Waves and Wakes

Kayaks are pretty seaworthy, sit-on-tops are just about unsinkable. That said, dealing with anything more than a 1-foot chop in a flat-bottomed lake boat is really no fun. If you find yourself caught out in rough water, try to keep the bow or stern pointed into the waves, or within 30 degrees of perpendicular, even if you have to take a roundabout course. Do not run parallel to the waves.

Boat wakes are also a threat. Most boats give no thought to anyone else, at least not anyone smaller than them, and will plow by without even looking at you. Always watch out for boat wakes, and turn into them like waves. When dealing with motorboats and jet-skis, I just assume they are drunk and not paying attention to anything. It hasn't failed me yet.

Crossing a boat channel is like crossing the highway: look both ways, wait for a good time, and do it as fast as you can. You do not have right-of-way. Unlike an automobile, a boat doesn't have brakes, and if you do something stupid, it will run right over you.


Union County
( 40.65599, -74.31513 )

  1. Ambrose Brook - Bound Brook ( 40.56764, -74.51489 )
  2. Ambrose Brook - Possumtown ( 40.55555, -74.48630 )
  3. Arthur Kill - Buckingham Ave ( 40.51462, -74.25871 )
  4. Arthur Kill - Carteret Waterfront ( 40.57186, -74.21301 )
  5. Arthur Kill - Ferry St ( 40.54576, -74.25424 )
  6. Branch Brook Park ( 40.75077, -74.18305 )
  7. D-R Canal - New Brunswick ( 40.50806, -74.46376 )
  8. D-R Canal - Somerset (N) ( 40.54077, -74.51404 )
  9. D-R Canal - Somerset (S) ( 40.52390, -74.49248 )
  10. D-R Canal - South Bound Brook ( 40.55880, -74.53118 )
  11. Echo Lake - Mountainside ( 40.67351, -74.34560 )
  12. Green Brook - Billian Legion Park ( 40.56222, -74.52483 )
  13. Hackensack River - Secaucaus (S) ( 40.76390, -74.08685 )
  14. Lake Surprise - Summit ( 40.69343, -74.37003 )
  15. Liberty State Park - Jersey City ( 40.69768, -74.06520 )
  16. New Market Pond - Piscataway ( 40.57675, -74.45490 )
  17. Newark Bay - Bayonne ( 40.66284, -74.13305 )
  18. Newark Bay - Rutkowski Park ( 40.68882, -74.11216 )
  19. Old Place Creek, Staten Island ( 40.62721, -74.18237 )
  20. Orange Reservoir - Rahway River ( 40.75964, -74.28903 )
  21. Passaic River - Basking Ridge ( 40.69503, -74.51600 )
  22. Passaic River - Chatham ( 40.73795, -74.37159 )
  23. Passaic River - Chatham ( 40.72583, -74.38948 )
  24. Passaic River - Dead River ( 40.65005, -74.52464 )
  25. Passaic River - East Hanover (N) ( 40.82749, -74.33529 )
  26. Passaic River - East Hanover (S) ( 40.82581, -74.33332 )
  27. Passaic River - Kearny ( 40.76313, -74.15933 )
  28. Passaic River - Livingston ( 40.77879, -74.36862 )
  29. Passaic River - Newark ( 40.73326, -74.15206 )
  30. Passaic River - Nutley ( 40.81175, -74.13909 )
  31. Passaic River - Riverside County Park (N) ( 40.81865, -74.13348 )
  32. Passaic River - Riverside County Park (S) ( 40.80182, -74.13801 )
  33. Passaic River - Warren ( 40.67078, -74.46441 )
  34. Peckman River - Cedar Grove ( 40.85861, -74.22711 )
  35. Rahway River - Clark ( 40.62884, -74.29746 )
  36. Rahway River - Cranford (N) ( 40.66036, -74.30627 )
  37. Rahway River - Cranford (S) ( 40.65097, -74.30133 )
  38. Rahway River - Cranford (W) ( 40.65900, -74.30997 )
  39. Rahway River - Jackson's Pond ( 40.62805, -74.28492 )
  40. Rahway River - Lenape Park ( 40.67407, -74.31426 )
  41. Rahway River - Mohawk Park ( 40.64041, -74.29408 )
  42. Rahway River - Nomahegan Lake ( 40.66832, -74.31741 )
  43. Rahway River - Park ( 40.62040, -74.28944 )
  44. Rahway River - Rahway ( 40.59952, -74.26856 )
  45. Rahway River - South Branch (E) ( 40.60010, -74.27397 )
  46. Rahway River - South Branch (W) ( 40.57998, -74.30463 )
  47. Rahway River - South Mountain ( 40.73112, -74.30704 )
  48. Rahway River - Springfield ( 40.70824, -74.30186 )
  49. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (W) ( 40.45216, -74.22269 )
  50. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (Whale Creek) ( 40.45090, -74.22274 )
  51. Raritan Bay - Laurence Harbor (E) ( 40.45877, -74.24622 )
  52. Raritan Bay - Laurence Harbor (W) ( 40.46223, -74.25482 )
  53. Raritan Bay - South Amboy (N) ( 40.48343, -74.27059 )
  54. Raritan Bay - South Amboy (S) ( 40.47946, -74.26831 )
  55. Raritan Bay - South Amboy Ramp ( 40.48401, -74.27416 )
  56. Raritan River - Bound Brook ( 40.55995, -74.52758 )
  57. Raritan River - Edison ( 40.48791, -74.38382 )
  58. Raritan River - Highland Park ( 40.48864, -74.42226 )
  59. Raritan River - New Brunswick ( 40.48760, -74.43280 )
  60. Raritan River - Perth Amboy ( 40.50057, -74.27712 )
  61. Raritan River - Piscataway (N) ( 40.54085, -74.51236 )
  62. Raritan River - Piscataway (S) ( 40.50935, -74.46641 )
  63. Raritan River - Sayreville ( 40.47450, -74.35606 )
  64. Robinson's Branch - Rahway River ( 40.61839, -74.30495 )
  65. Rockaway River - Pine Brook ( 40.86608, -74.35202 )
  66. South River - Sayreville ( 40.45397, -74.37222 )
  67. South River - South River ( 40.45838, -74.38361 )
  68. Speedwell Lake - Morristown ( 40.81265, -74.48090 )
  69. Superfund Site ( 40.45776, -74.24129 )
  70. Verona Lake - Montclair ( 40.82705, -74.24588 )
  71. Washington Valley Park Reservoir ( 40.59589, -74.57371 )
  72. Watchung Lake - North Plainfield ( 40.63723, -74.45384 )
  73. Weequahic Lake - Newark ( 40.70570, -74.19775 )
  74. Weston's Mill Pond - East Brunswick ( 40.46677, -74.42603 )
  75. Whippany River - Whippany ( 40.81921, -74.44021 )
  76. Woodbridge Creek (N) ( 40.58555, -74.26267 )
  77. Woodbridge Creek (S) ( 40.56256, -74.26890 )