Brooklyn Heights’ One°15 Brooklyn Marina brings local waterways within reach

by Catherine Gigante-Brown

One of Kings County’s greatest paradoxes is that it’s surrounded by water on three sides—but getting onto or into it can be quite a challenge.

ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina, just opened in June, is set on a prime location just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. Situated across the East River from Wall Street and the South Street Seaport, the Marina realizes the vision of Arthur Tay, chairman and CEO of SUTL Enterprises, and partner Edgewater
Resources, the project’s engineer.

Relative to other harbor towns like San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago, New York has only about 10 to 15% of their recreational boating slips.

“Our waterfront just hasn’t been traditionally used for recreational boating,” said Laura Lau, ONE°15’s Vice President of Marketing and Design. “We aim to change that. Arthur is thrilled to make it accessible to many users—from the student launching an Opti sailboat she built with our community partner Brooklyn Boatworks, to those who’d like to learn how to sail or race, to couples who want to take a sunset cruise.”

With slips available for more than 100 vessels ranging from 16 to 250 feet, the marina boasts high-tech equipment to protect watercraft from wind- and ferry-driven waves, and Lau reported that reservations for berthing have been brisk. “Plus the Sail Club and School already have a healthy membership from last season when the marina wasn’t even open yet,” she said. “We expect things to grow quite briskly this season.”

The enterprise got right into the swim of things as host of the Atlantic Cup race on June 4.

“It was exciting to host the middle leg of the race, especially as the boats were close together,” recalled Lau. “And we really appreciated the Atlantic Cup’s efforts to promote environmental awareness and responsibility. More than 150 local students came by to see the boats and learn about things like the effect of plastic on the marine environment.”

With a commitment to being an integral part of the community, the marina plans to contribute two percent of its marina services revenues to support free and low-cost community boating, as well as provide a world-class facility where these programs can thrive. Explained Lau, “We call this our community dock. It will be one of the largest docks in the city, making up nearly 25 percent of our square footage of dock space.”

ONE°15 welcomes all types of seafarers. Its Sail Club hosts those with a wide range of abilities, from novices to experienced salts. Likewise, the Sail School gets first timers as well those interested in honing skills. The School features a variety of courses (such as “Taste of Sailing” and the weekend-long “Fundamentals of Sailing”), while the club offers extras like access to race crew memberships. For those who just want to sit back and relax, there are evening cruises every day from 5:30 to sunset.

Marina’s partners Brooklyn Kayak Guides and Brooklyn Boatworks are also on site, with kayak and stand-up paddleboard rentals available. Daily classes will launch shortly; for now, the marina offers weekend instruction.

Slated to open in 2017 is the Marina’s Harbor Club, built on a 100-year-old wooden boat, and which will feature fine dining and other amenities for its members. A few steps away will be “Latitude,” a restaurant/bar at 12 Joralemon Street, which will be open to the public for breakfast, lunch, and dinner starting in the 2017 season.

Said Lau, “I think we’ve chosen an ideal spot in the $400 million Brooklyn Bridge Park, with stunning views of Manhattan. You’re also walking distance to Brooklyn Heights and the Dumbo arts district. We are also one subway stop from Manhattan. Boating in New York Harbor is incredible, and this is the best way to experience it.”

ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina
Brooklyn Bridge Park (between Piers 4 & 5) / 718.490.7136
one15brooklynmarina.com