KINGSTON – There was supposed to be a boat tour and public sail of the Kalmar Nyckel on Sunday, a replica of a 17th-century Swedish merchant/warship, at the Hudson River Maritime Museum, but Hurricane Henri made for other plans as the crew prepared for a possible storm surge.
“There are not only things you need to keep your own boat safe,” said Captain Lauren Morgens, “but we’re also trying to make extra space for other boats that need to come in and take shelter. Kingston is one of the great hurricane holes on the Hudson River to come in and hideaway.”
So, the crew was waiting it out, ready for the storm, tied up tightly away from the danger of floating docks that could be damaged by any storm surge.
During its actual time on the seas, the ship helped establish communities on the lower Delaware River in the 1600s
“We will be going out the Rondout and into the Hudson, and what I do based on the direction of the current and the direction of the wind, I make a decision of the how the sail is going to go,” said Morgens. “What we are about is operating a 17-century sailing ship, setting sails, hauling lines, doing the work of the sailor and making it go under sail.”
Sails will resume Tuesday, with a pair each day through Saturday, August 28.
For more information about these sails, call 302-429-7447.
