Latest Information - 9/11/01

Status of the Club - The club is closed for the time being.  The main club fleet and our office at North Cove is located inside the secured zone.  There is no public access to this part of Manhattan.  The plaza in front of North Cove is being used for emergency services.  It is possible that the club will not open again this season.   The season was originally meant to continue until October 20. Nothing is final, but we must now wait and see whether it is possible or appropriate to sail again this season.

Status of the Members - Bob Ransom's wife Anne is missing.  Please keep her in your prayers.  This is all we know at this time.

Status of the Staff - All of our staff are safe.

Status of the Boats - The boats appear to have made it through the event without any major damage.  They are still covered in debris so we are unsure as to the extent of the damage.  There have been isolated damage to some boats which have broken their dock lines.  All dock lines have no been sistered to provide more safety.

Status of the Clubhouse - The clubhouse door was open when the towers collapsed and there is a significant amount of dust and debris inside the clubhouse.

What you can do to Help - Please have patience.  There is nothing we can do at this time but wait.  As soon as possible, we will begin cleaning the boats.

Communication with the Club - The club has established a temporary telephone number at 908-362-6089.  You can also reach Commodore Michael Fortenbaugh at mike@myc.org. 

9/26 - Thank you to all of the members who gathered for dinner at La Lucnheonette Restaurant.  It was great to see everyone.

9/27 - Commodore Fortenbaugh visited the North cove docks again.   2 more lines had parted and were retied.  He also retrieved the office computer which was filled with dust.  However, it is expected that this computer will continue to work.

9/27 - The insurance company said they will be sending an adjuster to view the damage to our boats.  The biggest issue appears to be how to clean the clubhouse of dust.

9/28 - The harbor has now been opened on the New Jersey side.   Boats are allowed to operate in the harbor but must be back at their dock by 4 p.m.

9/28 - We removed High Society from North Cove.  The battery cables from High Society had been disconnected as part of the emergency response.  As a result, when it rained, water filled the hull and part of the engine was submerged.   To remove High Society, we towed her with Greyhound.  This operation was performed by Zander & Hugh.  We had to receive special permission fromt he USCG to enter North Cove and transit the frozen zone.  Once in North Cove, they hooked a line to High Society and towed her to the launching ramp at the southern end of Liberty State Park.  Tomas met them there with the trailer and the boat was hauled.   Greyhound then returned to her temporary slip at Liberty Harbor Marina.  High Society has been transported to our winter maintenance facility where repairs will be needed to the engine.  The hull was also damaged after the attack.  We will try to get this boat repaired now and then store her until next spring.

9/30 - Danielle Gallo is written up in the New York Times for her brave and symbolic gesture to continue sailing.  Article.

10/01 - High Society recieved her first coat of paint.  It's very nice to see the first of our boats begin getting back into good condition.

10/02 - The sailing school will reopen this coming weekend.  The school will teach from our Jersey City docks.  We are doing this strictly out of economic necessity.  The school has lost a great amount of income over the past few weeks and we do not have business interuption insurance.  We must attempt to recover any income possible in order to ensure the financial health of the school and club.   Although the school will be open, the club will still not be open.  While members could sail on the boats from Jersey City, now is not the time or place.  It is important that we reopen the club as a group, with the proper ceremony and rememberance.  Also, it is important that the staff be able to devote all energies towards issues which are still critical such as the salvaging our equipment from North Cove, the severe economic impact to the club and the future of the club in general.

10/02 - Sally Anne Santos writes, "Brad Read, Executive Director of Sail Newport has asked me to invite all MYC Sailors to participate in the "Sail for Pride" Regatta to raise funds for the victims of the terrorism attacks on the United States. The event will take place on Saturday, October 13, between 11 a.m. and 4p.m. on Narragansett Bay. For more information please visit: www.sailnewport.org or call Sail Newport at: 401/846-1983.  This would be a terrific opportunity to take a break from NYC, visit Newport and get back out on the water sailing in a fun regatta to benefit NYC Disaster Relief funds. What could be better? Hope to see you here in Newport!"

10/03 - Wednesday evening from 5:30-7:30 p.m., members are encouraged to gather at the Model Boat Basin in Central Park for club races on radio controlled boats.   Also, we are having debris from the clubhouse tested for asbestos.  All government reports are that the asbestos level in the debris is not large enough to pose any health hazards.  But before cleaning the boats ourselves, we thought it prudent to check.

