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June 09, 2005
Sebago Open House This Saturday
Two years ago I found out about Sebago Canoe Club in Canarsie, Brooklyn (right next to Diamond Point Yachting on the Google map -- it's the little dock without any monster boats attached). D and I were on a Ditmas Park house tour and came across a Sebago member with a bunch of photos of people in kayaks, canoes, and Sunfishes -- all apparently on a body of water in Brooklyn.
I was amazed that the club existed and was interested since I love being on the water in any small boat. I went to their open house a few weeks later (which was an adventure all to its own, with the train-to-the-bus maneuvering) and was thrilled to find a bunch of laid back people who all loved the same thing. One of the sailors took me out in a Sunfish and I went out with a group in a kayak. I was hooked. First, there's a completely friendly, no-pressure environment and second, there is access to a bunch of boats, a dock, and open water within reach of public transportation. It's not perfect (I use a car to get there now and I still don't get out there as much as I'd like), but it was enough to get me to sign up.
Sebago members are a diverse and friendly group, and there are plenty of long-time members willing to teach you whatever you want to know. The club is a no-frills collection of shipping containers and small buildings on a grassy piece of land between two yachting clubs. Activities include rowing, canoeing, kayaking (most popular), sailing, and some kayak fishing (you can attach a rod to the tip of your kayak or something -- greek to me). Sebago owns a bunch of boats for general use and organizes plenty of paddles, sailing cruises, rowing clinics, etc. At the moment the club is undergoing some major renovations since it became part of the NYC parks dept last year, but this means it will eventually graduate from a Port-a-Potty to actual plumbing.
The dock is on a basin that feeds into Jamaica Bay, which has a couple of small islands (good for picnics) and is full of interesting birds. There's an inlet to a little pond on one island that's only accessible via kayak. On the water out there on a nice day, you'd never know you were in Brooklyn. Sailing in the bay took some adjusting for me since I'm used to lake sailing, but it's lots of fun. Sebago also has a cabin at Lake Sebago in upstate New York, where I'm taking a weekend kayak course this month (I'm in denial about the apartment search. I'm going to pack on weeknights and hope D finds a great place. That's the plan.). Sebago actually started way back in 1933 -- there's some history and some good old photos here.
There are Saturday morning paddles each week that are open to the public, but if you're at all interested in Sebago, visit their open house this Saturday (directions here). There's a reasonable annual fee and a work requirement (it's all volunteer and pretty low budget) -- if you don't mind trekking out there it's a great club to be a part of.
Posted by csageday at June 9, 2005 12:56 AM