The historic tug Pegasus and Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79, the latter property of the Waterfront Museum at Red Hook, will be visiting Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park (foot of Atlantic Avenue; to get there, go to the foot of Joralemon Street, cross Furman, turn left and walk one block to the pier entrance), arriving tomorrow and continuing through Tuesday, August 31. A schedule of activities, which includes tours of the barge and free tug rides, is on the Park’s website.
Tug and Barge Week at Pier 6
by Claude Scales on 26. Aug, 2010 in Events, Fun, Maritime, brooklyn bridge park
Mr. Junkersfeld’s Plea for Pier 4
by Claude Scales on 19. Aug, 2010 in History, Maritime, Video, brooklyn bridge park
Karl, Heights history buff extraordinaire, gives us a visual tour of Pier 4, lying below and just to the north of the foot of Montague Street, showing its bustling past as an essential element in a commercial and industrial waterfront, its disuse, decay, and present decrepitude.
Tall Ship to Visit Red Hook
by Claude Scales on 17. Aug, 2010 in Arts and Entertainment, Events, Fun, Maritime, Red Hook
The barkentine Gazela will arrive at Pier 11 (enter at Pioneer and Conover Streets), Red Hook, this Wednesday, August 18, and remain through Monday, August 23. Tours of the ship will be available Thursday from 2-5 pm, Friday from 2-6 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, and Monday from 2-5 pm. A $5 donation is requested for tours, but is not mandatory.
Cabaret Red Light will present two performances of Seven Deadly Seas, one at 8:00 pm and one at 10:00 pm, on Gazela’s deck each evening Thursday through Sunday (Monday is the rain date). The show is described as “an adult thing” because it includes “a modest burlesque” at the close. Tickets are $25, and may be purchased here. (more…)
A Fine Day for a Sail
by Claude Scales on 07. Aug, 2010 in Maritime, Photos

BHB Photo by C. Scales
Clipper City is a 1984 replica of an 1854 vintage schooner built to haul cargo on the Great Lakes. This is her second summer taking passengers on cruises in New York Harbor, departing from Pier 17 at South Street Seaport. She can often be seen from the Promenade (from which the above photo was taken today) while leaving or approaching her dock.
Cruises on Clipper City can be booked through Manhattan by Sail’s website, which also shows the daily sailing schedule, or by calling 212-619-0907. Fares start at $39 for adults, $35 for seniors, and $17 for children under 12.
Brooklyn Heights History: the Low Family and the China Trade
by Claude Scales on 15. Jun, 2010 in History, Maritime
Will Van Dorp, of Tugster: a Waterblog, has an interesting post about the Heights, focusing on Abiel Abbot Low, who came here from Salem, Massachusetts, owned clipper ships in the China trade, and lived in a large townhouse on Pierrepont Place, next to the Montague Street entrance to the Promenade. The adjoining townhouse to the north, next to what is now the Pierrepont Playground, was the residence of Alexander White, whose fortune came from fur trading.
Tugster: a Waterblog: A. A. Low moved to Brooklyn Heights after spending six years in Canton’s markets dealing with Wu Bingjian aka Howqua. From Brooklyn Heights, Low could observe the goings and comings of his fleet of China clippers over at South Street when it was a seaport in the years between the First and Second Opium Wars.
Low’s son, Seth, named for his grandfather, served as Mayor of Brooklyn, then as President of Columbia College (which moved from midtown Manhattan to Morningside Heights and became Columbia University during his tenure), and then as mayor of New York City following its merger with Brooklyn.
Pier 1 in the Morning
by Claude Scales on 12. Jun, 2010 in Maritime, Photos
Former Pier 7 Visitor Repels Somali Pirates
by Claude Scales on 18. Mar, 2010 in Maritime, News
AOL News (Jason Straziuso, AP): NAIROBI, Kenya (March 18) — These Somali pirates picked the wrong ship to hijack. (more…)
Ice Before the Snow
by Claude Scales on 10. Feb, 2010 in Maritime, Nature, Photos
German Navy Re-visits Pier 7
by Claude Scales on 27. Nov, 2009 in Maritime
Danes invade Brooklyn
by Claude Scales on 08. Sep, 2009 in Maritime

BHB photo by C. Scales
Update: Belgians, Canadians, Dutch, and Norwegians join in! More photos and text after the jump. (more…)
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