10/5 - Here are the latest updates.  Things are moving very fast.   This morning, the USCG has dropped the security zone around Manhattan.  This means that between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., boats are allowed to move anywhere in the harbor.  After 4 p.m., no boat is allowed to move in the harbor.  This is a major change from yesterday.  In order to get people into North Cove yesterday by boat, we had to go through a process of several hours.  Today, we can move back and forth without restriction. The next thing I expect to happen is that they will open the esplanade in front of North Cove.  Yesterday, this was a "Red Zone" which meant is was completely frozen.  You could only access the area with credentials supplied by the National Guard.  But they have fenced off the World Financial Center buildings and I believe they are moving to open the esplanade to pedestrian traffic.  This will allow residents in the south end of Battery Park City to walk north.  Currently, residents have to walk all the way south to the tip of Manhattan in order to enter and depart BPC.  However, this is just a guess.  I have not heard it confirmed from any official channel and no one has mentioned any possible dates of when this may happen.  Also, we do not know whether they will open Battery Park City to anyone other than residents.  As of yesterday, only residents were allowed into BPC.  If they do allow the public in, we also have to see whether we will be allowed on our club docks.  I have spoken many times with the Mayors Office of Emergency Management.  In fact, they contacted me on Wednesday, just before the model boat racing began in Central Park.  At that time, they requested we get the debris cleaned off our boats immediately.  We set this in motion yesterday morning by delivering the powerwasher to the docks from our maintenance facility.  The cleaning was begun by Hugh and Tomas who arrived on the docks by water using Greyhound from Jersey City.  Zander, our insurance adjuster and myself were on the Manhattan side and unable to get permission to reach North Cove (even though I have already been there several times).  In the end, the Mayors OEM office secured credentials for myself but not the others.  It was an interesting day, sitting among the National Guard units eating hamburgers in the cafeteria of PS 89 (where my son normally goes to school).   Originally, I had hoped that there would be a cleaning with all members invited similar to our spring launchings.  I thought this would be a great morale booster to the club.  But the request from the OEM office changed this.  Also, the security issues then in effect and recommendation to wear proper protection against the dust made a full membership effort unlikely.  As a result, by the end of today, we expect our J/24s to have been powerwashed.  This will remove the majority of the dust and debris.  There will still need to be more cleaning and we will schedule this as soon as the access issue is clarified.  We will also continue through the weekend to clean the floating clubhouse.  This morning, our special vacuum cleaners are being transported from the facility to the docks.  The vacuums we use in the normal course of fiberglass operations are the same ones being used by the environmental cleaning outfits.  I think all of us need to stand on the club docks again as soon as possible.  We are all working toward this goal.  As soon as we learn more about the public access we will try to schedule a memorial service.  After this, it is my great hope, that we will be able to do some type of commemorative sail.  Thank you for your patience.  This is all happening very quickly and is very time consuming.   There will not be any membership sailing this weekend and the school will operate from Jersey City.  But I hope we will be able to make something happen by next weekend.

10/8 - On Sunday, we moved the floating clubhouse from North Cove to Jersey City in order to continue cleaning it.  Trying to do the cleaning at North Cove was proving very difficult with the security measures and lack of electricity.   The clubhouse is currently on T Dock at Liberty Harbor Marina with our other boats.   We hope to have her cleaned most of the way by the end of Wednesday.  The sailing school opened back up this past weekend.  It was wet, rainy, blustery and chilly.  In short, great!  We will figure out how to open the whole club soon.  In the meantime, I would like to invite you to participate in the "MYC Bowling Championship."  This will be Monday evening, October 15 at Bowlmor Lanes on University Place.  More details will be provided later this week, but in the meantime, please clear your calendar for this prestigious, high quality event.   I will be using my knowledge of puffs, windshifts and current to put on a dazzling display of skill and hope that many other members will join me.

