The Hudson Valley Blog

When you think about paddling in New York, you probably don’t think about the state capital, Albany. There’s good reason for that. There are many paddling destinations in the state that are more exciting, more challenging and more picturesque then the Hudson River along the Albany waterfront.

Why would anyone paddle Albany? Well, it’s there. Really, it’s right there. If you’re in Albany county, paddling the Hudson River is really convenient.

Recently, on a visit to see family, I brought Junior and my kayaks north with me. It had been a long time since I paddled this part of the river.

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It seems like anywhere I paddle around the metro area, I come across the remains of an abandoned boat. On the Rondout’s Creek in Kingston, in Piermont Marsh, the Middle Bay on Long Island, there’s always a long abandoned hulk, usually so old that the hull has been eaten to the water line. Sometimes all that’s left is an old V8 sticking out of the mud at low tide, watching the years go by as it slowly rusts to nothing.

One of the most baffling examples sits in the middle of “my zone” — the west shore of the Tappan Zee in Rockland County. Right in Nyack, yards away from the marina sits a deteriorating hunk of concrete in the unmistakable shape of a ship. I’ve always been intrigued by the wrecks I’ve encountered but this one fascinates me the most.

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