By Eileen Moon
Two River residents will soon have another chance to take a free ride on the Navesink aboard the wooden sailing garvey Pete’s Banjo.
Members of the Navesink Maritime Heritage Association (NMHA), the New Jersey Friends of Clearwater (NJFC) and Monmouth Boat Club are joining together to present this Saturday sail from 10 a.m. to approximately 11:30 a.m. Sept. 14. The sail will depart from the small marina at Marine Park in Red Bank. All three organizations have a long history of encouraging appreciation and concern for local waterways.
NMHA promotes knowledge and appreciation for maritime history on the Navesink and offers educational opportunities for children and adults who want to learn about, enjoy and protect the river.
NJFC is an environmental advocacy organization founded in Monmouth County by musician and environmentalist Bob Killian in 1974. It was inspired by the efforts of legendary folksinger Pete Seeger who launched an initiative to clean up the Hudson River in 1966 by building and sailing the replica Hudson River Sloop Clearwater to ports along the Hudson, inspiring environmental action.
NJFC took up that cause for local waters, holding an annual music and environmental festival and hosting sails on its own historic replica, the garvey Adam Hyler, for many years.
Monmouth Boat Club, which began as a rowing club in 1879, provides sailing lessons, social events and other boating activities throughout the summer. The Clearwater group has offered weekly environmental sails to the public from the Oyster Point Marina for many years, said Michael Humphreys, secretary and trustee of NMHA. This year, the two organizations, which have several members in common, sought to make the Navesink more accessible and appeal to a wider audience by hosting three summer sails in Marine Park. NJFC and NMHA reached out to Charlie Hoffman, Red Bank Parks and Recreation director, a few months ago to propose sailing the garvey from Marine Park.
Hoffman responded enthusiastically, noting that the borough has long been interested in finding ways for more residents to enjoy the river. Plans quickly fell into place and the borough graciously provided the needed slip for Pete’s Banjo to occupy in Marine Park.
“It just kind of synced up,” Hoffman said. “We want to get more folks out on the river.” While some people are particularly interested in sailing on the garvey, others simply want to enjoy being out on the water, Hoffman said. “People who have done it have enjoyed it.”
After the Hyler’s retirement to the Tuckerton Seaport Museum several years ago, members of NJFC and NMHA decided to contribute their boat-building skills to construct a new garvey. The 26-foot flat-bottomed boat is a replica of the Tuckerton Sailing garveys that once traveled the state’s rivers and bays, harvesting clams and oysters, carrying produce and other cargo when the river was the road that linked communities near and far.
The new vessel, Pete’s Banjo, set sail on the Navesink in 2015. The flagship vessel of NJFC’s environmental sailing program, the garvey can comfortably hold eight or nine people.
But so many people signed up for the sails from Marine Park that Humphreys reached out to the commodore of the Monmouth Boat Club, Bob Markoff, to ask if they could help. “He was eager to join the party with their pontoon boat and several skippers/owners of sail boats,” Humphreys said.
NMHA member Gayle Horvath, who is skipper of the Sea Scouts, a coed seafaring branch of the Boy Scouts of America, took on the task of checking people in and taking care of details with the help of her Scouts.
Despite all those efforts, however, Mother Nature had other plans and the sail set for Aug. 14 had to be canceled due to an iffy weather forecast.
Fortunately, NJFC, NMHA and the Monmouth Boat Club will try again Sept. 14, and they hope to take as many people as possible out for a late summer ride on the river.
Sail organizers are hoping to bring more sailing opportunities to the public next year. “The question is, ‘Did lots of people sign up because it was a free ride, or is there a pent-up desire to get onto the water in boats?’ ” said Humphreys.
For information on the Sept. 14 sail, visit navesinkmaritime.org or contact Red Bank Parks and Recreation at redbanknj.org.
