Peconic Paddle: Prone
Reeves Bay to Jessups Neck
At 5:45 AM on June 2, 2022, amphibious Bandits Jeremy Grosvenor and Kyle Stürmann set off from Reeves Bay in Flanders and headed east on 12-foot prone paddle boards. The conditions were perfect: warm air, a light rain that glassed off the bay, and little to no winds. All signs pointed to success.
The Bandits cruised at a strong pace past Red Cedar Point and continued into the Great Peconic. Heavy fog made land invisible in all directions, which, as Jeremy put it, felt like being in “the grand ocean.” During the whole paddle, they only came across two other boats.
After over ten miles of stroking, the Bandits fought to stay south through the race between Cow Neck Point and Robin’s Island as a Southwest wind began to pick up. They were aided by the West in the wind and the final pushes of the ebbing tide past the beautiful forest in Cow Neck.
Kyle, in his first distance prone paddle, was fatigued for the final stretch so coffee and food were critical. Jeremy, an accomplished prone paddler with a 32-mile Sagg Main-to-Ditch Point solo strike among his many accomplishments, motivated Kyle to keep a slow but steady pace going through the last three miles. Much like the Gardiners Blitz swim, the OG Jeremy helped the young blood Kyle push his limits. The Bandits landed on Jessup Neck in Noyac to complete the 15-mile paddle at around 11:00 AM just after the sun came out.
This is the fourth Dawgpatch challenge to start or end on Jessup Neck. It is the second challenge in which the Bandits crossed the Great Peconic Bay and the second in which they crossed the Little Peconic. It is the first prone (hands only, no paddle or oars) challenge completed by the Dawgpatch and verifies the distance of 15 miles prone to earn a patch as a part of the “100 Point Challenge.”
A shoutout goes to Captain Kai Stürmann (Kyle’s dad), from whose house the bandits launched in Flanders and who provided boat support with his Boston Whaler. As a licensed captain and doctor of nearly forty years, his support was particularly valuable and ensured safe passage.
