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PortSide brought you...
TankerOpera in the containerport...

Dutch Flat Bottom Fleet...

TankerTours...concerts... movies... talks... walking tours ... kayak valet...

TankerTime...

redesign of the BoatBox Red Hook Boaters kayak container...

bilingual ship tours at Concierto Tipico...

exhibit about maritime response to 9/11...

guides to Red Hook and more.

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Greetings!

Below are some easy ways to help us find a home and keep us from closing, an update on developments, and info on how our struggles are shared by other historic vessels.
Help keep PortSide open

We need a new home confirmed by 4/30 or we close

 

PortSide has a crisis: we have looked for a home for 6+ years and had a real estate agreement fall through after 3+ years of work. Please help us expedite our search! 

 

Sign our petition to Mayor Bloomberg here and forward the petition link! (link is http://chn.ge/PortSideSOS)

 

Write the City Council Waterfronts Committee info here

 

Fri 3/16 that Committee has a hearing about the EDC's WAVES initiative.  WAVES includes this goal of the Mayor's office for 2012: 

 

"Create uniform landing protocol and application for City-owned properties to facilitate docking of historic vessels."   

 

If such a protocol were in place, PortSide would surely not be having our current real estate crisis.  

  

Without a home secured soon, the MARY A. WHALEN will likely be scrapped as there are few commercial uses for her.

 

See what you would help save in this short video 

  

Donate now to support us while we work this out.   

 



Update on our endeavors

A new Historic Ships Coalition, including PortSide, is forming in response to the entrenched difficulties faced by these vessels in NYC.  Support us all and sign the petition to the Mayor above! Our petition advocates for all ships.

Our 2/27/12 meeting at LICH attracted passionate and thoughtful endorsements and ideas from some 70 people from Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, New Jersey, Long Island, and Connecticut. Many people expressed interest in seeing us located in Brooklyn Bridge Park. 

A Brooklyn CB6 committee resolution of 3/5/12  supports PortSide getting a 59-day permit from the EDC to dock the MARY A. WHALEN in Atlantic Basin. This permit would be to facilitate access during our crisis: it is hard to visit PortSide's shipboard offices while we are in the port.

We hope the EDC will offer us such a permit soon!

The Historic Districts Council is joining forces with us ship people. Read their SOS for NYC's floating heritage.
 
Media coverage

The film crew EYESPEAK made a short documentary about PortSide's crisis for an international documentary film competition - which they won last year. Their film will be shown in early May.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Heights Press:

The Brooklyn Paper    

 


and multiple blog posts and organization e-newsletters

 

Join the groundswell of support!

Thanks to the many, many people who have made cash donations, forwarded our news, and sent suggestions!

Offers of help received since the last newsletter:

The band Deedle Deedle Dees will donate a concert.  

   

A free cruise on the 97' luxury yacht Justine.

 

SeaStreak ferry will let PortSide flyer their passengers and is willing to announce our cause to them.  

 

Maggie Flanagan, former Director of Marine Education at the old South Street Seaport Museum will run a free children's nautical fundraising event for us.   

 

Charles Knapp, cheesemonger, will run a cheese tasting fundraiser for us. 

  

Barbara Mensch is donating a photograph. 

 

See other offers of help here.

 

Can you help with the following?

  • A large boat for a fundraising cruise? That's the only way to show many people the MARY A. WHALEN. 
  • A venue for the concert, cheese tasting, children's event above?
Is there a service you can offer?
Help Us Save Programs Like These!
 
See this short video     

PortSide NewYork has created diverse waterfront programs on and off the tanker MARY A. WHALEN.

PortSide brought you TankerOpera in the containerport... the Dutch Flat Bottom Fleet... TankerTours...concerts... movies... talks... walking tours ... kayak valet... redesign of the Red Hook Boaters container... bilingual ship tours at Concierto Tipico... exhibit about maritime response to 9/11... guides to Red Hook and more.

See two pages of photos here
See list of some prior programs here
See our YouTube page here