MWA's Biweekly Guide to the Area's Best Waterfront Spots

It's no secret that the coastlines of New York and New Jersey have become generally much cleaner and more accessible -- but many people still don't know how to get to all the new waterfront parks, paths and piers that have opened in recent years. WaterWire to the rescue! Read on, and make this the summer that you discover more of this urban archipelago's beautiful shoreline.
(For previous Waterfront Day Trip ideas, click here.)

Jamaica Bay by Kayak
Jamaica Bay is New York City's richest natural resource, a 16,000-acre lagoon of salt marshes and beaches vitally important to fish, birds and people. Since 1972, Jamaica Bay has been protected as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, administered by the National Park Service. Click here for a soundscape of Jamaica Bay.

Adjacent to John F. Kennedy Airport and within the boundaries of New York City, the Jamaica Bay habitat has suffered for decades from declining water quality -- due in great part to combined sewer overflows. Several months ago, in response to years of clamor by environmental groups such as NY/NJ Baykeeper, Jamaica Bay Eco-Watchers, National Resources Defense Council and American Littoral Society, Mayor Bloomberg announced sewage plant upgrades and marsh restoration that is expected to significantly improve the Jamaica Bay environment.

Despite its environmental issues, Jamaica Bay teems with wildlife and is a popular destination for boaters and fishermen. How can you explore Jamaica Bay and see the oystercatchers, the snowy egrets and the horses cantering on the beach? Kayaking is one way, and WaterWire offers two easy options.

New York Harbor Parks
If you've got your own kayak -- lucky person! -- New York Harbor Parks has a Jamaica Bay Kayak Trail program. You can download the official kayak trail map (small version at right) and launch from Canarsie Pier, Plumb Beach, North Channel Bridge or Floyd Bennett Field. You'll need an annual permit, which can be purchased at the Floyd Bennett Field visitor center. NY Harbor Parks suggests that you understand tides and how to file a float plan.

For beginners free kayak tryouts are offered at Canarsie Pier on Saturdays and Sundays, 10am-2pm, from July 9 to August 29. National Park Service rangers will demonstrate proper techniques and outfit you with a kayak and life preserver for quick 30-minute spins in a safe buoyed area. For more adventurous paddlers, guided excursions into the bay are offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays in July and August. Contact the park for reservations.

Sebago Canoe Club
Seventy-five years ago, the Sebago Canoe Club was all about canoes, but today the funky, all-volunteer club with a big, sturdy dock is mostly home to kayaks, along with sailboats, rowboats, shells and, yes, a few canoes.

For novice kayakers interested in exploring Jamaica Bay, Sebago offers free "Open Paddles" twice a week, on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings, and provides instruction (left) and coaching along with the equipment. These guided group tours, many with guest speakers, launch into Paerdegat Basin, a channel that connects Canarsie, Brooklyn to Jamaica Bay.

Take note of Sebago's All Club Invitational for human-powered boats, this Saturday, July 17, 10am to 5pm, rain or shine. Sebago's directors promise "kayakers, canoeists, outrigger canoes, sunfish sailors, laser sailors, rowers, rowboats, sculls and dragon boats from the tri-state area."

If you plan to participate, contact Sebago at allclub@sebagocanoeclub.org so that the club can plan for food, parking, etc. For this particular event, you must have your own boat; otherwise you may borrow a kayak for the regular Open Paddles. Click here for directions to the Sebago Canoe Club. Click here to read the Sebago Canoe Club blog.

Where to eat?
After your paddle, you'll probably be hungry. Head toward Avenue L. Ambiance Caribbean Restaurant at 9413 Avenue L got a great review about six months ago from the Village Voice. Urbanspoon suggests Original Pizza at 9514 Avenue L and Dougie's Jamaican Cuisine at 9604 Avenue L, among other Canarsie restaurants.

Photos by Andy Novick