Reflections Paddle with Pride became a reality as I walked down West 13th and spotted the large rainbow flag over the doors of The Center. The main lobby was fairly crowded because we arrived shortly before an "alternative memorial service" was to begin. While the rest of the country mourned Ronald Reagan, the people gathered at The Center were there to remember those who died during the first years of the AIDS crisis, when Reagan utterly ignored the disease. We finally got directions upstairs for the Paddle with Pride final registration. C. and I were each given a little card with checkboxes indicating what stations we needed to visit. Even though we had both submitted all the provided forms in advance, we had to visit Station 1 because the wording had changed on The Center's liability waiver. We signed off on that and moved on to Station 2, pledges. My little card indicated that I had raised $1005 to date, and I handed over two more checks totaling $120. I asked if I could get a pledge report that included addresses, a note was made that I had requested one, and that was it! I turned around to where C. was being interviewed for his pledges, which only added up to $250. I pointed out that we were paddling as a team, so they added my amount to his for a total of $1375. He provided his credit card number to make up the difference (we needed $2000 between us to participate) and we were sent downstairs for Station 3, the safety talk. Rather than discussing actual paddling safety skills, we mostly learned about all of the precautions that had been taken if anything should go wrong. There would be a 150-foot hospital ship available in case of medical emergencies, and they had identified points along the route where airlifts were possible - but the hospital ship was so well-equipped that drastic measures shouldn't be necessary. There would also be multiple support boats with Coast Guard representatives, and for that reason it was imperative that kayakers wear their PFDs. Rafters, who would have a professional oarsman aboard, were to have their PFDs at hand but didn't have to wear them. The safety talk made a few more points, and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't boring. When it was over, C. and I hurried back upstairs so we wouldn't be behind everybody else from the safety talk when we got to Station 4. There, we received our "participation bibs" - my paddler number was lucky 013 - which turned out to be from Runner's World. I let them put a blue wristband on me, and accepted my manila envelope containing various papers and my white paddler's t-shirt. (The event logo was orange, which looked okay on my shirt but not very attractive on the light blue crew shirts.) I peeked into the envelope and was dismayed to find that it contained a copy of The Advocate - a magazine I love, but the very same issue I'd bought a few hours before! We went home and managed to fall asleep by about 10:00. The in-depth details of the paddle itself can be found in my trip report, but I'd like to mention a few more things about the event. During the first part of the trip, from Nyack to Englewood, we spotted crew members in their blue shirts along the route. They cheered for us from Piermont Pier, from a footbridge high above us in the Palisades, and as we arrived at Englewood. I liked seeing these supporters - they gave me an emotional boost to keep going. (This was not a leisurely trip - the coordinator told us we had to paddle the whole time in order to make our tidal window.) After leaving Englewood, I got my emotional recharges from a few families out on motorized pleasure craft, and I waved back at several children. Shortly after we started down Manhattan's shore, I heard a shrill whistle and saw more blue crew shirts waving from along the West Side Highway. And then...nothing. For eight or nine miles, there was nobody, except Eric Stiller who was on the water himself to say hello. One of the listed "cheering stations" for friends and family was the 79th Street Boat Basin, but there was nobody there. I had been hoping to catch up to the rafts and additional kayakers, but they left Englewood well before we got there so we never got to see them. When we arrived at Pier 63, we got a few cheers and whistles from the crew members who helped us out of the boat, but then we were on our own. The after-party was already in full swing, and nobody paid much attention to us. We had a hard time figuring out where our gear bags were being kept, so we walked back and forth barefoot over the hot metal surface of the barge. We were clearly looking for something, and we were still in our paddling clothes so it was obvious we were participants, but nobody offered to help. We finally located our bags and collected our meal tickets, then went to change into our dry clothes. We got our food anonymously, ate together at our own table, and then wondered what was next. The barge itself was crowded - I think many people were just there for the party - and we couldn't figure out what was going on...so we left for home and took a nap. That's what really bothered me about the way the event was organized. The way things worked out, the rafters and kayakers from Englewood got all the attention, and those of us paddling from Nyack were largely ignored, even though we put in more than twice the effort. The way I figure it, the reason nobody was at the Boat Basin when we got there is because they had cheered for the Englewood paddlers and then run down to Pier 63. I suspect most of the Englewood paddlers were novices, so it probably wasn't an easy trip for them (as it would have been for us), but that isn't an excuse for leaving the Nyack paddlers without moral support during and after the event. I'm not sure how things could have been arranged differently, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth and I hope they do something about it next time. I definitely had a good time on the trip, though, and I think I would do it again. When C. forwarded me an e-mail about it back in March, he was mostly just pointing out the event - I don't think he expected me to jump on it! The fundraising was difficult, and I'm not sure I could manage $1000 again, but I did it this time and I made it through the event. I almost don't believe I did it! If I do participate again, I think I will do it in a single kayak. It would be an exhausting journey from Nyack for me, but I wouldn't want to go from Englewood - that would be so easy it would feel like cheating! I'm glad I had this experience, though. I can do it!