KayakStatenIsland.org

GEARING UP!

Posted on 8 April 2012 | Comments Off

Greetings Paddlers, we are getting ready for our 2012 season, looking forward to some warm sunny days on the beach. Special thanks goes out to volunteer Paul who designed and constructed the Pesce Roller System, this will make moving all of our gear easier! Thank you Paul!

While we had the boats out we decided to check on our oysters. They appear happy and thriving in our local waters.

Our 2012 Calendar is Online!

Posted on 26 February 2012 | Comments Off

Greetings paddlers! We are excited to present our event calendar for 2012 – you can see it now on our “Calendar” page. Opening day is May 28 Monday – Memorial Day – 3:30 to 6:30 pm.
We hope for a full season this year, free of any beach closures. Hope to see you this season at the beach!

Here’s To 2012 and More Fun Paddling!

Posted on 21 December 2011 | Comments Off

Kayak Staten Island in the News

Posted on 14 October 2011 | Comments Off

KSI Fundraiser: October 8th 2011 – Alice Austen House Museum – A beautiful, warm, sunny, Saturday afternoon was the backdrop for our first fundraiser. A good time was had by all, live music and our great, little, wooden-paddler-kayak race! Read about it HERE!

Click on the above photo to see more images.

KSI at Freshkills Park – “Sneak Peak”, Oct 2nd 2011 – More good weather for Kayak Staten Islanders to offer a kayaking program during Freshkills Park’s, second annual open day.

Read about it HERE!

Click on the above photo to see more images.

OYSTER GARDENS: Our oysters have continued to grow since their “planting” in late June. We will need to conduct one more measurement in early November before winter sets in so if you are interested in joining us please email kayakstatenisland@gmail.com. Read about the Oyster Garden Program HERE!

Click on the above photo to see more images.

The Wooden Paddlers Are Getting Ready!

Posted on 30 September 2011 | Comments Off

The race begins October 8 at 3:00pm on the lawn of Alice Austen House Museum.

Buy a chance to win: Cash 1st prize; gift certificates from Adobe Blues restaurant, Spa Finder, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Seaside restaurant, Campmor to name a few. We will have lots of fun cheering our paddlers on to live music and dancing to make the earth shake and the paddlers roll!!

Our team of volunteers are busy assembling the wooden kayak racers!

Come to our October 8th Fundraiser

Posted on 15 September 2011 | Comments Off

We are having a fundraiser, Saturday October 8th, on the front lawn of Alice Austen House. Buy a chance on the Great Little Wooden Paddler Kayak Race, they cost only $10 each, and take a chance at winning a prize.

Our Kayak Staten Island volunteers are hard at work in the shop producing the kayak racers. These hand-made wonders are being produced under the watchful eye of our master craftsman kayak builder.

If you’re buying a chance by check, please make it out to our fiscal sponsor “Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club”, and add KAYAK STATEN ISLAND in the notes section. Click HERE for directions to the Alice Austen House.

Sequine Mansion

Posted on 7 September 2011 | Comments Off

Seguine Mansion, a grand 19th century home on Staten Island, a kayaking destination, is hosting a fundraiser this September 24.

Click on photo below for details.

Beaches Closed, Time To Reflect, Stolen Kayak

Posted on 29 August 2011 | Comments Off

BEACHES CLOSED: Once again we regret to inform all that Staten Island beaches are closed. NYC Parks is making excellent progress in draining the pond that formed in parking lot #1 as a result of Irene.

You can check on the beach status HERE, at the NYC Beach Status website:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/beach/beach-si.shtml

We hope beaches will be open for our next scheduled free kayaking event, Saturday September 10th, Noon – 3:00pm, at our usual South Beach location.

TIME TO REFLECT: We’d like to take this time to remind paddlers to take a step back and evaluate the current weather conditions, and your own paddling skill levels/abilities before venturing out into open waters.

As was reported in SILIVE August 27th, two kayakers capsized just south of Great Kills harbor. NYC Police Harbor Patrol unit rescued them and returned them to Great Kills where they were promptly “…issued summonses for violating a local emergency order“.

We urge all paddlers who enjoy our local waters to first: Know Your Limitations; how far can you paddle, and what speed can you maintain, Always wear your PFD, Know your waters you are planning on paddling in, Let someone else know where you plan to go, and when you plan to return, evaluate your self-rescue skills, check the local weather conditions (wind, tides, currents), and be sure to have fun!

STOLEN KAYAK: One of our volunteers has reported a stolen kayak, taken from a Rosebank shop early AM on August 29th. This is a hand-built “skin-on-frame” “Yost-like” Sea Tour 18EXP, sewn with sand beige 12oz cordura nylon, with an ash & cedar coaming. The finished size is 18ft X 24″ beam, 3/8″ pine seat boards, and black nylon painter lines, with no other deck rigging.

If you see, or hear of anyone in possession of this boat, please let us know via email.

Kacey

KSI is Growing Oysters!

Posted on 25 August 2011 | Comments Off

KSI is participating in NY/NJ BayKeeper’s oyster restoration program. “Oysters are vital to the ecological integrity of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary (HRE), which is why Baykeeper has been working to restore oyster beds in the HRE since 1999.” (www.nynjbaykeeper.org)

We have a cage of 500 oysters growing next to our South Beach kayaking site; 50 of the oysters need to be monitored every month. We measure, record and submit the oyster’s growth as well as document the other sea creatures present in the cage.

After the first measuring July 31st we are happy to report our oysters are thriving —stay tuned for further oyster reports!