoying a campfire breakfast after the row

Find out more about the North Brooklyn Boating Club.