My very first passenger on the Long Island Odyssey was Frederick Hayes.
He had never been out in a boat in the East River before.
In fact, he had not been in many boats this size at all.
“I’m a city kid.” said Fred. “I don’t go to the beach or to the ocean much.”
“I like trains and streets and buildings.”
It makes sense if you think about his artwork (here is one of his cityscape).
In some ways I think that the East River is more like a crowded city street or a train track than a beach. Being in it is more like exploring the structure of the metropolis than being in the outdoors.
We came to our destination in just an hour.
“What do you think?” I asked. “Lets keep going.” said Fred.
The water was choppy and the current was very fast,
but Fred seemed comfortable on the water.
We talked about our artwork,
and about living in New York,
and on either side of us the cityscape was gliding by.
It was like floating through a Frederick Hays painting.
Fred waited with me for Daphne to show up, at the a little beach under the Manhattan Bridge.
We had traveled over 3 miles.
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