Welcomed by Van der Donck and Native American maiden
As the tall ship Kalmar Nyckel sailed into the Yonkers Pier, Mayor Mike Spano, City Councilwoman Shanae Williams, and a sold-out crowd welcomed it to the city.
Kalmar Nyckel is a full-scale replica of the Dutch-built merchant ship that brought Swedish settlers to North America in 1638, to begin establishing the colony of New Sweden (Delaware). It is similar to a vessel used to transport Dutch settlers to Yonkers in the 1600s, so it was proper that also joining the mayor and other dignitaries was Adriaen van der Donck, and a Native American maiden, who came bearing gifts and welcoming Captain Lauren Morgens and the crew to Yonkers – or Jonkheers, as it was called 400 years ago.
Adriaen Cornelissen van der Donck (c.1618 – 1655) was a lawyer and landowner in New Netherland after whose honorific Jonkheer, the City of Yonkers, is named. In addition to being the first lawyer in the Dutch colony, he was a leader in the political life of New Amsterdam (modern New York City), and an activist for Dutch-style Republican government in the Dutch West India Company-run trading post.
Captain Morgens and crew presented to Spano a print of the Kalmar Nyckel as a thank you for welcoming them to Yonkers. She has been the captain for 12 years and this was their first visit to Yonkers.
The evening sail was sold out and gave participants a grand view of the ever-changing Yonkers waterfront. Also sailing by Yonkers on the Hudson on Tuesday was the Sloop Clearwater, America’s environmental flagship founded by Pete Seeger.
The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization with the mission of preserving and promoting the cultural and maritime heritage of Delaware and the Delaware Valley for the education and enrichment of all. The foundation is a volunteer-based organization that built, owns and operates Kalmar Nyckel.
For more information, visit kalmarnyckel.org.
