Jackson McDade

Staten Island Boat Graveyard

November 24, 2009

When Jackson McDade heard about the Tide and Current Taxi, he knew just where he wanted to go: the Staten Island Boat Graveyard.

This is about as close as you can get to the ships from land.

But we found a little river in someone’s backyard,

and cut quietly through to the Arthur Kill waterway.

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We floated out into the graveyard,

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and began to explore the wrecks.

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We floated right up to the decaying ships.

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In some cases, we were able to float right through.

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It is difficult to understand from the pictures how big this stuff is,

or to get a sense of what it feels like to stand close to it.

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There is something ominous about the whole place.

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In fact, Jackson told me that being around sunken ships is one of his greatest fears.

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He has no fear of heights or violence,

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but the depth and darkness and not knowing what is just under the surface of the water,

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he thinks must be related to the very idea of death.

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Jackson doesn’t believe in reincarnation.

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But he said that if he did,

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he might think that in a past life he died at sea.

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Not on the Titanic or anything like that,

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but maybe as a sailor on a commercial ship.

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It is easy to imagine, walking around in some of the wrecks.

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From up here we noticed something disconcerting.

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The tide had gone out so far that the creak from where we came was just a muddy bank.

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We had to find another spot to take out the boat.

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We pulled it up the bank,

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through the woods,

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and eventually back to civilization.

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