Historic Bridge Awareness Month

It may not be an official designation, but November is Historic Bridge Awareness Month—at least it has been since 2006 when it was unofficially declared to be so by HistoricBridges.org. A visit to their site shows that they mostly document bridges in the United States and Canada. Here’s one more to add to their lists:

Karen and I visited this bridge on our honeymoon to Bermuda in October. This is the Somerset Bridge, and it’s generally believed to be the smallest drawbridge in the world. (Although this bridge in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, seems to also claim that distinction.) The Somerset Bridge is opened by removing the plank that covers an 18-inch gap between the two halves of the bridge. Supposedly a sailboat’s mast can then pass through the bridge. Unfortunately, the bridge was not opened while we were there, so we did not get to see it in action.

A wedding on Governors Island

This past Sunday Karen and I were married on Governors Island. After a week of wet weather we were pretty worried, but it turns out our fears were groundless: not a drop of rain. Here are some pictures courtesy of Karen’s cousin Steve (click here to visit his website).

The perfect spot for us to get married — the palm trees, the harbor, the skyline:

Lucky for the groom, the bride gave her approval:

Even the Staten Island ferry came by to check out the proceedings:

After the ceremony the bride and groom sat at their table for a festive meal:

City of Water Day 2011

Last Saturday was the fourth annual City of Water Day, sponsored by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. Like last year, we took Puffin over to Liberty State Park. But unlike last year, we did not have to tie up to the seawall. This year we had a slip waiting for us in Liberty Landing Marina.

But first we had to get there. We got down to our marina around 8:30 a.m. All systems seemed “go,” except when we tried to start the engine, nothing happened. Well . . . not exactly nothing: There was a click, and then nothing. This swan came over to check us out and see if he could help:

It turns out boat batteries do not last forever, and the ones in Puffin may have been the original ones from when she was launched in 2004. Fortunately, Mike, the marina manager, had a couple of batteries in stock and got them installed for us in about fifteen minutes. With the new batteries, the engine started right up, and we were on our way.

It was a bumpy ride past Coney Island to the Narrows, straight into the wind and waves. New York Harbor was its usual hustle and bustle. I monitor VHF channel 13 when in the harbor so I can know what boats are going where. One of the ones we had to look out for was MSC Bruxelles, loaded with containers and bound for Baltimore:

Photo by Karen

 

I was my usual nervous self when traversing the harbor, but thanks to Karen keeping a sharp lookout we had an uneventful crossing from Bay Ridge over to the Statue of Liberty and the Morris Canal. Michelle, the dockmaster at Liberty Landing Marina, was very helpful directing us to our slip:

We missed the ferry over to Governors Island, so we decided to make the most of our time at Liberty State Park. We got some free ice cream, ate some lunch, and then went kayaking for an hour on the other side of the park (where we tied up last year). The views from Liberty State Park are pretty awesome. Here’s the New York skyline:

And here it looks like you can take a train from the old terminal in New Jersey straight to Manhattan:

We had a good time at our third City of Water Day. We got to spend some time in a part of the harbor that we usually just pass through and visit a new marina. But the highlight of the day was when we were getting ready to leave. A boat came into the marina, and the man at the bow looked over at us and asked — not “What kind of boat is that?” (which we’re used to hearing) — but, “Is that your Nimble?”

Turns out he’s the owner of Dunmaglass, a 1993 Nimble Nomad that he keeps in Alabama. We talked with him a bit, and he came aboard for a look around and pointed out where things are different on his boat. We would have liked to stay longer, but it was time for us to head home. After an exchange of emails, we slipped our lines and made for sea. Waves in the harbor were two to three feet, so we ducked around Governors Island and through the Buttermilk Channel. Once past the Narrows we were broadside to the waves, so we had to tack our way back to Jamaica Bay. About three hours after leaving Liberty Landing we docked back home at Sea Travelers Marina.

Governors Island is open for the season

Governors Island opened for the 2011 season on Friday. Yesterday Karen and I biked to Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park to catch the free ferry over to the island. We were not the only ones who had this idea:

We had to wait about half an hour to get on a ferry, but the boarding process went pretty smoothly. There were three lines: one for bikes, one for people with strollers, and one for pedestrians.

Getting the bikes and people on the ferry is less chaotic than it looks:

Governors Island is only about two miles around, so a circumnavigation by bike does not take very long. It’s a great ride, though, cooled by breezes off the water. And there are lots of interesting things to look at, particularly the former U.S. Coast Guard buildings.

