ROW-WANUS CANAL
Paddle along the infamously polluted Gowanus for an escapist excursion that feels safe, too
The setting sun reflects off the water of the Gowanus Canal, illuminating a slick of rainbow-colored oil. As I listen to canoeing veteran Owen Foote talk about Dutch settlers and oysters, a dead, bloated fish casually drifts by.
Is it weird that the safest I’ve felt in months is on a notoriously hazardous Superfund site?
The Gowanus Canal is famously filthy, but my recent tour of it with the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club felt like an escapist fantasy. Maskless on the water, removed from city sounds, the murky water droplets splashing onto my bare legs as I paddled along were, momentarily, the only germs I had to worry about.
Since 1999, the Dredgers have been canoeing through the canal and advocating for it to be cleaned. While most events remain canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Dredgers are able to continue offering pleasure cruises, their canoes primed for social distance — the seats are 7 feet apart — and the Gowanus so nasty New Yorkers avoid it like a plague almost worse than the current one.
“We’ve always had an inherent attitude of respect for contamination,” Dredgers cofounder and current board member Foote told The Post, adding that the group has long used hand sanitizer for excursions.
Through the end of their season in October — when the cold weather makes the waters dangerous — the Dredgers have a full roster of donationbased activities lined up.
There are Sunday morning Lighten Up outings for those looking to improve their rowing and burn calories ($5 donation suggested); narrated Sunset Canoe Rides in partnership with Untapped New York ($35); and the occasional full-moon paddle, which, Foote warned, is “a little creepy.” For the landlubbers, the group hosts shoreline art walks and Friday night Boathouse Jams by their Second Street clubhouse, and individuals of any skill level can also book self-guided voyages.
“We outfit them with life jackets, give them minimal instruction and set them adrift,” Foote said. (A metaphor for our way of life in the pandemic, perhaps?)
He added that yes, people have capsized over the years. But despite its reputation, the Gowanus’ water is New York State Department of Health-approved safe for boating, though swimming and fishing are still off-limits, per a 2017 report.
They are also aiming to regularly host nautical equivalents to the quarantinechic drive-in: the paddle-in.
“Paddle-in movies are a great way for people to get their feet wet — not literally,” Dredger Celeste LeCompte, who helped arrange a screening of “The Thing” this month, told The Post. “People are so hungry for opportunities to be together in ways that are safe, and the canoe offers a great opportunity to freely enjoy time with their friends.”
One skiff with a popcorn machine distributed free snacks to the crowd at a recent floating film viewing.
While the canoe enthusiasts have been able to maintain a relatively normal lineup of happenings this summer, one aspect of their outings has changed: “Most of the participants this season have been local and not visitors,” Foote said, a “big-time” difference from previous seasons. It makes sense — New Yorkers are currently starved for new experiences, and I found that shaking a paddle at someone was a pretty good placeholder for laughing with strangers on the subway.
“It’s really been a joy watching the gathering of individuals, even if we’re at a distance,” said Foote. “Even if you’re canoeing 150 feet away from another canoeist, you still shout ‘Ahoy!’ ”