There are lots of ways to get around New York City, but sea paddling has got to be one of the most unusual—and most fun. And, in this case, most purposeful. On Friday at 9 AM, an estimated 200 people will be donning swimwear, hopping aboard their surfboard, and picking up their paddles to make their way around the isle of Manhattan, a six-hour, 28-mile journey called SEAPaddle NYC that begins at Pier 40 in the West Village.
Their mission? To raise money and awareness for both the Surfers’ Environmental Alliance, a nonprofit that works to preserve coastal habitats and beach access, and a number of autism nonprofit organizations. Every participant in the paddle is obligated to raise a minimum of $1,000. Last year’s paddle generated close to $250,000.
Our own Jorg Badura will be shooting a portrait of the intrepid paddlers. Jorg has a personal connection to the event: His friends Izzy Paskowitz (who with his wife, Danielle Paskowitz, cofounded Surfers Healing after their son, Isaiah, was diagnosed with autism) and Garrett McNarama will both be out there on the Hudson on Friday, doing their part to raise money.
Jorg also documented the 2009 paddle. Here’s a photo of Izzy demonstrating prone-style paddling…
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Izzy Paskowitz at SEAPaddle NYC 2009. Photo by Jorg Badura.
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Here’s one of Garrett…
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Garrett McNamara (standing) at SEAPaddle NYC 2009. Photo by Jorg Badura.
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And here are a couple of photos Jorg took that will give you a sense of how surreal and appealingly absurd it must feel to stand in the Hudson, with the city all around you…
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SEAPaddle NYC 2009. Photo by Jorg Badura.
SEAPaddle NYC 2009. Photo by Jorg Badura.
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You can see more of Jorg’s SEAPaddle NYC 2009 photos here.
For more information, and to pledge your support, visit SEAPaddle NYC. And if you’d like to be there when the weary paddlers drag themselves back on shore, come out to the Ultimate Beach Party over at the South Street Seaport’s Water Taxi Beach. Tickets for the bash, which runs from 3 PM to midnight, are $40. Details here.
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