Mystic Whaler Arrives at Brooklyn Bridge Park

By on May 19, 2013 2:55 pm in brooklyn bridge park, Maritime

On my morning walk yesterday I looked out from the Promenade and saw the schooner Mystic Whaler approaching the reach of water between Governors Island and Manhattan. I knew she was supposed to dock at Pier 5, but her course seemed to be taking her into the East River, so I continued down to Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Here she is, sailing past Pier 1, toward the Brooklyn Bridge.

I figured Mystic Whaler would come about and head for her berth soon, so I left Pier 1 and headed for Pier 5, arriving there just as the schooner approached.

A crew member secures her bow line; a few minutes later she was ready to receive visitors. She’s there through this afternoon (Sunday, May 19).

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  • skunky

    “Governors Island Channel” isn’t even close. It’s the Buttermilk Channel.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    Buttermilk channel is between Governors Island and Brooklyn. I believe Governors Island Channel is the right name for the channel between Governors Island and Manhattan, which is where Mystic Whaler was in my first photo.

  • skunky

    I think you made that up, actually, since when you google the term in quotes, this article comes up on the first page, but whatever, geography, schmeography. Also, this might help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_New_York-New_Jersey_Harbor_Estuary

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    The Wiki for Buttermilk Channel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermilk_Channel
    shows it’s just the strait between Governors Island and Brooklyn. Mystic Whaler is nowhere near Buttermilk Channel in the photo; I took it looking west from the Promenade toward New Jersey, which is what you see in the background. There’s no listing in Wikipedia, as you noted, for “Governors Island Channel,” though I’m pretty sure I saw or heard the reach of water between Governors Island and Manhattan referred to as such. But you may be right, so I’ve changed the wording of the post.

  • skunky

    Pedantry is a high art form in which I have received numerous accolades. I salute you!

  • Jorale-man

    Claude = class act. His well-researched and informative posts are a pleasure to read.

    This actually raises a question I sometimes wonder: where does the East River officially end and New York Harbor begin? The lower tip of Manhattan? Brooklyn Bridge? I’m guessing there’s a marker somewhere.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    Thanks, J-m. I don’t think there’s a marker. If I were Commissar of Geography, I think I’d make the southern end of the East River be a line from the southernmost tip of Manhattan (probably the end of the Staten Island Ferry pier) due east to Brooklyn (probably somewhere around Cranberry Street). But when we talk about the “end” of the East River, we have to remember that it’s not a river, but a tidal strait that flows in both directions, connecting New York Harbor to Long Island Sound. This means it also has a northern “end,” which I would argue should be its confluence with the Harlem River. I say this because the name “East River” implies that it’s an eastern branch of the Hudson, and the Harlem is what joins it to the Hudson, This implies that Long Island Sound extends to just below Hell Gate. Others might argue that the Sound ends where the water narrows to the east of the Whitestone Bridge, and that everything to the west of that is East River.