John Doswell and Jean Preece, both Florida natives, have spent more than 30 years living on or refurbishing boats in the New York City waterways. Although they have an apartment on the West Side of Manhattan, they spend most of their time on their 51-foot boat, the Laissez Faire, docked at Pier 63 Maritime, just north of 23rd Street on the Hudson River.

Doswell and Preece, both software developers, are the dock masters of the privately owned pier. They keep things running smoothly at the marina, lending a hand to the two boat clubs--the Manhattan Kayak Club--and the New York Outrigger, a South Pacific canoe club, and to the boaters who have a year-round spot there.

"We are home to lost vessels," says Doswell, contrasting this pier with the nearby Chelsea Piers that tends to the needs of well-heeled boaters.
Eighteen months ago, Doswell founded Friends of Hudson River Park, a nonprofit advocacy and support organization that, in cooperation with Hudson River Park Trust, raises money for the Hudson River Park, a five-mile swath of green from Battery Park City to West 59th Street.

New York's waterfront was once a hardscrabble area. With the advent of larger tankers, and the need for deeper ports, New York's role as a port facility declined. For years, the piers running along the river were abandoned. Rotted planks and metal girders twisted and bowed by fire were monuments to the neglect the waterfront suffered. But now, the city is beginning to turn toward the ocean again. With 550 miles of waterfront, that's a cause for celebration.

The Friends of Hudson River Park hope to increase access to the waterfront to everyone, not just boaters, canoers and kayakers. One upcoming event designed to facilitate that goal is the Hudson River Park Day, scheduled Father's Day on June 17. Families and friends can learn something about New York and its islands on board historic ships.

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