TRIBECA — Historic ships are sailing into TriBeCa this spring, bringing a boatload of free events to Pier 25.
Visiting vessels include the Lehigh Valley Barge #79, a 1914 railroad barge; the Picton Castle, a three-masted tall ship from Canada; the Roseway, a 1920s fishing schooner; and the 1883 wooden Gazela. They will join the tugboat Pegasus and steamship Lilac, two historic boats that already call Pier 25 home.
"We’re thrilled to introduce these historic vessels to a new generation of park users," Madelyn Wils, president of the Hudson River Park Trust, said in a statement.
The first visiting ship is the Lehigh, which was scheduled to dock at the North Moore Street pier on Thursday.
The barge, which houses the Waterfront Museum, will host free tours May 5, 6 and 13 from 1 to 5 p.m. and May 10 from 4 to 8 p.m.; a pirate school for families May 12 at 1 and 4 p.m. (tickets $13 for adults and $10 for children); and a teen book event May 11 from 7 to 10 p.m. It will cast off from the pier on May 15.
Next to arrive is the Picton Castle, which will dock at Pier 25 from May 15 to 20, followed by the Roseway from May 22 to 24 and the Gazela from May 23 to 28. The event lineups for those visits have not yet been announced.
The Lehigh will return to Pier 25 from June 28 to July 1 for the North River Historic Ship Festival, where it will join the retired fireboat John J. Harvey, the Lilac and Pegasus for educational trips, tours and a floating circus.
The Lilac and Pegasus will also offer public programs throughout the summer.
The 1933 Lilac, the Coast Guard's oldest surviving lighthouse tender, will be open Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 to 6 p.m. beginning May 31. Before then, the Lilac will offer tours May 5 and 6 from 1 to 5 p.m., May 12 from 2 to 5 p.m. and May 25 to 28 from 1 to 5 p.m.
The tug Pegasus is still setting its summer schedule but will hold its first open hours May 5 and 6 from 1 to 5 p.m.
