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We haven't written for a while for all the best reasons. We've been busy! And successful! We are also increasingly sharing info via other social media; check us out there to stay up to date.
The Facebook page for Mary A. Whalen carries images and info about the ship restoration and worklife aboard, the page for PortSide is more about waterfront policy and news. Our Twitter account shares all of that and is therefore has most comprehensive and timely info.
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Spring growth!
Spring is a time for growth, and PortSide is sure doing it!
We have significant new partners helping us maintain the ship; more on that in the future. Much of our work is out of view, working with new consultants and advisers to grow the board and make new business and fundraising plans. We are also creating several volunteer committees, if you would like to be involved, shoot us an email!  We just succeeded in securing a commitment of FEMA recovery funds for our Sandy damages (reimbursement funds for money we have to first raise and expend in order to receive). We negotiated many hurdles and much paperwork along the way, starting from the point of "you are an ineligible non-profit" in November 2012. Negotiating is something PortSide has learned thanks to eight years of seeking a home while simultaneously arranging for program permits at diverse sites. PortSide became resilient in many ways well before Sandy. Please donate to support our ongoing recovery and growth.
 Goltens Marine, founded in Red Hook, has sadly closed its Red Hook shop but continues operations in 16 countries, including the USA. This is a major loss to Red Hook's maritime portfolio and the whole harbor. Goltens could fabricate or fix just about anything relating to a ship as Rik Van Hemmen explains in this tribute. PortSide made more video interviews and photos of Goltens before they closed to preserve this Red Hook history for our WaterStories project.
Goltens' closure affects our Sandy recovery, since Goltens was going to refurbish the replacement parts for the MARY A. WHALEN's engine that were stored in the pier shed and flooded by Sandy. Goltens had worked on the MARY's engine in the past, so we have lost local knowledge about our ship. PortSide now needs quotes from other engine restorers.
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What a difference a year makes
Red Hook IS Rising and we continue to help
Just over a year ago, we were at the White House receiving an award for Sandy recovery work (prevention and aid delivery). Sandy broadened PortSide's water-themed mission to include helping communities recover and prepare for water disasters. We developed community preparedness plans. We dedicated pages of our website (See the Sandy tab), and much of blog, Facebook and Twitter activity to info about recovery and resiliency. One of our webpages is dedicated to making sense of the welter of resiliency plans just about Red Hook. The eight-month NYS NY Rising resiliency planning process has concluded. (See final plan or shorter Executive Summary.) Our Director Carolina Salguero was a member to the Red Hook committee. Her proposal to install solar-powered, emergency lights in NYCHA public housing (as a pilot project) was one of two projects from the plan presented during its rollout in Albany (see 09:16 of video) The PortSide office supported Carolina's work on the committee with considerable research which we have put on line so it is accessible to all.
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The Power of PortSide programs
In this edition, education, preservation, advocacy
Getting the mariners' 9/11 story right
The 9/11 Memorial Museum recently opened, and we are proud that PortSide NewYork bettered that museum in covering the mariners' response to 9/11, which we presented in our 2012 multimedia exhibit. The 9/11 museum  does not describe - as we did - how mariners pumped in water to fight the fires, supplied ground zero, removed rubble and set up emergency ferry networks for two years. The museum understates the magnitude of the evacuation, the largest boatlift in history, and relegates it to a small nook. Getting the 9/11 story right is NOT just a backward-looking exercise, it helps prepare NYC for future disaster response and resiliency. We push ahead with ship preservation work!
 We overhauled the galley on the Mary A. Whalen over the winter, removing massive amounts of paint, restoring original colors, polishing metals. Check it out! To finish remaining details, we could use help restoring floor tile, the wood-paneled fridge-freezer, and the galley stools and banquette. Please refer such professionals to us, and please donate!
Getting creative with maritime advocacy, the Hero Project
PortSide is partnering with photographer Jonathan Atkin to promote his Hero Project and provide a501(c)3 conduit for his grants.
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Ze Motion on MARY A. WHALEN
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The Hero Project is "using the majesty of dance on behalf of the maritime heritage of our nation." It combines three arts, naval architecture, dance, and photography, to make dramatic photos and a unique, preservation advocacy project. The 76th birthday of the MARY A. WHALEN on May 21, 2014 was observed at the opening of the Hero Project exhibit. See the Hero Project photos yourself on the ship LILAC in Tribeca until June 30, Thursdays 4-7pm and weekends 2-7pm. For a twofer, you can catch the North River Historic Ship Festival there on the weekend of 6/21-22.
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Help propel PortSide forward
Please donate now and help PortSide grow its innovative waterfront education, culture and advocacy programs.
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PortSide brought you... Red Hook Sandy recovery aid at 351 Van Brunt... 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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PortSide NewYork is a 501(c)3 profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
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