10/10 - I heard from Kinya Tago that the esplanade in front of North Cove has been opened to foot traffic.  This is great news.  However, Battery Park City is still closed to the public so only residents can get to North Cove.  We are trying to find out when Battery Park City will be opened to the public but we have not heard yet.  As soon as the public is allowed into Battery Park City, we will reopen the club.  Our first order of business will be a memorial service at the docks in memory of those who did not survive the attack.  This Memorial Service will be held on a Wednesday evening and sailing will begin the following day.  Although our club has boats in Jersey City, I feel it is proper to have this memorial service before we reopen the club.  Thank you for your patience. If Battery Park City is opened as early as this weekend, the Memorial Service will be Wednesday, October 17.  If BPC is not opened this weekend, then the Memorial Service will be scheduled for October 24.   The floating clubhouse is currently in Jersey City.  We have been cleaning her for 4 days with 1 more day to go.  The J/24s have been power-washed to get the majority of debris off.  This took 2 days.  There is additional cleaning still needed, especially on the hulls and in the cabins.  We are currently in the process of trying to extend the sailing season.  This will require the support of North Cove Yacht Harbor and/or Liberty Harbor Marina.  I have spoken with them both today.   Liberty Harbor has given the go ahead and we are waiting for North Cove to respond.   Tomorrow, I will be contacting the insurance company.  Our goal is to extend the season until Thanksgiving.  We will organize "De MYC Caribbean Regatta" this winter.  Originally, we had not planned to organize this event until 2003.  However, in light of the circumstances, I believe a Caribbean Regatta must be held this winter.  It will be Feb. 2-9 and details will be posted on the club website within the next few weeks.  We are also working to recreate the club billing system so that we can send out invoices.  The club has not been able to send out bills for almost 2 months.  The loss of revenue from the sailing school and entry fees from the fall racing series has dealt a serious financial blow to the club.   However, the club has applied for a Disaster Assistance Loan from FEMA and the SBA.  It appears the club will qualify for a loan which will help us maintain liquidity through the winter.  Thank you very much to all of the members who have written emails over the past few weeks.  They were much appreciated.

10/12 - The Fall Racing Series will be finished.

10/12 - We had the dust in the clubhouse tested and the results came back today.  The report is:"Your sample was tested today.  Of the material you provided, the asbestos content was negligible.  The material was substantially comprised of fiberglass.  There were other inert components.  I hope that eases any concerns."  Just some good news to pass on to you.  This means we will be able to hang out in the floating clubhouse again once Battery Park City is opened to the public.  Have an enjoy weekend.

10/15 - The Bowling Championship is tonight.  See you there.  The club website www.myc.org has been updated with a number of interesting photos.  Thank you to Margot De France and Peter Turbin for sending in an aerial view of the entire WTC area a few days after the attack.  This is a very large and detailed photo which will allow you to see much of what happened.  This photo is located on the WTC Images section.  Also in this section is a photo of our fleet by Nobi Ihara.  This was taken on Oct. 9 and will let you see that our boats are still there.  We are just waiting for the government to open Battery Park City to the public so we can restart the sailing season.  Peter Genis sent in 2 pictures of the Ladies Championship, 2 weeks before the attack.   These great pictures are located on the website under "Fun Pictures."  John Hoekman was in the second WTC tower to be hit and got out safely.  He was inquiring about getting a copy of the postcard picture which has 3 J/24s plus the towers.  He writes, "I want to get a larger, framed version of that photo...I am driving #6 in the shot, and it would be a very pleasant reminder about how life was under and among the brothers.  You know, living up on the shoulder of the southern giant, I felt that I was somehow involved in an ongoing discussion between two great men; brothers who understood what brotherhood meant.  I feel that we are the offspring, descendants from their bodies as they died an untimely death; children to the lost whose deeds in this life are meant to echo in eternity.  Not revengeful, but meaningful acts of greatness will emanate from those who listened to those conversations, and too, developed an understanding of what it means to stand tall, and continue to live on long after we are gone.  My life is forever changed...for the better.  Certainly the horror of 9/11 will live on in my subconscious.  But my consciousness is forever height! ened and that, my friend, is what makes this life great. "  [John gave permission to reprint this as long as I explained carefully that he was using "brothers" in the generic sense of all people, both men and women.]  I have seen the skyline many times since Sept. 11.   The first few times, your breath is taken away but what is missing.  But over time, the majesty of what still remains comes forward.  Our skyline is an incredible thing.  It has not disappeared.  It has only changed.  It still stand as a symbol of everything great about our city.  I will see you there sailing with me soon "under the skyline of Manhattan!" 

10/16 - Battery Park City has still not been opened to the public.  Therefore, we will put off the planned Memorial Service at the docks and the reopening of the club until at least next Wednesday, October 24.  Once we are operating again, we will extend the season and allow sailing through Thanksgiving.  The completion of the fall racing series will still go forward this weekend, but with boats from the Jersey City docks.  If you are a racing teams captain and wish to participate, please sign up ASAP through www.myc.org.  If you are not a racer and still would like to participate, you can join me on the race committee.  We will run the races from the Stake Boat (our barge) so it will be comfortable.  The Race Committee will depart at 10:15 a.m. from the Jersey City docks.  Email me if you would like to be part of the Race Committee.  We need volunteers for both Saturday and Sunday.  It is time to get out and see the harbor again.  There was a great turn out yesterday evening for the first MYC Bowling Championship.  Thank you to everyone who came.  It was great to get together again. And congratulations to the winner, whoever it was.  I left before the final game, but the competition was really getting good.

10/19 - I was at North Cove again this past Wednesday.   There is still no public access to Battery Park City.  It was also so windy on Wednesday that people were not allowed to walk by North Cove because of the possibility of debris and glass falling off buildings.  A policeman ordered us off our docks.  And to get from the south side of Battery Park City to the north side, we had to ride in a police van.  The clean up of WTC debris continues at full speed.   We crossed the Westside Highway on the elevated pedestrian walkway at Chambers Street.  Large dump trucks and flatbed trailers piled with twisted steel were lined up from Pier 25 all the way back to ground zero.  The debris was being dumped in front of a temporary bargeport on the south side of Pier 25.  A huge Weeks Marine crane was there to scoop up the metal and put it on barges.  From there, the metal is being transported to Staten Island.  There is another bargeport on the east side of the island near the heliport.  The amount of equipment and numbers of people working around the clock is incredible.  Also on Wednesday, the US Coast Guard issued new security zones and placed North Cove off limits to all but essential rescue equipment.   I am unsure why they did this and am still trying to find if we can get more boats out of North Cove.  The reclosing of North Cove came as a surprise.  This weekend, we are relaunching our fall racing series and need more boats than are in Jersey City.  We had planned on getting boats from North Cove on Saturday morning.   Now, we are unsure what will happen.  If you are signed up to participate in the races this weekend, please still show up in Jersey City.  We may reassign boats.   We are working on this issue right now and will not know what will happen until Saturday morning.  But one thing is sure, the races will go on.  The US Coast Guard also has established security zones around Ellis and Liberty Island.  You are not allowed within 150 yards of these locations.  Our starting barge is 500 feet away from Ellis Island which puts it 50 feet outside the security zone.  So when racing this weekend, choose your path carefully or you may be boarded.  Also, if the USCG feels our sailboats create unnecessary concern, they have the authority to stop our races and sailing.  You can get updated information about the harbor restrictions at this website: www.incidentnews.gov.  We all must work together and cooperate with our rescue authorities.  If you are not racing this weekend, I invite you to join me on the Stake Boat to watch the races.  The Stake Boat is our barge off Ellis Island.  Watching the races from this location is a great experience.  Just show up at our Jersey City docks at any time during Saturday or Sunday.  Ray Walter will be at the docks and he can contact us by VHF radio.  I will then send a powerboat in to pick you up and bring you out to the Stake Boat.   Please bring your own PFD if you have one.  Also, you might bring some food and beverages.  Handheld VHF radios are helpful.  Racing will be from 10:30 a.m. until about 4 p.m.  The race committee will depart for the Stake Boat around 10:10 a.m.  It's going to be a beautiful weekend.  Please come out to watch either day or both.  Directions to our Jersey City docks:  Liberty Harbor Marina is located in Jersey City at the southern end of Marin Blvd.  The marina is on the north side of Morris Canal.  Our boats are located on "T Dock" which is just to the west of the fuel dock and directly in front of the New York Waterway trailer.  There is no ferry to this marina on weekends.   The easiest way to get to Liberty Harbor Marina is by PATH.  Take the PATH train towards Newark or Journal Square.  