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Is it spring yet? Despite the weather we've been having, things are still booming (pardon the maritime pun) at PortSide, and there's no shortage of programming, news, and volunteer opportunities to share.
May, in particular, is an important month -
our historic tanker, the MARY A. WHALEN, turns 81 years old. It's a life well-lived, too. Built in 1938 for for Ira S. Bushey & Sons in Red Hook, the ship transported fuel all the way up until 1994. In 1975, the MARY was central to a major U.S. Supreme Court decision, and PortSide continues making history with her today. You can read all about that and more here.
Spring also means that the TankerTime furniture is on deck for you, and the ship opens on Sunday, May 19 for a double-barreled day of the MARY Art Inspiration Event (artists come create work inspired by the ship from 8am to 1pm), followed by TankerTours for the public (ship toursfrom 1pm to 6pm). Come check out all the restoration work we've been doing! Want to get involved? We could use a few more volunteers that day. We hope you'll join us then, as well as in the coming months.
As always, thanks for your support!
Carolina Salguero
Founder & President
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ZAZ not all, folks! Support for PortSide continues to grow
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Backstage with superstar ZAZ
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C'est fantastique! ZAZ, the #1 French language singer in the world, is promoting PortSide! She supports nonprofits working on education and sustainability and selects just one at each city during her world tours. We are her 1st in the USA! Our founder Carolina Salguero spoke on stage during ZAZ's NYC concert, and our crew networked with fans before and after the show.
Interest in PortSide by folks outside of NYC always excites us, especially those who want to be involved with our African American Maritime Heritage program. Ron Harris (of the black sailors
Universal Sailing Club, author, and retired Howard University professor) has offered to visit and talk, and give free sails on his boat. His proposal sits with our dockmaster.
People are reaching out to offer help with fundraisers. Care to join this group of local businesses, educators, event planners, and activists and party for a cause?
Contact us today.
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 Program Updates
We've been busy. Read all about it. The best way to stay up to date on our activities is to follow our social media. Our Facebook page Mary A. Whalen triggers lively interaction, so it's the best portal. We are on Twitter and Instagram too.
Advocacy
Read our testimony to the City Council on two important waterfront topics: should there be an Office of the Waterfront, and should the NYC Ferry continue to be operated by the NYC EDC.
We are in the trenches trying to save Red Hook maritime heritage in the form of two waterfront warehouses. Please scroll down and sign the petition for Bowne
and please sign the petition for
Lidgerwood
, so UPS doesn't flatten all of it for an e-commerce warehouse.
Culture
It's Walt Whitman's 200th birthday, and we're involved! See us in the inspiring Brooklyn Public Library video reading of Whitman's poem "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry."
We are participating in the 1st Poets Afloat program with two resident poets!
Our founder Carolina Salguero was on City Lore panel of maritime women as part of their Waterfront Heroes touring exhibition.
Education
We have created an Oysters Plus curriculum for PS 676 1st grade relating to oysters, marine life & pollution. It includes science, reading, writing, art, and a scavenger hunt!
PortSide has been very involved with advocating for Summit Academy, a Red Hook charter school, to prevent its closure.
More in the photos below.
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Chiclet Check
Chiclet is our bonafide Brooklyn ship cat. So, what's she been up to?
Chiclet has become a key actor in our shipboard programs with the Red Hook Neighborhood School (PS 676). She has been writing a memoir we are using to help teach reading to the 1st grade. She comes out to visit these students every time they come. Check her out in action in a video here. Meanwhile, she's been chasing those rare patches of sun for naps.
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Gallery: Spring Highlights
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| Oysters Plus curriculum: Showing students fish that we caught alongside our ship. |
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Our new friend. We are helping a seagull that is missing half its right wing.
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| Brooklyn Collaborative School during their annual day of community service. |
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Rain drove May's Second Sundays TankerTime down below.
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| Program with pre-K Red Hook Play Group. Explaining the Red Hook Container Terminal. Our site has many maritime teaching resources. |
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| We labelled each piece of deck plate in the engine room, lifted them all out, and brought them to District Council 9 for sandblasting and painting. |
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| Trainees in District Council 9's Metal Polishing division working on our portlights. We brought the fidley skylights with 16 portlights along with the engine room deck plate. Thanks DC9 for this work! |
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PortSide NewYork is a living lab for better urban waterways.
We also bring WaterStories to life.
PortSide brings the communities ashore and afloat together,
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