Spender Family Blog

The saying goes that New York is a small country off the East Coast of the United States. There’s a lot of truth in that for many reasons, but the fact is that Manhattan is an island. The Hudson River on the West side of the island and East River on the, err, East side, are packed with all kinds of commercial and pleasure boats, including some the very smallest jostling for room – kayaks. I have an affinity with little Kayaks battling with the strong currents and busy waterways because it must be similar to dodging the traffic on 5th Ave on my Brompton.

There are a few unimaginatively called kayaking clubs on the Hudson, like the New York Kayak Co. and The Manhattan Kayak Co. Among them is The New York City Downtown Boathouse. It is a volunteer run organization dedicated to providing access to the river for everyone. On most weekdays and weekends throughout the summer, anyone can kayak for free (yes, free!) via their boathouse at Pier 40. It’s a great way to see the city from an entirely different perspective. Take a change of clothes though – you’ll get very wet.