As we move to the quayside, sprays of light greet every dipped paddle and I cannot resist heading off into the thickest darkness where the displays are brightest.
The narrow-necked bay is home to a concentrated population of a microorganism that glows in the dark when disturbed; every dip of the paddle, every startled stingray illuminates a neon trail.
"We said, "It's not every day you paddle around Manhattan -- is there any way we can turn this into a fund-raiser?' " To the two kayakers, the logic was clear: if they were going to enjoy the skyline, it seemed appropriate to give something back to New York.
Every fifteen strokes or so, Miller called out "Hut!" and after the next stroke every paddler switched his paddle to the opposite side.
At first it was thrilling just to be in a boat under a starry sky, but then things got spectacular: every stroke of the paddle sent wooshes of blue light swirling around the kayak; forearms dipped in the water came up wreathed in momentary sparkles.
With the others gone, we can hear every dip of the paddle answered from the rock walls, where great hollows point to the work of ancient whirlpools.
"McLaren's miniature sensors go inside the paddle, so every time an athlete applies force on the water, the sensor measures it and transmits the data back to see how fast the boat is going," explains Scott Drawer from UK Sport, a public body for directing the development of sport in the UK.
Cameras monitor the pupfish's every move as they paddle through the water, which is kept at a constant 86 degrees, since scientists believe the fish reproduce more frequently in cooler water.
For every herd, a new paddle was used.
