This is the blog for Launch 5 where we detail all of the missions that she has undertaken for all of the various organizations and events throughout the Hudson Valley, New York City, and New Jersey.
One of our first missions of the season was to help escort the John D. McKean Fireboat into her home port for maintenance. For any of you that don’t know, this lovely boat has an incredible history serving the City of New York, and a wonderful crew of people. Thanks to the John D. McKean Fireboat again for allowing us to help out.
Read MoreToday was a good day on Launch 5 because we had the privilege of hosting the NYPD Explorers and a group of West Point Army Veterans on a day long ride learning about the Hudson River, boating safety, and each other.
Read MoreThe Launch was being vetted by an entertainment company for a possible reality series around this time, and to show them some of the organizations we have been involved in, we decided to take them up to West Point Military Academy for an annual breakfast they host for alumni and veterans. On our way up, we met with officers from the Westchester County Police Department’s Marine Unit and they showed us their new rescue vessel!
This event was presented by Hudson Rising, in partnership with Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and the Empire State Development's I LOVE NY program at the Yonkers Waterfront several times during the year. Launch 5 was asked to be one of the historic vessels present for touring by festival-goers alongside the historic Clearwater.
It’s the end of a long season for Launch 5, and so the crew prepared her for winter. Over the years of use, Launch 5’s pilot house had become kind of worn down, and badly in need of repairs and remodeling. One of the Launch’s best crew members, David Bank came to the rescue and worked alongside Captain Greg Porteus to remodel the pilot house, outfitting it with new insulation and new panelling.
Every Thanksgiving, Launch 5 will make a garbage run on the Hudson River, picking up floating debris and garbage out of the Hudson. Pictured below are the crew that day: Sgt. Mike Murphy NYPD Harbor Unit, Judge Bill Hamilton, Bianca Hamilton, Liam Hamilton, George Hritz, Ken George, and Bob Sterling. This year the crew members of Launch 5 were witness to a lot of the damage that still had not been repaired from Hurricane Sandy. Many waterfront properties were still boarded up.
Hurricane Sandy was the deadliest and most destructive, as well as the strongest, hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. Inflicting nearly $70 billion in damage, it was the second-costliest hurricane on record in the United States. The crew of Launch 5 were on duty during the peak of the storm during the night of October 30, 2012 into the wee hours of the morning of October 31st.
One of Launch 5’s specialties, and something that as an organization it has been actively doing since its inception is to host members of our civil and military services on board in their hour of need. Numerous studies have shown that being on or near water is extremely therapeutic, especially for survivors of any kind of trauma.
Read MoreEach year at The Johnson Brothers Boat Works in Point Pleasant, NJ antique and classic boat owners from up and down the eastern seaboard come to show off their vessels in the hopes of winning a few prizes through The Antique & Classic Boat Society. Founded in 1975 “on the shores of Lake George, NY, The Antique & Classic Boat Society has grown into the largest society in the world dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of classic boats.” This year, Launch 5 won the “Best Restored” award and second place in the “Workboats” category. It was truly a wonderful experience to see some of these boats.
Read MoreOne of the highlights of the end of the summer on the Hudson River is the Shattemuc Regatta. All of the beautiful sailboats with their spinnakers on, peacefully racing across the Hudson make for some lovely photos. Launch 5 and its crew were retained as the on-water security and the committee vessel this year. It was really beautiful.
We had the distinct honor of hosting an educational afternoon with the Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy II where they were given a guest lecture by one of our partners, The Hudson Riverkeeper! The entire crew of the Launch as well as the Westchester County Police Department and The Riverkeeper were very impressed with each student.
Read MoreAnother extremely cool movie production called up the Launch to be a part of its security team this year, and that was Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, directed by Christopher Nolan. If you watch the movie, we have a small cameo!
On July 19, 2012, The New York State Senate held a press conference in Ossining, NY to announce the introduction of Brianna’s Law. Brianna’s Law would require that operators of mechanically propelled vessels complete a boating safety course. Launch 5 and its volunteers attended the press conference to show their support.
Every year they host The City of Water Day, which is a “free harbor-wide day organized by the Waterfront Alliance and its partners to get people to, on, and in the water. Launch 5 was asked to be on call as part of the on-water security team for all of the events that day. The Launch 5 crew as usual, was ready and willing to help.
Read MoreAfter running for seven days straight from Hudson, NY all the way down to New York Harbor, it was time for the Launch to get some much needed maintenance work done. One of our original crew members, Wayne Pickhardt, volunteered and helped get her back in ship-shape.
Read MoreFor several years, Launch 5 acted as the security vessel for the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim. The 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim is an annual seven-day, seven stage open water swim starting at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Hudson, NY and ending at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York Harbor. It is a grueling swim, spread over seven days, averaging between 13.2 miles to 19.8 miles per day from one bridge to the next.
For several years, Launch 5 acted as the security vessel for the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim. The 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim is an annual seven-day, seven stage open water swim starting at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Hudson, NY and ending at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York Harbor. It is a grueling swim, spread over seven days, averaging between 13.2 miles to 19.8 miles per day from one bridge to the next.
Read MoreIt’s become a yearly tradition for Launch 5 to host the children of St. Christopher’s to teach them the importance of boating and water safety, protecting our waterways and environment, and just having some good, relaxing fun during the summer.
Read MoreThis year Launch 5 was contacted by the production team of the film Kill Your Darlings to appear in a key scene in the film.
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