Hope and Walley streets and just south of the location of the former Herreshoff Manufacturing Company that once employed more than 400 people building vessels powered by both steam and sail.

Halsey Herreshoff is one of relatively few sailors who would not have been at all intimidated by the stiff breeze, but the crowd wasn’t gathered at the waterfront park for a boat-handling demo, and they weren’t there to honor Halsey the sailor, or Halsey the Naval Architect. They were there to honor Halsey the public servant; the man whose third-of-a-century devotion to the town of Bristol led the council to vote to name the park in his honor.

It’s not just any park — it’s bordered on the south by Love Rocks, home of Halsey’s grandfather Nathaniel, who built the Herreshoff brand, and on the north by the Herreshoff Marine Museum’s marina and docks. Across Hope Street, by a few steps, is the Herreshoff Marine Museum itself, and within it, the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, co-founded by Halsey in 1992.

In fact, until today, the park was one of the few properties in the neighborhood that had not been branded with the Herreshoff name.

After suggesting he was engaging in an act of futility akin to introducing Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Dr. Patrick Conley, a historian and friend of Halsey’s, offered a comprehensive and humorous introduction that touched on Halsey’s dedication to Bristol (“A civic leader and the patriotic personification of the town”), his thrift (“Halsey throws dollars around like some people throw pianos”) and perhaps most tellingly, shared a story about the time in 1987 when Halsey and Dr. Conley joined forces to bring one of the extant copies of the Magna Carta to Bristol. Dr. Conley said that the day before the event was due to begin, he went down to check out the site where the secure, climate-controlled trailer containing the traveling document would be parked for the visit, on the lawn of the Guiteras School. Dr. Conley noticed someone in a rowboat, paddling around Silver Creek, removing tires and other debris. Yes, that was Halsey, said Dr. Conley. “Talk about a hands-on town administrator.”

The man of the hour himself followed, saying, “well, if they’re going to honor me in any way, this is perfect.”

He modestly recounted his years of service (as Town Administrator from 1986 to 1994 and as a member of the Town Council from 1982 to 1986 and again from 1994 to 2016) as being marked by a few distinct goals. “I wanted to make the town better, with more parks; I wanted Bristol to exemplify patriotism; and I wanted to contribute to the spirit of the town.”

Halsey noted the park’s idyllic and satisfying location, saying, “I will walk past this point every day, like my grandfather Nat and my father Sidney did.

“I do love this town.”

Shortly before the unveiling of the official park sign and a cannon salute courtesy of the Bristol Train of Artillery, Halsey addressed the large crowd of well-wishers gathered on the grassy hill over Bristol Harbor.

“I thank every one of you for making my day,” he said.