Exit at Grove Street which is the second stop after the Hudson River.  Then walk south on Marin Blvd.  The marina is at the end of the road.  This is a 5-10 minute walk.    You can also get a taxi at the PATH stop.  The cost for a taxi ride is about $3.50.  You can also drive your car to the marina.  There is plenty of parking.  My pager is 973-612-3636.  This morning, I received a call from Gunter Pershiehl, Commodore of the Nord Deutscher Regatta Verein.  This is one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in Germany.  They visited our club several years ago for the sandbagger races.  Commodore Pershiehl said that after the WTC attack he sent a letter to his membership saying that since the United States had helped Germany rebuild after the war, they should help now New York.  Many members responded and their club has raised $25,000.  Initially, their thoughts were to donate it to a fund for the families of lost fire fighters.  However, they have since learned that these charitable funds have already received so much money that their contribution would not be significant.  Therefore, Commodore Pershiehl called us to offer financial support if our club needed anything.  I thanked him for his very touching generosity and said that we are okay.  He then asked our club to give him some ideas about how this money could best be applied.  If you have any ideas, please let me know.  I will report back to him on Monday.  Also, in 2003, their club is organizing a trans-Atlantic Ocean Race in conjunction with the New York Yacht Club.  The race will be from New York to Hamburg and they expect 100 boats to enter.  Details are at www.dcnac.de.  I have also received a letter from P. Somers Cooper, Commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.  Peter Aeschlimann who is the team captain here at our club for Marsh McLennan, is also a member of the RBYC.   Commodore Cooper was sending over one of their burgees for our clubhouse.  His letter also extended Guest Membership to any Manhattan Sailing Club members who is visiting Bermuda.  I will post details of this on our website soon.  There have been many other people from around the world who have checked in with our club over the past few weeks.  It has been very moving.  At this point, we are uncertain whether the governmental authorities will open Battery Park City to the public in the near future.   Everywhere you turn, there are more things happen.  This past week, authorities brought many of the families who lost loved ones into the area to view to site.  For obvious reasons, this was done in a private manner, away from the public.   But with the additional concern of flying debris and the scale of the operation, if is possible that Battery Park City will remain closed for quite some time.  I have been pushing very hard to reopen the cruising programs of our club.  But central to this concept was the idea that we would start with a Memorial Service at the North Cove docks.  Now, I am not sure such a Memorial Service will be possible in the near future.  Listening to the people who have already sailed, everyone seems to agree that it is good for the sole and something we should all try to do as soon as possible.   Therefore, we will now change strategy and begin to set up the cruising operation from Jersey City.  As soon as the USCG allows us back into North Cove, we will move a few more J/24s to Jersey City.  Then, these boats will be available for cruising members.  We will open cruising next Saturday, October 27.  There will only be a limited number of boats because the completion of the fall racing series will also be using them.  But the racing will finish next weekend and from then until Thanksgiving, the boats will be exclusively available for cruising.  The J/24s will only be available for cruising on weekends unless special arrangements are made.  You are not allowed to sail in the harbor past sunset which is now too early in the evening for weekday sailing.  If any members wish to go sailing during the week, please send me a note so we can try to arrange for a staff person to be at the docks to assist you.  Reservations for cruising boats can be made by direct email with me.   Please use email instead of the phone if possible.  There are many things happening at the club and without a dockmaster or office, we are trying our best to keep things running smoothly.  You can help.  Please try to make a reservation several days in advance.   Also, please sail with other members and limit guests.  Let's try to get all the club members sailing.  This is the spirit of the club.  If you are looking for other members to sail with, just let me know and I will see what I can do.  And finally, ay skipper who wishes to take a boat during this time should first study all USCG special regulations.  Thank you everyone for your patience and support during this challenging time.  This weekend will bring the beginning of a rebirth.  Please join me on the Stake Boat.

