Manhattan's Mayor's Cup Race Set to Run in October

The course snakes 29miles around Manhattan Island

MARKING MANHATTAN - MAPPING THE MAYOR'S CUP RACE

Frank Sinatra’s immortal ode to the Big Apple—if I can make it there/I’ll make it anywhere—also holds true for paddlers. That’s because circumnavigating Manhattan means confronting swift currents, whirlpools, rebounding waves, ferries, tugs, and enough flotsam to test the most seasoned paddler. You don’t need a map to enter the 29-mile Mayor’s Cup around Manhattan (just keep the island to your right), but keep an eye out for obstacles as well as some of these landmarks.

1.The Start As you and nearly 200 other paddlers gather before the start in North Cove just beyond the end of Liberty Street, take a moment to look south across bustling New York harbor to Lady Liberty, the 151-foot copper-clad cultural icon that greeted millions of immigrants to America from 1886 until the jet age.

2.Grant’s Tomb Racing north along the Hudson, it’s hard to miss the white marble columns of the General Grant National Memorial. Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb? The answer to this old joke is no one, since the remains of the 18th president and his wife are entombed here above ground. There’s little boat traffic here, so steer into the middle of river—just to the right of the channel markers—to take advantage of the current.

3.The Cloisters Look right after you pass beneath the George Washington Bridge. Perched on Manhattan’s northwest corner is an elegant stone tower that incorporates parts of five medieval cloisters imported from France. When you spot it, angle right toward the low railroad bridge that marks the entrance to the Harlem River.

4.The Columbia C The Harlem River, a navigable tidal strait that separates Manhattan and the Bronx , flows eight miles from the East River to the Hudson. Look left along the granite cliffs just past the TKth of the Harlem’s 11 bridges. Here you’ll notice a large blue “C” outlined in white for Columbia University, but it might as well stand for “calm,” given the river’s narrow, sheltered profile. Novices tend to paddle in the middle of the river—don’t. The current isn’t strong but it is against you and you’ll save precious time running the banks.

5.Renwick Ruins After passing through Hell Gate, aim for the 50-foot lighthouse at the northern tip of Roosevelt Island. The fastest—and safest—passage through this busy stretch is along the island’s eastern edge. The eerie stone structure at the south end is a former smallpox hospital, insane asylum, prison ward, and poorhouse built in 1856 and designed by James Renwick, the architect of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

6.Brooklyn Bridge Hyped as the “eighth wonder of the world,” the 3,460-foot Brooklyn Bridge was the world’s longest suspension bridge when it was completed in 1883. The day it opened, 150,300 people paid a penny each to walk across it. Aim for the bridge’s right pillar and keep it on your left as you get closer, taking care to avoid the swirling water.

7.South Street Seaport After the Brooklyn Bridge, aim for the red facade of the South Street Seaport, a district that features the largest concentration of restored early 19th-century commercial buildings in the city. With 27 miles down and two to go, enjoy the adulation of tourists cheering from the balcony, but pay close attention to the Staten Island Ferry terminal just up ahead, where the huge and silent craft race in and out at startling speeds.