Red Hook Yacht Club?

During a recent visit to the Fairway Market in Red Hook, we noticed a sailboat docked adjacent to the parking lot, or right next to the Red Hook Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge.

According to our sources in The Hook, this is property private owned by Greg O'Connell, who's been reported to be the largest property owner in Red Hook. And while there may be a few boats rafted or moored in this area, it is, unfortunately, not a burgeoning boating scene or nascent yacht club.

Locals in the know about this spot, particularly the owners keeping their boats in the lee of Fairway, are very hush-hush when asked how they obtained these coveted moorings, particularly in light of the fact that there is a battle for the future of Red Hook where private developers are planning to displace the local shipping industry and a part of Brooklyn's storied waterfront history.

Our sources tell us that part of the silence around theses coveted boat slips is the fact that these Red Hook-based boat owners know they are on borrowed time. Its inevitable that this spot will be re-developed for different use, perhaps public use like a marina (we would champion that idea).

Regardless, we're still giving props to these renegade sailors, who are continuing more than 300 years Red Hook maritime tradition.