South Street Seaport Museum Announces Saturday Tugboat Rides On W.O. Decker

South Street Seaport Museum has announced public cruises aboard the 1930 tugboat W.O. Decker every Saturday from July 31, 2021 through August 21, 2021. The ship will run three tours each Saturday, departing at 1:15pm, 2:45pm, and 4:15pm. Tickets to ride are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors/students, and $15 for kids and are available for purchase at seaportmuseum.org/decker.

Take an exciting 75-minute ride on the last surviving New York-built wooden tugboat W.O. Decker, recently named "Tugboat of the Year" by the Steamship Historical Society of America. Cruises will explore the New York Harbor, and views may include the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Battery, and Governors Island, as you set out on an adventure unlike any you've had before!

Advance reservations are recommended, and guests must check in 15 minutes before the scheduled tour. In accordance with current Federal and New York State COVID-19 guidance for public transportation, masks are required onboard W.O. Decker at all times. Access to W.O. Decker requires climbing angled gangways and a step over her side from a floating deck. Participants must be age 10 or older.

Seaport Museum Members receive discounted price points on Museum activities such as W.O. Decker rides and Pioneer sails. Memberships start at $50 and help support Museum's exhibitions, preserve the ships and the collections, grow public programs, and serve over 12,000 students through education initiatives. To join the Museum as a Member, visit seaportmuseum.org/membership.

About W.O. Decker

The last surviving New York-built, wooden tugboat W.O. Decker was built in 1930 by the Newtown Creek Towing Company and originally named Russell I, after the towing company's owners. She was renamed W.O. Decker in 1946 after being sold to the Decker family's Staten Island tugboat firm. The tugboat was initially steam-powered and later refit with a diesel engine. She was donated to the Seaport Museum in 1986 and was refit with a diesel engine. W.O. Decker is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is an exemplary model of the types of steam tugs that were once an abundant sight in New York Harbor. This unique vessel is a true testament to New York City's maritime heritage, which is a direct factor in the city's global prominence today.

Also available as part of the South Street Seaport Museum's 2021 summer schedule are tours of the historic tall ship Wavertree and demonstrations by Bowne & Co. letterpress printers. For more information, visit seaportmuseum.org.

Wavertree Tours

The 1885 tall ship Wavertree is now open through October 10, 2021 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays with timed entry, from 11am-5pm at Pier 16 (Fulton and South Streets). Entry is FREE and includes access to the ship's outdoor areas, including the main deck and raised rear deck, and the cargo hold. To learn more and reserve tickets, visit seaportmuseum.org/visitwavertree.

Bowne & Co. Demonstrations

Bowne & Co. is hosting FREE outdoor letterpress printing demonstrations now through October 10, 2021 on Fridays and Saturdays. The printers will set up a selection of historic presses outdoors on the steps of 209-211 Water Street. Demonstrations will take place between 11am-5pm, running from five to seven minutes long, illustrating the 19th century printing process with a variety of presses and equipment from the Museum's Printing History Collection. Items printed throughout the day will be given away as tangible reminders of the experience. Alongside demonstrations, new products are now available for purchase from Bowne & Co., Stationers in the online shop at bowne.co, including new lines of letterpress-made postcards, broadsides, and boxed notecard sets.