Photo: K. Lorentz

Yesterday, while maneuvering our 18′ catboat through the traffic in the Morris Canal on the West bank of the Hudson off Lower Manhattan, we had the pleasure of crossing paths with the schooner Lettie G. Howard. Lettie is an 1893 Fredonia-model fishing schooner owned and operated by the South Street Seaport Museum.  It is great to see her back in the harbor.

In early 2012, the schooner was docked to repair rot in her keelson. The rot turned out to be far more extensive than originally thought. Despite all the other challenges facing the institution, the museum successfully raised the $250,000 necessary to repair the Lettie and put her back into service.  Almost a month ago, the Lettie G. Howard was ceremonially re-launched at Manhattan’s Pier 25 on the Hudson River. She is operating as a sailing school vessel instructing students of the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School on Governors Island and New Jersey’s Marine Academy of Science and Technology at Sandy Hook.