Captain's Log, 8.1.06

After 10 months of everyday work and about $25,000 and many in-kind donations the Waterfront Museum is now a bonafide Coast Guard Attraction Vessel. About 27 deficiency projects were slowly but steadily tackled and completed. This old barge is quite the vessel now with its donated Honeywell Fire Alarm System, one-line electrical drawings, cargo door gates, additional Fire extinguishers and life rings, donated BIG BEAM emergency lights, electrical system upgrades using donated Thomas & Betts, Sigma Electric, East Penn Manufacturing and Pauluhn Electric Manufacturing supplies. I am very proud that we are New York City’s first homeport attraction vessel. Working with the Coast Guard, at first a bit frightening has been a rich learning experience. The barge is better off for it.

June brought packed houses to our CIRCUSundays. Circus Ringmistress and artistic director Karen Gersch continues to liven up the showboat stage with diverse and quality acts and comedy and skill.

July’s Friday night Sunset Music Series might have been our best concerts to date thanks to our music artistic director George Tocci did a yeoman’s job. Especially Sleepy LaBeef on opening night!

What a pleasure to get back to working on the barge’s upper hull project. Maybe within a few years, the barge’s restoration will be completed. Of course that may be highly unrealistic as the marine environment and extreme elements that surround us continue 24/7. Still one can hope.

Fairway has opened and the neighborhood has become quite lively. My daughters were thrilled that they were no longer the last and only people to get off of the public bus after school. Greg O’Connell’s vision of restored civil war era warehouses with waterfront gardens is beautiful. Thursday’s have become my favorite day with the Museum welcoming the public aboard during open hours from 4 – 8 PM.

Of course, the fight to SAVE THE RED HOOK GRAVING DOCK from becoming a parking lot continues. A great exhibition hung first at the Municipal Arts Society in NYC and now on the barge’s walls, a postcard campaign, media outreach and community discussions continue to present our case to save our neighborhoods last remaining shipyard.

I hope that sound reason and good forward planning for our precious working waterfront will prevail. I am very worried about America. We have to start somewhere. My own backyard is the best place I know to start.

After three capital campaigns, the bottom line is that it is great to be back in business. Great expectations. New life for an old Barge.