The southwestern tip of the island is now Picnic Point. There are food vendors, benches, hammocks, and great views of the harbor. That’s Jersey City behind the aid to navigation:

Lots of great brick and old, faded signs for those who like that sort of stuff:

And you can poke into all sorts of nooks and off-the-beaten-track places in old Fort Jay:

The schooner Opal visits New York

Riding the ferry from Governors Island back to Manhattan yesterday I spotted a boat that I have not seen before in these waters: a black-hulled schooner flying the Danish flag. Turns out it’s the Opal. This wooden schooner was built in 1951 as a Baltic fishing schooner. Her crew seems to be a few twenty-somethings (of whom I am not at all jealous, nope, not me, not jealous even a tiny bit) who have recently arrived in New York from the Caribbean via Norfolk, Virginia.

Here are a few shots of them heading up the East River.

Click here for lots of pictures of the boat in exotic locales and shots from below deck. (If this site is to be believed, Opal is for sale.)

Here is the schooner Opal‘s own site in English (thanks, Google Translate) and in the original Danish.

Puffin is in the water!

It may not feel like spring outside, but Puffin has been launched, and we’re eagerly looking forward to warmer, drier, calmer weather.

Here she is about to splash:

 

What we’re most excited about are the renovations we had done over the winter.

The new helm and nav station:

The main saloon:

The new head:

The hot tub:

And the helipad:

Upcoming events

Here are two upcoming events that may be of interest to the waterfront community:

1) I recently posted about the plans to develop Brooklyn’s Four Sparrow Marsh. A tip of the hat goes to Matthew Wills for the date, time, and place for the rescheduled public meeting to discuss the plans: February 7 (Correction: February 17), 2011, at 7:00 p.m. in the Kings Plaza Community Room, 5100 Kings Plaza. Matthew has a ton of information about the marsh and the development plans on his blog.

2) The Working Harbor Committee presents its Annual Winter Film Evening and Panel. At 6:00 p.m. on March 20 at the Community Church of New York (40 East 35h Street), there will be a screening of the documentary Shipping Out: The Story of America’s Seafaring Women. The film “explores the history, mythologies and attitudes which limited women’s participation in seafaring until recent times.” The screening will be preceded by a reception and followed by a panel discussion. Tickets are available here.

Alfred Hitchcock in Prospect Park

On Friday I went galumphing through the fresh snow in Prospect Park. Near the northwest corner of the lake I saw hundreds of specks out on the ice near a lead of open water. It seems the memo must have gone out to various bird species that this was the place to meet. Gulls, ducks, and geese were well represented. There was quite a bit of activity near the shore. Some ducks came in for a landing:

Followed by gulls:

I thought these were going to land on me:

Time to go:

 

In the summer there is an electric boat (the Independence) that tours the lake, and there are pedal boats for rent. And the geese will still be there, despite attempts to get rid of them.

Four Sparrow Marsh

Four Sparrow Marsh is in Brooklyn, squeezed between Toys “R” Us and the Belt Parkway. I’ve boated and driven past it innumerable times and never thought it was anything more than a patch of undeveloped land probably full of old cars and trash.

But it turns out that it’s home to more than sixteen bird species, including four species of sparrow—salt-marsh, song, swamp, and savannah. Hence the name.

It also turns out that it may not be undeveloped for long. Yesterday Karen sent me a link to New York City Audubon. There are plans to build the Four Sparrows Retail Center on the marsh. NYC Audubon is not categorically opposed to the development: “An appropriately designed retail project, with adequate buffers to protect this critical habitat and a design sensitive to the waterfront and to birds could be an asset to the city,” they say. A public meeting to discuss the project had been scheduled for January 11, but it was postponed. Click here for more information about the marsh and the project, and to find out the new date for the meeting (not yet known).

This afternoon I found myself near Four Sparrow Marsh, so I headed over with my camera and tromped around in the snow a bit.

A pale moon, just past first quarter, was rising:

Since I was already out-and-about and with cold feet, I decided to check out the nature trail at the Salt Marsh Nature Center, another place I’ve driven and boated by without stopping.

Here’s a parting shot of some cold ducks:

 

The Salt Marsh is worth checking out. I’ll be back when it’s warmer.

Polar bear swim, Coney Island

The annual New Year’s Day polar bear swim took place at Coney Island yesterday. Although disappointed by the unseasonably warm day, hundreds of would-be polar bears (and assorted hangers-on) crawled from their dens and gathered on the beach:

 

The excitement was palpable as the gathered throng awaited the signal. And then—there it was! A ripple passed through the crowd as the swimmers raced to the water’s edge and plunged in:

 

Wave after wave of scantily clad bathers followed:

 

Looks like this guy would do it again:

 

It seems jumping into the Atlantic Ocean in January isn’t so bad as long as one wears the proper hat: