After a recent call for an investigation into “floating sex parties” by a Brooklyn assemblyman, Sheepshead Bay’s party boats will have to relocate and security will increase in the neighborhood this summer.
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, D-Brooklyn, recently made a call to various state authorities to investigate what he called “floating sex parties” going on in his district. He argued that these parties were a breeding ground for illegal drugs, sexual deviancy, excessive alcohol consumption and a major disturbance to the peace of the “family-oriented” community.
Some of these party boats were hosted by party organizers Chemistry, which advertises celebrations “both bohemian and cosmopolitan where great music, an exciting atmosphere and beautiful, engaging, artistic, illuminated people act as catalysts for a variety of spontaneous reactions — dancing, laughter, colorful conversation, and intimate connection.”
The parties came to the attention of lawmakers after a feature published by the British newspaper, The Independent, documented a swinger party on a Brooklyn party boat.
Three of the Sheepshead bay party boats will be gone by this month and the rest will be gone by September. Cymbrowitz’s press office called this a “major victory for the community.”
Cymbrowitz’s fight to stop excessive parties on the shores of his district did not just start recently. He was also an ardent supporter of Mayor De Blasio’s announcement to implement a 11 p.m. curfew for all party boats back in September 2017. Cymbrowitz, however, was not content with the speed of the implementation of this new curfew.
“I was disappointed to learn several months ago that the Mayor’s promise to end all late-night boats was not going to be fully implemented right away,” Cymbrowitz said. “I worked vigorously with City Hall to reach an even better solution.”
Working with the Mayor’s Office, Cymbrowitz was successful in getting the seven party boats out of Sheepshead Bay. Three of them will be leaving at the beginning of May. Three other party boats will be able to spend the summer in the bay with 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. runs. The last boat, known as the Atlantis, does not host late night events, but still will have to leave in September.
“This is a long-awaited, gratifying victory for a community that has put up with numerous quality of life and public safety issues for many years,” Cymbrowitz said.
For Memorial Day weekend, Cymbrowitz has already spoken with the NYPD 61st Precinct commanding officer Cpt. James King to increase security around the bay. For the prior week, King will provide four more full-time foot patrols from the mid afternoon to the early morning with eight to ten additional cops. For 11 p.m. launches, the precinct will be providing “full coverage” with sector cars and Neighborhood Coordination Officers.
