Parade Of Boats Celebrates

Eco-Cruise Anniversary

 

Leading a celebratory ‘victory lap’ on the Hackensack River, Hackensack Riverkeeper marked the 10th Anniversary of its Eco-Cruise program with a Parade of Boats between Carlstadt and Secaucus. The Eco-Cruise program, which began in 1995 with an eight-passenger pontoon boat named Queen Mary E, has introduced an estimated 30,000 people to the Hackensack River and the marshes of the New Jersey Meadowlands. Last year alone, more than 3,000 people came aboard the vessels Edward Abbey and Robert H. Boyle to learn the story of that urban watershed.

“I knew in 1995 that if we were ever going to save the Meadowlands, I had to get people out into the marsh so they could see it for themselves,” said Captain Bill Sheehan, executive director, Hackensack Riverkeeper. “When people come out and see it for themselves, many say they are transformed and can’t help but advocate for its preservation.”

The celebratory Parade of Boats launched on May 28, Memorial Day weekend and the official start of the summer boating season. The festivities began with the annual blessing of pleasure craft and US Coast Guard Auxiliary patrol vessels by Fr. Ray Rotonda at the Auxiliary’s Secaucus headquarters. Captain Sheehan, at the helm of the Edward Abbey, led the boaters upriver to the Waterfront Café in Carlstadt, (www.waterfrontcafe.net), where they were treated to a complimentary barbeque, in preparation for what he hopes will become an annual Parade of Boats.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate this milestone than to do it on the river with some of those who have directly benefited from its recovery - the boaters and fishermen,” said Sheehan.

At 1 p.m., the Parade began with the Abbey and Boyle leading a fleet of 15 boats ranging from a 16-foot Scout runabout to a 36-foot Silverton motor yacht. The flotilla of speedboats, pontoon boats, sportfishing boats and more made their way south to Laurel Hill County Park, where they saluted those onshore before heading back upriver.

By 2:30 PM, the fleet was back in port at the Auxiliary’s headquarters. There, a Memorial Day party and barbeque celebration was in full swing - a perfect way to both end the Parade and begin the summer season.

Before the festivities were over, Sheehan thanked everyone who both made the day a success and who helped support his organization’s efforts to protect, preserve and restore the Hackensack River and its watershed - his staff, volunteers, riverfront business owners and USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 10-2.

The Eco-Cruise program actually predates Sheehan’s tenure as Riverkeeper by two years. In 1995, he headed up an organization known as the Hackensack Estuary And River Tenders Corporation (HEART Corp.). That was his first foray into the environmental activism that eventually led him to found Hackensack Riverkeeper.