Bowsprite’s Guide to New York Harbor Schooners

Regular readers of Sea-Fever know that I have a special place in my heart for maritime art and as well as good old storytelling though social media. Combine the two and you’ve got yourself a winner and that’s just what Bowsprite: A New York Harbor Sketchbook does.

Here’s how Bowsprite starts a recent post (the Schooners of New York Harbor) that caught my attention:

Overheard on VHF, on two different occasions:

“Princess to the sailing boat, Adirondack coming out of Chelsea Piers.”
“Adirondack to the Princess, we’re at North Cove, going south. You want the Imagine.”
“Sorry.”

“Adirondack, by the Statue, this is the tug and barge coming up on your stern…”
No response. It is not the Adirondack, but the Pioneer at the old buoy 31 (now 35), with no other schooner in sight…

What ship is that?

Well, should the old girl not readily show you her derrière bearing her escutcheon (plate with the boat’s name), below are some of the schooners (et al) of NYHarbor, drawn more or less to proportional scale, with some identifying marks, so you can call her by name:

Then in Bowsprite’s inimitable style, artwork like this illustrates a guide to the the schooners of New York Harbor.

Please make sure you visit and read the Schooners of New York Harbor and of course, subscribe to this wonderful maritime blog. EVERY Bowsprite post takes us on a magical tour of a working harbor. And while there are eight million stories in New York City, we are lucky that Bowsprite’s wonderful artwork and tugster’s great photography have the waterfront covered.