Mary Whalen

Crazy week. And obviously I had little time to post photos, but I wanted to bring attention to a project special to Red Hook and to the New York waterfront in general.

This past weekend, we were invited to visit the Mary Whalen, a former cargo ship, as it was being repaired at Dry Dock#1 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The ship is the future home of Port Side NY, a maritime museum to be docked in Red Hook. Surprisingly, there are few place in NYC, actually on the water, where you can learn about historical significance of such craft, the history of the working waterfront and the lasting significance of maritime workers today.

Despite frozen fingers and an icy terrain, we were free to wander the ship and dock after an informational tour. It is always incredible to see a boat out of water – you really can’t get a sense of the size of the craft unless it is in a dry dock.

The director of the organization, Carolina Salguero, is also an inspiration. Her passion is infectious and I look forward to helping in some capacity on this project in the future.

They are always looking for donations and volunteers. If you have any interest, please contact them directly.

Read more here about details of the repair work.