n warmer days, New Yorkers also have the option of another water sport that came from afar. Just beside the Manhattan Kayak Company at Pier 63 is the New York Outrigger Club, founded six years ago by Roger Meyer, a former kayaker who simply fell in love with the Hawaiian sport and decided to promote it in New York.

"We started with six people. Today we are 40," Meyer says. According to Meyer, there are 30 clubs on the East Coast, which increases the rivalry at competitions.

Along with Meyer and the roughly 40 people who train three times a week, Shane Braddock and Julie Morgan, an Australian couple, also enjoy working out on the Hudson River. "The river now is a lot cleaner, and it's really fun to be out there," says Braddock.

lso a kayaker, Braddock finds that these sports balance the lack of space one tends to feel in New York. "There aren't many sports based on water here, and I'm used to them from back home," he says. His girlfriend couldn't agree more. For the past two years, she's been joining him at the outrigger club, and has been improving her techniques. "Jules is getting really good at it," adds Meyer.

To be part of the club requires a commitment to training. After all, outrigger is a sport that requires absolute teamwork. "It's a mental challenge, but you end up getting so strong and it's a lot of fun," says Meyer.

utrigger canoes can look a lot like kayaks designed for a larger group. But this is not the case. The two sports share few similarities apart from water and boats. First, the paddles are different. And outriggers require each person in the boat to do a different thing, yet all synchronized. Out of six, the first person seated in front is called the stroker, who is responsible for the timing. The second is the "hut." It means that this person is the one to scream "hut" so the team changes sides of paddling. Seats three to five are the engines. "We put the big guys there," Meyer explains, "and the fifth is responsible to help the crew blend, if necessary." The sixth person's responsibility is to steer, or simply to follow the waves. "The boat is designed to surf, and we find waves even on the Hudson. The ferries are our friends," says Meyer.

The Outrigger Club's training for the 2001 season will start in April. There is no cost.

There are 30 Outrigger Canoe Clubs on the East Coast.

Canoeing in New York.