“Rocking the Boat raised me! So, if it’s going to grow, I want to be a part of that.”
- Alizette, Sail Central Park Crew Member

Model boats have sailed here for 150 years. Soon after Central Park was laid out in the 1860s, it was children who spotted something magical in the setting of the Conservatory Water pond, a lake in miniature, that was ideal for sailing model boats. Flourishing as recreation and promoted to sport by the Central Park Model Yacht Club, the charming white sails against a backdrop of treetops and the midtown skyline became one of the most iconic New York City images. Beloved works like E.B White’s Stuart Little and the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s memorably featured the boats in their stories and are now inseparable from the pond’s lore. Add to that the treasured personal memories of countless visitors—weekend outings as a child or that one enchanted trip to the City.

Rocking the Boat inherited all this history and nostalgia when it began running the model sailboat rental concession this May as Sail Central Park. The pre-pandemic operator had decided not to reopen and Rocking the Boat’s plan to run it was enthusiastically approved by the Parks Department. Honoring the traditions and memories, the organization works closely with the Central Park Model Yacht Club, offering the familiar radio-controlled boats, and even had a special event celebrating E.B. White’s birthday in July. But visitors are also noticing something new and different: Rocking the Boat is putting its own stamp on this adored institution by bringing its Bronx spirit to the middle of Central Park.

The mission flows from dyed-in-the-wool Rocking the Boater Jasmine Benitez, Sail Central Park’s Site Director. She graduated from the Environmental Program in 2011 and returned after college first to manage Rocking the Boat’s Public Programs then serve as Student Environmental Program Director. She has assembled and trained a Sail Central Park Crew of experienced Rocking the Boat graduates. Some have many seasons of working for the organization’s education programs such as On-Water Classroom for visiting school groups and Community Rowing for the public that prepared them to offer something special to over 5,000 guests since opening.

Alizette first came to Rocking the Boat in eighth grade, in a special program for her class to try all the different program activities. When she joined in ninth grade, she chose boatbuilding. She graduated high school and Rocking the Boat’s Boatbuilding Program in 2023 and is now enrolled in a veterinary tech certificate program at LaGuardia Community College while staffing Sail Central Park.

“RTB raised me! So, if it’s going to grow, I want to be a part of that expansion. We make it like Rocking the Boat because of the way we do it. There is a difference between just sailing and the spirit of sailing, the fun and excitement. The kids really have fun when we teach them all the new sailing words. And then you get to see them come back with a friend and showing off that they know the terminology and the technique. We all bring that extra energy because we come from Rocking the Boat, and we all know how to work together.”

With three older cousins all going through Rocking the Boat programs and then working there, Debbie was destined to join. She was in the same class of 2023 cohort with Alizette and is studying nursing at Mercy University.

“Rocking the Boat brings community together. We use our Rocking the Boat voices, loud voices that make things happen. We get everyone who is sailing a boat at the time together for a race, and we cheer them on and then the next thing you know, everyone around the pond is watching and they are cheering. We know how to bring everyone together; we do that in the park, too.”

The team has also discovered that guests are pleased to learn their patronage supports Rocking the Boat’s work in the Bronx. Later this year, the organization will bring that work to the park directly, using the sailboats and the pond to offer an innovative new version of its renowned experiential education programs to schools throughout Manhattan. Jasmine, Alizette, Debbie, and all the Rocking the Boat graduates working here will play a unique part in adding yet another chapter to the pond’s long history of captivating children.