10/22 - One of our contacts at the USCG informs me that as of midnight tonight, North Cove will no longer be a secured zone from the water.  This is great news.  This means that we will be able to access boats at North Cove.  This coming weekend, we have the second half of the racing program scheduled.  If Battery Park City is still closed to the public, teams should meet in Jersey City.  Then if any teams wish to race on their correct boat, we could motor the skipper across to Manhattan to pick up the boat and motor it back to the crew in Jersey City.  This might also increase the number of boats we can have available this coming weekend.  If we are able to access boats at North Cove, then there would be enough boats for cruising members also to sail.  I will update you later this week.  The past weekend, the racing was spectacular and a very important lift for everyone who participated.   Congratulations to Stephen Yip and his crack team who won 4 or the 6 races.  The only major variable right now is whether Battery Park City gets opened to the public.  After visiting the North Cove docks on Saturday morning (with proper USCG permission), we felt it might be unlikely that BPC gets opened up soon.  This is important because of how we plan the Memorial Service at the docks.  If we are unable to plan this soon, we are thinking it might then be appropriate not to sail from North Cove until next spring and then begin the season with the Memorial Service.  As you can see, there are many variables which change every day.  But on Saturday and Sunday, I was sitting on our Stake Boat with members helping on the Race Committee and other members sailing back and forth.  A light sea breeze was blowing and the sun was shining.  We still have a beautiful city although it has changed.  But the energy, the vitality and the experience that is New York City, is still there below the surface.

10/26 - Here are the latest developments. As of Wednesday this week, Battery Park City was opened to the public.   So you can walk down and see the boats.  I have been trying to get permission from North Cove to restart our sailing season from their docks.  This morning, I spoke to Janet (who manages the marina).  We have agreed to a price based on a pro-rata formula.  But, North Cove says they do not currently have insurance.  Apparently, when the area was taken over by the Office of Emergency Management, North Cove's insurance was canceled.  And they have not yet been able to reinstate their insurance because their insurance company says North Cove is still a construction zone.  Because of this, I do not believe we will be able to use the North Cove docks for the time being.  Instead, we will have to continue sailing from our Jersey City docks.  This weekend, we will finish up the fall racing series.  On Saturday, 15 teams are scheduled to race.  We currently have 14 J/24s in Jersey City.  Plus the sailing school needs 3 boats.  So we need to bring 4 more across from Manhattan.   Because all of the boats will be used, we will not be able to offer any cruising except after the races are done at about 3 or 4 p.m.  Members interested in cruising can go at that time but you must return by dusk because of the special USCG regulations.  Before going sailing, be sure to check the latest USCG restrictions in the harbor at www.incidentnews.gov   After we finish the racing series this weekend, there will be 4 more weeks of exclusively cruising through Thanksgiving weekend.   For this weekend's races, I will not be able to attend on Saturday as I have to go to a Memorial Service in Bay Head.  I will be there on Sunday.  Tomas who has run the races all summer will be in charge of the Race Committee duties.  He could use some help.  Can you volunteer?  If you are available, please show up at the Jersey City docks by 10 a.m.  Now to the future.  When this winter comes, it will be cold, wet, etc here in New York City.  But not in the British Virgin Islands where the sun will be shining, the breezes will be blowing at a steady 20 knots (great for sailing) and the rum bottles will be lined up.  I'm going.  Do you want to? De MYC Caribbean Regatta will happen from Feb. 2-9, 2002.  Information has now been posted on the website at www.myc.org.   There is also a registration form and boat assignments.  To get your first choice of boat, sign up soon.  Our Annual Dinner has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, January 16, again in the Model Room of the New York Yacht Club thanks to the support of Joan Lappin.  Thanks & enjoy the weekend.

10/31 - Happy Halloween!  On Saturday, my apartment building in Battery Park City was finally reopened and now my family has been able to move back into the city.  It is very nice to be back.   This city has a special vitality and energy which is found no where else.  Congratulations to Roger Kagan who won the Fall Racing series with an incredible string of first and second place finishes last weekend.   Final scores are posted on the website.  Also, under Fun Pictures there is an terrific shot of the harbor by Sofia Arhall.  The picture is from Saturday and shows our boats racing in front of Ellis and Liberty Islands.   You can also see the Stake Boat.  Congratulations to Kurt Weiss who has been elected as President of the J/27 Class Association.    Kurt, who has owned his J/27 for several years now was the driving force in forming a One-Design class in Long Island Sound which also includes fellow MYC member Bob Ransom.  And so this evening, I can report from "Ground Zero" that even though there are fires still burning, many of the security guards are wearing subtle costumes (like horns on their heads) and there are kids going from apartment to apartment saying "Trick or Treat."  Now we just need a ticker tape parade.

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