There are many methods of plying the waterways surrounding Manhattan – ferry, jet ski, floating face-down at the beginning of a Law & Order episode …
None of these, however, make for a very good workout.
But this does: New York Kayak Company’s first summer season of stand-up paddleboarding classes, now debarking from Pier 40.
NYKC is NYC’s oldest kayak biz, leading intrepid seagoers around the city’s tidewaters for 20 years.
And now they’ve added SUP to the repertoire. For the uninitiated, it works like this: you stand on a paddleboard, which is somewhere between a surfboard and a floating coffee table. Then you use a long, handheld paddle to propel yourself around New York Harbor, taking in the sights, enjoying the sun on your face and developing Adonis-like upper body definition in the process.
The two-hour classes are split into beginner – which covers basic safety and technique (e.g., how not to wind up in the drink) before cruising out and around the channel – and intermediate. The latter have been known to veer as far afield as the Statue of Liberty.
NYKC provide the requisite equipment, and also sell a full range of gear – should you catch the bug.
Just look out for the jet skis.
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