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Maritime Hub events

In 2005, we did extensive market research and completed a business plan with funding from NYC's Department of Small Business Services to create a Maritime Hub. The developer did not provide the the space for which we did the plan, and we have been seeking a home ever since. While looking for a permanent home, we have created some maritime hub events:

Winter 2009-Spring 2010: PortSide NewYork brings USA's largest passenger sailing vessel to Atlantic Basin
Two schooners, Clipper City and Shearwater, to winter in Atlantic Basin and provide free community sails in the spring.

PortSide NewYork has again brought boats, and community benefits, to Atlantic Basin. The Clipper City, a 158' long topsail schooner, and Shearwater, a 82-foot 1920's luxury schooner yacht, have a winter berth on Pier 11, Atlantic Basin. Both vessels are operated by Manhattan By Sail.

As part of the deal, they will offer free community sails next spring once the vessels begin operating again. The Clipper City came to New York City from Baltimore and began operating here in May 2009. Manhattan by Sail was looking for a winter home for its vessels and PortSide passed this news to the EDC which speedily made arrangements for a winter berth. The EDC and PortSide plans for Atlantic Basin would have PortSide bringing a wide array of vessels to Pier 11.

The Clipper City is a steel replica of an 1854 wooden cargo schooner built from the original plans in the Smithsonian Institution. April through October, Clipper City departs from Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. PortSide hopes that, in the future, she will also pick up passengers in Atlantic Basin. She carries 144 passengers. The Shearwater, recognized as a National Landmark this March, has been taking New Yorkers sailing since 2001. PortSide thanks the EDC and the Port Authority for moving so quickly on approving wharfage terms for the boats."

“We are excited about bringing the largest passenger sailboat in the United States to Red Hook, said Carolina Salguero, PortSide NewYork’s Founder & Director. “PortSide is working to animate NYC’s Bluespace, and our local goal is to bring more boats, visitors and economic activity to Atlantic Basin. We look forward to planning the community sails in the spring. We thank the EDC and the Port Authority for moving so quickly on approving wharfage terms for the boats.”

"NYCEDC is happy to support PortSide's efforts to connect Red Hook residents to the waterfront at Atlantic Basin," said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky. "PortSide's collaboration with Clipper City to provide free sailings for local residents, along with its successful Dutch Flat Bottom Fleet event last summer and the Mary Whalen 70th Birthday Party in 2008, are exactly the kind of community-based maritime programs we envision for Atlantic Basin.”

“Manhattan by Sail is pleased to have found a winter home with PortSide, the NYC Economic Development Corporation and the Port Authority,” said Tom Berton, President. “Cruising aboard historic ships like the Clipper City and the Shearwater is one thing, to be sailing with the Greatest City in the World as the backdrop is unforgettable. We look forward to sharing this experience with our new neighbors.”

9/13/09 PortSide and the NYC EDC co-sponsored an open house of the Dutch Flat Bottom Fleet for Harbor Day video here

As part of the year-long Hudson Quadricentennial, festivities, hundreds of visitors greeted the historic Dutch Flat Bottomed Fleet in Atlantic Basin on Sunday, September 13, 2009. A band from L.H.E. Production, owned by Jay McKnight, played jazzy tunes near the shed, and the Hungry March Band provided a welcoming salvo of music down on the dock. Visitors swarmed the pier, the Flat Bottom boats, and boarded a surprise visitor in the form of the 150’ barquentine Peacemaker. The same spot had been occupied by the Half Moon the day before -- so nice to see the Atlantic Basin with boats coming and going again!

Our friends from the Low Countries were a jolly lot, each boat had a team jersey in a vibrant color, some crew wore wooden clogs painted with their boat logos, and all often erupted into song to the sounds of their escort, the shopping-cart-sized Musikboot that tootled around the fleet with its creator Reinier Sijpkens playing the trumpet while grinding a player-organ.

Andrew Genn of the EDC was the MC and hailed Arie Van Tol of the Port Authority on the occasion of his imminent retirement. Remarks were made by Seth Pinsky, President of the EDC, Dan Wiley of Nydia Velazquez office, Carlos Menchaca of the Brooklyn Borough President office, Jan Te Siepe of the Dutch Flat Bottomed Fleet, and Carolina Salguero of PortSide NewYork who hailed the inspirational example of modern Dutch waterfront planning as much as the Dutch contributions to New Amsterdam. Our good friend and partner Will Van Dorp of the noted waterfront blog Tugster has several photo-filled entries of the event. For more on Red Hook and the fleet, see the Visitor Guide written by PortSide and Will Van Dorp and designed by Mark Gewerth. video of the event here

December, 2008, PortSide threw the Mary Whalen's 70th birthday party in Atlantic Basin.

Some 500 people attended over the course of the grey day. The historic tug Pegasus and the active-duty tug Janice Anne Reinauer attended. The MV Manhattan swung by, and several gigs from the Village Community Boathouse rowed over from Manhattan.