Kaye Willaims
About 30 years ago, surrounded by a notorious housing project, sewage treatment plant and city dump, the city’s ragged municipal marina was suffering from a serious case of landlord neglect. Local lobsterman and visionary Kaye Williams changed all that. Most of us view the world from the land out. Kaye sees it from the water in. Captain’s Cove Seaport is a gem of a reminder what can be done against the odds. Man of the Waterfront, the story of Kaye Williams and Captain’s Cove authored by Ralph Harvey provides insight into the man and the marina. Check out the exhibit at www.citylightsgallery.org. About the book:
Growing up during the Great Depression, Kaye Williams began his lifelong fascination with ships and the waterfront. The ships were passing tugboats, freighters and lumber schooners, and the waterfront was in Bridgeport, Connecticut–a gritty industrial city on the shores of Long Island Sound, and once the home of P. T. Barnum. After marrying his teenage sweetheart Vivian, Kaye pursued careers as an ironworker, boat dealer and lobsterboat captain. But it was his fourth career that attracted international attention–the creation of Captain’s Cove Seaport, and the restoration of the Rose, the replica of an eighteenth century British frigate. Captain’s Cove Seaport began an urban revival in a crime-ridden, backwater corner of Bridgeport. By restoring the Rose, Kaye created an internationally renowned sailing training vessel that became Connecticut’s official state ship. And he didn’t stop there. Building a replica of an early aircraft led to a friendship with retired Chief Justice Warren Burger, a wedding that was moved from the North Pole to a Baltimore courthouse, and the involvement of Russian sailors on a Bill of Rights bicentennial tour aboard the Rose. Man of the Waterfront is both a compelling human drama and a look at the social impact of efforts to revive a mid-sized, industrial city.
For more, go here.
John Marshall Lee // Jul 21, 2012 at 11:32 am
Thumbs Up, to Kaye and the Williams family for continuing the “vision beyond the horizon” of Kaye. Some folks in the midst of daily life can only see the problems or at least that is all you hear from their lips in conversation. Others are constantly looking for the opportunities that are present as you “weed the problems” and use the resources in a new and different way, one at a time, personally. Captain’s Cove is a Bridgeport destination that has been personally developed over time with private dollars for the most part and continues to make its presence vital and worthy.
I’m going out to buy the book today. Lennie, thank you for alerting us to this. Perhaps the story will share some of Kaye’s character that may be transferable to other Bridgeport citizens today in terms of seizing opportunities from our troubles and avoiding real but ‘publicly hidden’ risks. Time will tell.
Bruce Hubler // Jul 21, 2012 at 1:53 pm
Kaye Williams is truly one of a kind.
With Captain’s Cove Seaport, he saw potential where others saw problems … and then created a recreational magnet out of little more than “muck.”
They broke the mold when Kaye was launched. And it’ll be a long, long time before they build another.
yahooy // Jul 21, 2012 at 3:16 pm
He did it with no involvement of the people who have held this city down for so long.
Bob // Jul 21, 2012 at 5:08 pm
Amen.
Joel Gonzalez // Jul 22, 2012 at 1:06 am
Thank god for that. Imagine how bad it would had been if Kaye were one of the people making decisions in City Hall. Holding off on the rent for City-owned property is one way to hold down the city–don’t you think?
Grin Reaper // Jul 21, 2012 at 5:38 pm
Excuse me, but let’s not get too carried away with Kaye. Kaye and Captain’s Cove is in a constant state of delinquency in the bargain basement lease and taxes and the city is always turning a blind eye to it.
Zena Lu // Jul 21, 2012 at 6:01 pm
Sold.
Baffled in Bridgeport // Jul 21, 2012 at 10:12 pm
You bet Captain’s Cove is in arrears–so it has been with virtually every attraction in Bridgeport. Shall we close the zoo? Largely that is because Bridgeport doesn’t support Bridgeport–but that is a different story. Do not forget a few things–the capital improvements, every last one of them, have been paid for by Captain’s Cove. Docks, stores, landscaping, restaurant, bar–the investment the Williams have put in are huge. Their lease payments are not offset by the improvements they make. This truly is a labor of love by them and it just happens to draw over 400,000 people a year–something the Cove has been doing for decades. Whine if you like but for decades they have been an anchor and draw for Bridgeport. This is apart from the extraordinary contributions the Williams family has made to the community with their effort in support of the Swim Across the Sound, Bluefish Tournament and dozens of other efforts–many of which have been anonymous. Nobody better than the Williams family. Period.
Joel Gonzalez // Jul 22, 2012 at 12:55 am
Blah, blah, blah! Lennie, what does the book say about not being able to afford the rent and having his landlord–The City of Bridgeport–forgive the debt? Is Kaye up to date on the rent or is the book’s proceeds intended for that?
Bob // Jul 22, 2012 at 2:00 pm
This city has been a singular stumbling block for economic development. Williams has put his heart, back and money into this project. The city has done nothing but demand their money until they realized if they didn’t another attraction would go away. I know because my business left Bridgeport for Fairfield in 1988 and since that time the city (under Ganim) took over Main Street by eminent domain and has nothing to show for it. The building we had owned paid $9000 in up-to-date taxes and since the city took it over in 1996 or so has gotten 0. It’s still vacant.
Bob // Jul 22, 2012 at 2:02 pm
That’s $9000 per year and if you multiple it by 16 years that comes to almost $150,000. Multiple that by the vacant buildings the city owns in Bridgeport and you have millions of dollars.
Mojo // Jul 23, 2012 at 8:30 am
*** Before giving out the “business tony awards,” homework should be done on the good, bad and ugly tactics used by Bpt businesses in general to stay afloat in a City that’s “not friendly” to those that have stayed throughout the good and bad years to make it work! Give a little and take all you can get, no? ***