Harlem River Canoe Trip Report

“Go over to the right! Go over to the right! The Circle Line is coming!” Harry shouted.

Looking over our shoulders, we saw a giant tour ship chugging up the center of the Harlem River and adjusted our paddle strokes to edge close to the Bronx shoreline. We then pointed the noses of our canoes to ride into the large swells radiating out from the boat that had already rushed past us.

As the waters gradually subsided, our small fleet of four canoes resumed its bobbing journey up the river. Harry Bubbins, the Director of Friends of Brook Park, had invited myself and several other members of The Indypendent newspaper to get out of the office and enjoy a day on the water. What a great way to escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Since the Harlem River (like the East River) isn’t really a river but a tidal estuary, we rode the current upstream in the morning and back downstream in the afternoon. In between, we parked our canoes just below the Roberto Clemente State Park and joined people from the neighborhood who were celebrating a giant picnic complete with teepees, games, environmental exhibits from urbandivers.org, fresh-pressed apple cider and an abundance of free food.

On the return trip back to the South Bronx, where Friends of Brook Park is based, we rowed into a strong headwind and watched numerous speedboats zipping by. We were moving at a crawl but speed isn’t everything. Being on the water on a warm summer day propelling yourself forward with nothing more than a three-foot long paddle is its own reward, a reminder that just beneath the frenetic rush of our 21st century lives an older, elemental way of being beckons.

This was the second time I’ve gone out on the water with Friends of Brook Park and I would recommend the experience to anybody looking to partake of one of New York’s most beautiful and overlooked treasures: its rivers.

John Tarleton is a writer and editor for The Indypendent (www.indypendent.org).
Photo by Renee Feltz of the Indypendent (www.indypendent.org) (Landing near the Urban Divers Eco Center.)