Statue Honoring Lighthouse Keeper Kate Walker

New York City has announced a new statue of the late Robbins Reef Lighthouse keeper Katherine Walker which will be installed at the Staten Island Ferry landing. Though standing only 4’10” tall and weighing around 100 pounds, Katherine Walker served … Continue reading

Vikings in the Big City — Draken Harald Hårfagre in New York City Sept. 17-26

Draken Harald Hårfagre, the largest Viking longship built in modern times, will be visiting New York harbor from September 17 — 28.  On September 17th, the Viking longship will sail past the Statue of Liberty around 11AM and arrive at North … Continue reading

Washington and Hamilton on the US Coast Guard’s 225th Birthday

Today, on the 225th anniversary of George Washington signing of the legislation establishing the Revenue-Marine, the predecessor to the United States Coast Guard, President George Washington and his Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, returned to Federal Hall in New … Continue reading

Redbird Reef — Subway Cars, Fish and Hurricanes

Redbird Reef lies sixteen miles out in the Atlantic Ocean from the Indian River inlet, near the ominously named Slaughter Beach, Delaware.  One of three explanations for the town’s name is that the first postmaster was William Slaughter. Likewise, while many … Continue reading

Rocking the Boat in Hunts Point — Where Boats Build Kids

I recently learned about Rocking the Boat, a wonderful organization in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx, one of the five boroughs of the City of New York.  Since 1998, the after-school program has been teaching neighborhood kids to build wooden boats. In … Continue reading

New York City — Once The City of Ships

Sometime during the Civil War, the poet Walt Whitman wrote a poem about New York City, titled “The City of Ships.” The first stanzas begin: City of ships! (O the black ships! O the fierce ships! O the beautiful, sharp-bow’d … Continue reading

Labor Day Festivities – Festival of Sail in San Diego and 21st Annual Great North River Tug Boat Race and Competition in New York

Great activities on the water, on both coasts, this Labor Day weekend. In San Diego, the annual Festival of Sail began yesterday with a Parade of Sail and continues through Monday with lots of great activities. as described by San Diego … Continue reading

Space Shuttle Enterprise Arrives in New York

The Space Shuttle Enterprise arrived in New York today on its way to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.   The Shuttle Enterprise rode piggy-back on a NASA 747, flying a loop over the Hudson River before landing at Kennedy Airport.  The shuttle will … Continue reading