PortSide New York invited people to watch the July 4 fireworks from its new headquarters, the wonderful Mary A. Whalen, a former tanker that is being renovated and given a new life. The last time we’d been aboard the Whalen, she was in a graving dock at the Brooklyn Navy Yard for maintenance and repairs. The Whalen is currently docked at the Brooklyn Container Port operated by American Stevedoring. The view of the fireworks from the pier was spectacular and, of course, the rain stopped about ten minutes before the fireworks started.