Sailboat Brings a Different View of the City

Historic Sailboat treats guests to breathtaking views and a different experience of NYC.
Sailboat Brings a Different View of the City
COME SAIL AWAY: A view from the Clipper City sail boat on Monday. (Cliff Jia/The Epoch Times)
7/7/2009
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/ship.jpg" alt="COME SAIL AWAY: A view from the Clipper City sail boat on Monday. (Cliff Jia/The Epoch Times)" title="COME SAIL AWAY: A view from the Clipper City sail boat on Monday. (Cliff Jia/The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1827483"/></a>
COME SAIL AWAY: A view from the Clipper City sail boat on Monday. (Cliff Jia/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—Upon boarding the Clipper City, passengers of the sailboat are greeted by a gregarious crew while the deck rocks side to side and the waves crash against the hull. The heat from the sun is counteracted by the cool breeze off the East River.

This tranquil scene is common aboard the Clipper City. The 158-foot sailboat takes about three voyages every day consisting of a one and a half hour boat ride down the East river, and through the Buttermilk Channel.


“The greatest thing about my job is being in New York City, but away from New York City,” said crew member Jacob Short.
The boat passes an amazing view of the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan.


“Out here you get an incredible perspective on the city, sort of holistically. You see how it operates because out here in the harbor we’ve got the shipping lanes that go through the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and the North River, which go out to the sound and the sea, then shipping lanes come up,” said crew member Graeme Rosenberg.


The crew of Clipper City has passengers help out by hoisting the boom (the big wooden beam that swings out from the mast) and steering the boat—and of course they’re compensated with some free drinks at the bar.


The Clipper City is equipped with a bar and grill and is 118 feet tall, making it the largest passenger tall ship in New York Harbor. Built in 1985, it has sailed around the Caribbean as well as making excursions to Puerto Rico. It was based in Baltimore for over 20 years.


The Clipper City goes out three times a day on weekdays, while going out four times a day on weekends. It will be sailing until mid-October.


The Clipper City is steered by Captain Chris Van Nes who has been sailing his whole life.
Van Nes has been professionally sailing since the late 90s and his uncle ran a charter boat business in Manhattan from 1972 to 2000.