Dreams up in Smoke

by Charles Hack,Jersey Journal/Sail-World on 10 Dec 2008 Just when you think you've done everything to protect your sailing boat, put it in the marina, safe and sound, the yacht next to you catches fire, and you've lost your weekend playtoy, if not your home.

This is what happened this week in New Jersey, as the Lincoln Harbor Marina in the Hudson River, right across the water from Manhatten, caught fire.

Smoke from the boats burning in the Lincoln Harbor marina in Weehawken not only caused much heartache for the owners, but according to authorities it also caused the evacuation of 1500 Harbor Boulevard, a huge office complex that houses a number of businesses, including the Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club.

One boat caught fire at about 7.00am and then spread to a second vessel before the fire was brought under control by members of the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Service.

At the height of the fire about 50 firefighters were on the scene and the thick, black smoke could be seen by drivers on the way to the nearby Lincoln Tunnel and people in Manhattan’s West Side office buildings.

The dockmaster initially believed one of the boats' owners, a physician from New York, was trapped in the burning boat, but Weehawken Deputy Police Chief Jeff Fulcher said the physician was working a night shift and the boat was unoccupied.

State police identified the doctor as Kevin Gingrich. His boat, a 62-foot yacht, was destroyed along with the 47-foot yacht belonging to Jacob D. Shekerchi, state police said.

Rocco Brognano, owner of a boat docked at the marina, was on his vessel on an adjacent row when the fire began.

'I actually saw it on the news and I was in the boat,' Brognano said. 'I didn't waste any time getting out at that point . I jumped off the boat and there was all that black smoke.'



The Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club is a great location for yachts visiting New York. It is just minutes away from the heart of Manhattan’s entertainment and cultural centers, as well as its elegant shops and restaurants. Yachts who use the marina have easy access to the city’s business and financial empire, and also the ease to set sail, at any moment, for some of the most beautiful beaches of Long Island and New Jersey.