Sail 4th 250 Security Measures May Impact Public Kayaking Program
The world’s largest free kayaking program, which is headquartered in Lower Manhattan, is contesting plans by the U.S. Coast Guard to shut down the Hudson River during Sail 4th 250, the maritime celebration this summer of America’s semiquincentennial.
Sail 4th 250’s festivities are slated to include 54 U.S. and foreign naval vessels, 43 Class A and B tall ships from more than 37 countries, a flyover of 75 to 125 aircraft from the Verrazzano to George Washington Bridges, and firework displays on both the East and Hudson Rivers. These plans for the biggest flotilla in New York since the 1976 Op Sail, however, include broad waterway restrictions intended to prevent terrorist attacks, among them the suspension of anchorage grounds, and tight restrictions on entry and transit.
As issued by the U.S. Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, the preliminary security plan for Sail 4th 250 prohibits human-powered vessels in New York Harbor and the Hudson River from July 1 to July 9. Among the groups impacted by this provision will be the Downtown Boathouse (based at Pier 26 in Hudson River Park) which has introduced more than half a million guests to free kayaking since its debut in 1994.
Paddlers in Downtown Boathouse kayaks, however, are required to stay within the embayment—the indentation of the shoreline created by Piers 26 and 34—regardless of their skill level. No kayakers participating in the public program of the boathouse ever venture past the ends of the piers into the main channel of the Hudson River.
Shortly after the USCG circulated its proposed rules for Sail 4th 250, Community Board 1 chair Tammy Meltzer wrote to Commander Tim Bonner, chief of the Waterways Management Division for the USCG’s Sector New York, saying, “as proposed, the restriction on human-powered vessels would suspend the Downtown Boathouse’s free public kayaking program during peak summer use, eliminating a critical and long-standing public access opportunity on the Hudson River despite its limited footprint and controlled operations within the pier line.”
She added, “Community Board 1 respectfully yet urgently requests that the Coast Guard allow this established public paddling program to continue operating within the pier line during the restricted period through a narrowly defined exemption or operational accommodation. This narrowly tailored accommodation reflects established precedent, poses minimal operational risk, and would preserve Lower Manhattan’s most accessible and equitable public waterfront programs while remaining fully consistent with the security objectives of Sail 4th 250.”
Downtown Boathouse president Martin Sweeney said, “the initial rules say from 9am on July 1 to midnight on July 9, there would be no human-powered boats on the river at all. That would shut us down. A blanket ban for nine days at the peak portion of the season is a big deal. During that period last year, we put at least 1,500 people on the water.”
He added that while this plan has not yet been modified, “the discussion so far is encouraging.” Mr. Sweeney continued, “we are optimistic there will be reasonable accommodations for human-powered boaters. People might not think that New York City has such a strong and large human-powered boating community, but there are well over a dozen community boating organizations in New York City that do some sort of free human-powered boating. A good thing this brought out was the power of the boating community in New York.”
When asked about the Coast Guard’s involvement in the process, Mr. Sweeney said, “The Coast Guard met with us a couple weeks ago and are taking this under advisory. They are a big organization, but they took the feedback and they have heard what we have to say.”
A USCG spokesman was not available to respond to a request for comment due to the ongoing partial federal government shutdown that has restricted operations at the Department of Homeland Security.