Rick Farmer, 59, of Kips Bay, snagged a shady spot...

Rick Farmer, 59, of Kips Bay, snagged a shady spot to watch the tall ships. Credit: Newsday/Matthew Chayes

Scattered along Manhattan's East River waterfront are spectators waiting for a tall ship parade, which is making its way south from the Hell Gate bridge towards the tip of the island and onward.

Rick Farmer, 59, of Kips Bay, rode the bus and then walked to a shaded spot in the Two Bridges neighborhood. He's only seen these sort of ships on TV and heard about the event on social media.

"It's fascinating to see, especially with the bridges in the background — the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge — with kind of old school, I guess, with some of the really tall ships that are 100 or more years old," said Farmer, who works in commercial real estate finance. "It's gonna be fun to see."

He'll also be going to the main event Saturday, to view from Governors Island: a parade of more and bigger ships.

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