By volunteer James Mammarella

Saturday June 22’s LICCB cruise was a like two marathons and three sprints all wrapped up together.  We met up extra early on Fifth Street to grab gear and carpool to Red Hook where we joined up with Gowanus Dredgers and Red Hook Boaters to form a 16-person, 15-boat flotilla.  On the water at 8:00 sharp, the morning flood took us into the cool steel-blue harbor, coasting south of Governors Island where the waters were calm as a lake under a shimmery haze with only the torch of Lady Liberty showing a warm glint.

Captain and Trip Leader Ted Gruber deftly took us north, dodging ferries through Upper Bay chop and churn as we approached the Battery.  Cheers rose from Pier 26 where Pride Swim participants and supporters welcomed our flotilla as we met up with our Hoboken Cove allies; we kayakers were set to bolster the excellent assortment of surfboard-riding lifeguards, jetski safety and camera crews, motorboat assists, and NYPD marine assets, all to guide, monitor, and root on the six dozen swimmers.

Once we received final encouragement and direction from Hoboken’s leader Oscar, we stationed in the strong upriver floodtide past the end of Pier 25.  With the Hoboken team taking the van, our LICCB/Dredgers team handled swimmer waves three, four, and five.  Our New York kayakers included: Ted, Danika, Jana, Celeste, Devon, Kandice, Beatrice, Sue, Susan, Meg, Odemaris, Matan, Josh, Alec, Daniel, and James.

Shortly the first waves of swimmers, neon-green floats bobbing behind tangerine orange swimcaps, swept out from between the two piers, swerved north, and we posted our Malibus and Drifters in two files inshore and out, forming a clear lane for their progress.  The course was 2.5 km or 1.5 miles, a 90-minute jaunt ending at the south side of the new Gansevoort Beach pier complex.  Most swimmers were having a good time, some pausing to take selfies and groupies, maintaining a strong pace overall.

Kayakers pointed arms and paddles for directional corrections, voiced support, and kept an eye on the few swimmers with minor struggles.  The haze lifted, sun dazzled, and morning ended with Pride Swimmers collecting swag and treats at Gansevoort.  Mission accomplished!  But our paddle was not yet half over.

Bidding farewell to the swimmers, lifeguards, and Urban Swim crew, we pulled together across the pre-slack river to Hoboken Cove where about half our kayakers practiced into-the-water and recovery procedures.  Next we beached it and admired the beautiful (air conditioned!) community boathouse of our New Jersey friends, and fanned out across Frank Sinatra’s home town for coffee, pizza, and salads.

The trip home was another marathon, with only a scant ebbtide and heading into a slight but insistent southerly breeze.  Clouds had thinned, sun blazed, yet soon we drew a bit of urgency from storm clouds surging from the west over land and waters.  Threading between ferries in sprints, we considered a challenging entry to the Buttermilk Channel, but opted for the smart route and glided down the west side of Governors Island.  All along that shore, grandstands, tents, and pavilions were starting to draw observers and fans on day one of the New York Sail Grand Prix, with the distinctive vertical-blade sails of the racers arrayed a mile away just off Ellis Island.

We didn’t stick around for the yacht race – our fatiguing joints, soggy bottoms, and goop-smeared faces urged us onward.  It was a smooth 2:00 takeout at the Valentino Park cove: Brooklyn never looked better.  We slapped five all around, stowed gear, and filtered out of Red Hook toward our home nabes across Brooklyn and Queens, happy to return, glad of our contribution to the swim, and ready to join up for fireworks and fun in the near future – whether it turns out to be a marathon, a sprint, or a bunch of both!