A Field Guide of New York Harbor/The Age of Sail

A Field Guide of New York Harbor/The Age of Sail. . , A Field Guide of New York Harbor , New York Harbor extends from its dramatic gateway at The Narrows, a turbulent channel separating Staten Island from Brooklyn, to the Battery at Manhattan’s southern-most tip. One of the world’s great natural harbors, Upper New York Bay has welcomed a steady stream of ships since the 17th Century. During the 19th century, thousands of immigrants marked the end of their passage to America with the sight of the Statue of Liberty and arrival at Ellis Island. According to the logs of explorer Giovanni da Verrazano (sic), the harbor offered “ a very agreeable situation located within two prominent hills, in the midst of which flowed to the sea a very great river…” These are a few of its more prominent landmarks., The Age of Sail , Only a century ago New York Harbor was crowded with sails. Vessels of every description criss-crossed the waters where two rivers meet, battling tricky tides and currents and seeking favorable winds. Coastal packets carried passengers and freight to nearby destinations in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Great schooners came and went, linking the city to overseas ports. For the first 200 years of its existence, the City’s livelihood depended on the waterfront. All along the lower Manhattan shoreline, ships jostled for position at the busy piers where their cargos were loaded and unloaded. The island at its edges sometimes seemed forested with masts.