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Blank_page The Boatyard has been an ongoing project since 1987, and one of my personal favorite photographic projects. To my knowledge it is an exceptionally unique place, a rare marine wreckers yard with this many boats in the same place, and a warehouse of boats that are not likely to be found anywhere else. We are fortunate that the salvagers were selective and in their destruction of the boats that were salvaged, and that this group of boats was spared the crushing ball and torch. A good many of the boats sit as they were left, grounded, and settling into the muddy salt-water flats. The yard was originally much larger, and suffered a fire that destroyed many of the wood boats that were there, so it is fortunate that the rest were saved. There are myriad stories waiting to be discovered in these old wrecks. Old wood steam powered tugs are to be found here, as well as fire boats, ferries, navy vessels, barges, tankers, and other boats that once plied the Hudson River, New York harbor, and beyond. The marine technology represented here spans a wide range; the older steam vessels are made of wood and are fast decaying, victims of the tides, weather and time. The old wood has long ago weathered silver gray, and is constantly battered by waves from storms and river traffic, and as a result, the boats are slowly wearing away, pieces drifting out to sea. The riveted iron steam boilers will soon be the only evidence that a boat once sat in this place. The steel hulled boats are faring little better, salt-water corrosion is eating at the hulls and the boats are fast dissolving into the mud flats where they lie. The boats are marked by the tide levels, the corrosive action of the sea water leaving a rusty footprint, pealing layers away, and revealing the layered construction of the boats, the skeletal frameworks of the boats. It is with fascination that I watch the fast progress of the aging of this treasure of a place, and I consider myself quite fortunate in having experienced this place, and to be able to leave these photographs for others to see. Shaun O'Boyle 3 The Boatyard has been an ongoing project since 1987, and one of my personal favorite photographic projects. To my knowledge it is an exceptionally unique place, a rare marine wreckers yard with this many boats in the same place, and a warehouse of boats that are not likely to be found anywhere else. We are fortunate that the salvagers were selective and in their destruction of the boats that were salvaged, and that this group of boats was spared the crushing ball and torch. A good many of the boats sit as they were left, grounded, and settling into the muddy salt-water flats. The yard was originally much larger, and suffered a fire that destroyed many of the wood boats that were there, so it is fortunate that the rest were saved. There are myriad stories waiting to be discovered in these old wrecks. Old wood steam powered tugs are to be found here, as well as fire boats, ferries, navy vessels, barges, tankers, and other boats that once plied the Hudson River, New York harbor, and beyond. The marine technology represented here spans a wide range; the older steam vessels are made of wood and are fast decaying, victims of the tides, weather and time. The old wood has long ago weathered silver gray, and is constantly battered by waves from storms and river traffic, and as a result, the boats are slowly wearing away, pieces drifting out to sea. The riveted iron steam boilers will soon be the only evidence that a boat once sat in this place. The steel hulled boats are faring little better, salt-water corrosion is eating at the hulls and the boats are fast dissolving into the mud flats where they lie. The boats are marked by the tide levels, the corrosive action of the sea water leaving a rusty footprint, pealing layers away, and revealing the layered construction of the boats, the skeletal frameworks of the boats. It is with fascination that I watch the fast progress of the aging of this treasure of a place, and I consider myself quite fortunate in having experienced this place, and to be able to leave these photographs for others to see.
Shaun O'Boyle3
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