Schooner helps Bay Ridge celebrate eco dock opening
It’s not every day you get to board an historic schooner and it’s certainly not a common occurrence in Bay Ridge. But on Saturday, people lined up for the chance to board the Lettie G. Howard, an 1893 fishing schooner that was docked at the 69th Street pier for the day.
The Lettie G. Howard was the biggest attraction at the ceremony marking the opening of the second season of the Bay Ridge Community Eco Dock.
The eco dock, which opened for an abbreviated season last fall, is a flexible, floating dock attached to the 69th Street pier. The eco dock contains two levels, one for ships to dock and another that serves as a launch pad for kayaks. The structure was built and brought to Bay Ridge with a big assist from Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst), who provided $820,000 in funding for the project.
Following a brief ceremony hosted by Gentile, it was time for visitors to enjoy the eco dock. Under sunny skies and warm temperatures, people lined up to board the Lettie G. Howard or wandered over to an oyster garden kept by teachers and students from John Dewey High School, who were on hand to talk about marine science. Other residents just stood on the eco dock to enjoy a close-up view of the water.