21 June 2020
     
To the friends and supporters of Fireboat John J. Harvey

The Summer Solstice  is upon us and,
unfortunately , so is  COVID-19.  

Our 2020 season is still on hold as we all work to keep ourselves and the community healthy.  We have our collective fingers crossed in the hope that we'll be able to get out on the water later in the season.  

But we still need your financial support to stay afloat.  Along with all other cultural non-profits we have ongoing expenses even when our programming is shut down.  Insurance is one of our major operating expenses and it falls due this month taking a big bite out of our bank balance.  You can make a big difference this month
 by donating HERE .
 
In the meantime there has been some excitement.........
Who would do something like this?
On May 17 two of our volunteers showed up to get some work done and instead of finding the boat tied up neatly like this....

They found it like this:

Some nitwit (or nitwits) thought it would be great fun to untie all the dock lines at Pier 25.  Luckily the bowline was too tight to undo or the boat could be in Bermuda by now.  Our friends in the FDNY came to our rescue with one of their boats......

.....and pushed us back alongside the pier and helped us tie up.  It was clearly time to return to our secure home at Pier 66 and Frying Pan.  

A short but sweet trip upriver to Pier 66. 
     
Departing Pier 25



with Captain Gill at the wheel


  
Clearing her throat after a winter layover


   
Saluting FDNY Fireboat 3-4-3


   
Safe at Home

We're home and still working on improvements.  
While taking precautions against COVID we're making the boat better and better.  The Chuck and Larry show is still performing miracles, including cleaning, painting, and restoring the crew galley just forward of the bunk room.  Given what it used to look like, this is a wonder.

And we're still teaching.....
Trustees Renee Stanley and David Grill gave a Zoom tour of the boat to a Staten Island kindergarten class that has been reading about John J. Harvey.  The kids had really good questions; they had clearly absorbed the information.  Education is an important part of the fireboat's mission and in the time of COVID we're delighted to use new technologies to show off Harvey.

    Please help us keep up the momentum  
by donating   HERE
                 
    
        
Save Our Ships New York | 973-744-6755 | dwgrill@fireboat.org | http://www.fireboat.org

Save Our Ships New York is a 501C3 tax-exempt organization dedicated
to the preservation and restoration of historic retired FDNY fireboat John J. Harvey.