About Us

Resilience Paddle Sports & Pier 13 Boating Club

Mission: To enhance local fitness and outdoor recreational opportunities plus environmental awareness by providing high quality kayaking and paddleboarding educational programs at Pier 13 Hoboken, serving residents of Hoboken plus the greater NY/NJ area and visitors.

Our Philosophy: We believe that outdoor activities are empowering and can be used to build personal resilience as well as awareness for the natural world. We specialize in creating outdoor programming to meet the needs of urban populations and we are focused on providing equal access to outdoor recreation.

Why? People living in urban areas are faced with an enormous amount of daily stress. Every day most NY tri-state residents juggle an intense schedule; long hours at work, commuting through traffic, constant email, meeting deadlines plus the pressure of paying bills in a high cost of living location, supporting a family, taking care of children and possibly caring for elderly parents or other relatives. Even young single adults and school-age youth are faced with a lack of work/life balance as a result of the urban pace. Due to limited time and access urbanites are also faced with few opportunities to spend time simply enjoying a peaceful natural outdoor setting. In this kind of environment, it is easy to make unhealthy choices like eating poorly, putting off exercise and hanging out online rather than getting outside. As if that is not enough, disastrous climate change events and storms like Hurricane Sandy can bring fear, loss and financial setback to an urban population already under strain.

Essentially, in our extreme urban locale, there is a high need for alternative means of staying fit, finding work/life balance and having fun outdoors with friends. Hoboken, Manhattan and the greater NY tri-state region is surrounded by water, a wonderful recreational venue that most people don’t even consider except as a commuting obstacle. Millions of people travel under, over and around the NY/NJ waterways everyday, but may never even consider the water as a place for recreation. Some, particularly after Sandy, are fearful of the Hudson River and NY/NJ harbor. Others don’t even realize there is water there available for recreation or they don’t know how to access it.

This may come as a surprise, but all that water actually belongs to you and you have a right to use it. After many years of hard work by activists, volunteers and groups like River Keeper, the Hudson River is clean enough for recreational paddling. It may not be perfect at all times. There is certainly some outdated infrastructure in NY and NJ which can lower the water quality at times, however we monitor the water quality and check frequently with like minded environmental and recreational groups like the New York Water Trail Association, The River Project and the River Keeper.

What is Resilience Paddle Sports? Resilience Paddlesports was developed in 2013 at Pier 13 in Hoboken to address the need for easily accessible, daily paddling opportunities and to educate people about the Hudson River estuary. Resilience strives to provide guided paddling for fitness and wellness as well as progressive skill development for those who want to take up racing, touring or just go out on their own. At Resilience, we believe that paddling on the river and in the Harbor can lead to better understanding and stronger commitment to stewardship of the coastal ecosystems, particularly on the NJ side of the Hudson River. Also, the more people there are recreating on the Hudson and in the Harbor, the greater the pressure will be on local NY/NJ leaders to continue improving water quality and maintaining it as a legacy for future generations.  Check out the Harbor Coalition to learn more about this effort.

So, why not try out paddling on the Hudson River from convenient Pier 13 in Hoboken! The Hudson River and NY/NJ Harbor is really the last bit of wilderness in this extreme urban life of the tri-state region. Kayaking and Stand Up Paddling provide an excellent full body work-out to supplement time at the gym. Daily balance and relaxation, essential to maintaining health and wellness is readily accessible on the water. There is nothing more peaceful than getting out of the city and paddling to calm your mind at the end of a busy work day or reset your priorities on a weekend morning. Maybe you want a social outing? Paddle with friends and then stay for food and drinks at Pier 13! Newcomers to paddling may want a tour or ongoing training to improve technique in order to venture out on self-guided paddling experiences. Either way, Resilience Paddle Sports offers classes and tours designed to increase paddling skills, promote boating safety awareness and get more people out enjoying the water.

The Resilience Paddle Sports program operates in conjunction with the Shipyard Marina plus The Hoboken Sailing Club and Pier 13.  Affiliates also include Classic Harbor Lines and the Hoboken Cove Boathouse.   Resilience Guides are trained and certified through the American Canoe Association (ACA). Classes and tours use ACA approved curriculum. All programs follow industry risk management standards and NJ Safe Boating practices  Waivers must be signed by the public before participation.

2014 Program Overview: In partnership with the Pier 13 Boating Club, Resilience Paddle Sports will offer reasonably priced kayak and paddleboarding classes for adults. These courses will provide an educational skills progression following American Canoe Association (ACA) curriculum models. The courses will teach paddling skills and coastal boating safety with an emphasis on recreational paddling for health and wellness as well as environmental education.  The beginner, advanced and intermediate level classes and recreational tours will be available to adults May– October 31st from Pier 13 Hoboken as part of the Pier 13 Boating Club in Hoboken. 

Participants may choose the type of paddling they would like to pursue. The available boats include paddleboards, sit-on-top kayaks and touring kayaks. For individuals wishing to increase their skills or just paddle regularly, Resilience Paddle Sports will offer weekly paddling for fitness, paddleboard racing and skill development sessions plus a monthly membership option through the Pier 13 Boating Club in Hoboken.  Adult group programs and birthday parties are also available with advanced booking.  All Instructors/Guides will have American Canoe Association (ACA) training.  Reserve a space now!

Resilience Adventures: Youth Paddling Programs will offer after-school and summer paddling courses in Hoboken during the 2014 season. The programs will provide an introduction to paddling on the Hudson River for youth ages 8 and older.  Skill development courses and a multi-day expedition training model will be available to middle school youth during the summer months. All programs will include information and educational activities designed to promote awareness and respect for the Hudson River Estuary and NY/NJ Harbor.  Local partners include, The Shipyard Marina, The Hoboken Historical Museum, The Hoboken Cove Boathouse, NY Water Trail Association, Classic Harbor Lines and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. 

Hello! Thanks so much for visiting! Do you have questions or suggestions?

I’m Noelle and I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at info@resilienceadventures.org