‘S.N.L.’ Star Colin Jost Takes a Spin on Ferryboat He Bought With Pete Davidson

Colin Jost, one of many stars of “Saturday Night time Reside,” has ridden the Staten Island Ferry throughout New York Harbor many occasions. However Monday he rode one for the primary time as its proprietor.

Mr. Jost and his castmate Pete Davidson, each of whom grew up on Staten Island, have been co-owners of a hulking, orange ferryboat since they joined a gaggle of buyers who efficiently bid on it in January. The group paid New York Metropolis greater than $280,000 for the boat, named for John F. Kennedy, after successful a aggressive public sale.

Then that they had to determine what to do with it.

The companions are nonetheless engaged on their plan to show it right into a floating leisure venue. Whereas they try this, they wanted to discover a place to dock a 277-foot-long boat that weighs 2,100 tons.

They settled on a shipyard on the western fringe of Staten Island, just some miles from the terminal the place Mr. Jost had boarded a ferry each weekday morning on his commute to Regis Excessive Faculty in Manhattan. Mr. Jost’s father, Daniel, had dropped Colin off on the ferry on all these college days, so it was solely becoming that he got here alongside for the experience.

Monday was transferring day and Mr. Jost’s companions determined to make a manufacturing of it. As an alternative of getting the ferry towed on to the shipyard, that they had two tugboats push it out into the center of the busy harbor to take pictures and video of it in opposition to town’s most well-known backdrops.

That’s how a comedic actor who delivers faux information on late-night tv wound up standing on the roof of a 57-year-old ferry with out working engines subsequent to the Statue of Liberty whereas a helicopter and a digicam drone buzzed overhead.

“I’m a cautious particular person by nature and that is undoubtedly the riskiest factor that I’ve accomplished,” Mr. Jost stated, referring to your entire journey.

He stated that he needed to get entangled within the enterprise due to his nostalgic connection to the ferry, and he texted Mr. Davidson and requested, “Cut up it?” Mr. Davidson, who didn’t be part of the group on Monday, replied instantly with enthusiasm, Mr. Jost recalled.

Daniel Jost, a former trainer at Staten Island Technical Excessive Faculty, was extra circumspect, urging his son to do his “homework” on the concept earlier than plunging in, Mr. Jost stated. However aboard the boat, each father and son appeared happy with the entire lark.

“As a result of it got here from a pure place, it ended up being a smart move,” Mr. Jost stated. Although, he added, “Worst case, we simply dock it someplace and make it New York Metropolis’s largest houseboat.”

One of many companions, Paul Italia, defined that he needed to attempt to keep the constructive power that the preliminary information of the group’s buy had generated. Mr. Italia, who owns The Stand, a comedy membership close to Union Sq. in Manhattan, stated he had been inundated with concepts and presents because the information broke three months in the past.

“The help’s unimaginable however there’s the haters on the market too,” Mr. Italia stated, referring to all the individuals who thought-about it folly to attempt to repurpose such an enormous, previous boat.

They acquired the ferry “as is,” full with dozens of wood benches, a working popcorn maker within the concession stand and posters of the subway system on the partitions. Mr. Jost identified that a number of the posters marketed “Impractical Jokers,” a TV present for which his brother Casey was a author and producer.

Mr. Italia stated that in looking for a last house for the ferry after its conversion he had studied a satellite tv for pc picture of New York Harbor and contacted everybody he might discover who owned waterfront property in Brooklyn and Manhattan. He stated metropolis officers had been cooperative in his search.

The best spot could be on the finish of its personal pier as a result of the ferry was constructed to load — each folks and automobiles — from both finish, stated Ron Castellano, one other of the companions, who’s an architect and developer.

Wherever it finally ends up, “It immediately turns into the most effective leisure venues on the planet,” stated Ed Burke, deputy borough president of Staten Island, who was alongside for the experience. “Persons are tickled by this,” Mr. Burke stated. “It’s of nice curiosity on Staten Island.”

After a number of hours on the water, the tugs pushed the ferry right into a slip at Caddell Dry Dock & Restore, the place it can keep for repairs and renovation. As soon as it was docked, Caddell’s staff devised a option to get the passengers off the boat, however Mr. Jost didn’t look forward to them.

He climbed out a window onto a pier, then smiled up at his companions and the remainder of the passengers. “Whenever you experience a ferry as a lot as I’ve, you be taught a number of tips,” he stated.