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Float your boat! Learn to kayak and canoe in Brooklyn this summer

Float your boat! Learn to kayak and canoe in Brooklyn this summer
Elizabeth Green / NYC Park

Brooklyn is on the edge of an island — a really long island — so Kings County residents have no excuse for being landlubbers. Find your sea legs at one of these borough boating clubs, which offer free or low-cost kayaking and canoeing opportunities.

North Brooklyn Boat Club

Putting the “fun” in “Superfund,” this club on the Newtown Creek in Greenpoint is a home to a crew of kayakers, canoers, sailors, environmentalists, boat builders, and sundry other boating enthusiasts. It costs $40 to join, and the club hosts paddling classes and trips for members almost every day. Twice a month, the club also runs free open paddle trips, with no advance sign-ups required, for members and non-members alike.

[49 Ash St. at McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, (347) 915–6222, www.northbrooklynboatclub.org].

Red Hook Boaters

This club at Louis Valentino Park Pier in Red Hook runs free kayaking sessions Thursdays from June through mid-August, and Sundays from June through September. Anyone can take a short paddle for about 15 to 20 minutes inside a protected cove off the park.

Louis Valentino Park Pier [Ferris Street between Coffey and Van Dyke streets in Red Hook, www.redhookboaters.org]. Sundays June 7 to Sept. 27 from 1–5 pm, Thursdays, June 11 to August 13 at 6–8 pm. Free.

Marine Park

Float your boat with New York’s nature ambassadors. Urban Park Rangers will run an intermediate canoeing classes at Marine Park on June 21 — some experience is preferred, but not required. The rangers will also lead a trip on June 27 to White Island in Gerritsen Creek, where participants can check out the island’s wildlife and local birds. That one does require some previous experience, though, and you will need to enter a lottery to score a seat.

Row your boat: Go canoeing on the Newtown Creek with the North Brooklyn Boat Club.
Photo by Jason Speakman

Marine Park [Burnett Street and Avenue U in Marine Park, (718) 421–2021, www.nycgovparks.org/events/urbanparkrangers]. June 21 at 11 am. Free.

Marine Park, Salt Marsh Nature Center [E. 33rd Street and Avenue U in Marine Park, (718) 421–2021, www.nycgovparks.org/events/urbanparkrangers]. June 27 at 1 pm. Free.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse

Float along the scenic surrounds of Piers 1 and 2 at Brooklyn Bridge Park from June through August. The boathouse hosts free, walk-up kayaking every Saturday and Thursday. But come early, because boats go fast.

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 2 (enter at Old Fulton and Furman streets in Brooklyn Heights, www.bbpboathouse.org). June through August, Saturdays 10 am–3 pm, and Thursdays 5:30–6:45 pm. Free,

Brooklyn Kayak Guides

For those who want some serious tuition, Brooklyn Kayak Guides offers kayaking, stand-up paddle-boarding, kayak polo, and water safety classes for different skill levels. Prices start at $20 for kids and $30 for adults.

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 4 [enter at Old Fulton and Furman streets in Brooklyn Heights, www.brooklynkayakguides.com].

Life lessons: An Urban Park Ranger teaches a youngster how to canoe.
Daniel Avila / NYC Parks