A Sailor’s Snug Harbor… A Little Upriver

  |  November 20, 2014
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You may have heard of the famous Sailors’ Snug Harbor located on the North Shore of Staten Island. Founded in 1801, Snug Harbor was initially built as a residence for aging sailors. Today the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and the Staten Island Botanical Gardens — non-profit organizations affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute — comprise one of New York’s most extraordinary cultural destinations, set within an 83-acre National Historic Landmark district.

We have our own “sailors’ snug harbor” up the Hudson River in Kingston, just an hour and a half out of Manhattan. The Rondout is arguably one of the best ports between New York City and Albany. We host such venerable vessels as the Half Moon and Sloop Clearwater and regularly see ocean-going commercial vessels plying the channel from the outdoor deck of our home at 150 feet above sea level. Coastal cruise ships are regular visitors, especially at this time of year as the fall foliage peaks.

We were attracted to Kingston back in the 80s when it was just beginning to clear away the dust that had settled after urban renewal. Today there is a revitalization taking place: rail trails are reconnecting neighborhoods, buildings are being restored and adapted for new uses, and there is a thriving arts community. And although I am not ready yet to call myself an “aging sailor” I do find this place to be a refuge from the storm.

About Gregg Swanzey

Gregg Swanzey, a longtime advocate for the Hudson River and the Mid-Hudson Region, first moved to the Rondout neighborhood in Kingston with his family in 1986 fresh off several years as Captain of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Since then, he has crossed the Atlantic three times, served as Executive Director for a gubernatorially appointed Commission in Massachusetts, and traveled to far-flung places such as St. Petersburg, Russia; Reykjavik, Iceland; and the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. After four years in City Hall as Director of Economic Development and Strategic Partnerships for the City of Kingston, he has recently come aboard as Executive Director for the Winnakee Land Trust based in Rhinebeck in Northern Dutchess County. On any given day you might see him out jogging on one of several rail trails that converge in Kingston, kayaking the Hudson over to Rhinecliff, biking Uptown to the Farmer’s Market, climbing to the top of Burger Hill in Winnakee's Drayton Grant Park, or hanging out at home in a classic 1920's Dutch Colonial overlooking the Hudson with his wife, Emma. His two daughters live and work in New York City but are regularly up the River for the weekend.

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