Fishermen and baymen, duck hunters and decoy carvers, clamshell artists and lifeguards are just some of the tradition bearers featured here. Through oral histories, Long Island Traditions has documented dozens of those committed to preserving a life on the water. Most are participants in our maritime education programs or festivals and museum programs. If you […]
John Remsen, Sr.: Boat builder John Remsen of Freeport was one of the few men on Long Island who built garveys, a traditional flat bottom boat used by baymen and recreational fishermen in the shallow south shore waters of Nassau and Suffolk County. During his lifetime he built over 100 garveys. Like the generations before […]
Throughout the 19th and 20th century Long Island has been the home of many boat builders, ranging from traditional boat builders such as Gil Smith of Patchogue, who constructed garveys and skiffs for local baymen, to the Scopinich & Maresca boat yards that outfitted coast guard vessels and commercial fishing boats. Numerous industries supported this […]
Tom Jefferies: Bayman Tom Jefferies was born in Freeport, following a long line of fishermen in both the Jefferies and the Remsen families. Tom learned to fish from older fishermen on the Nautical Mile, including Frank Cona and others. His family owns a bay house, where he learned to harvest clams, crabs, mussels and other […]
Bill Hamilton: Bayman Bill Hamilton was born in Sayville and lives in Patchogue. He learned to fish, clam, and to catch oysters from local fishermen and baymen like Samuel Ockers; he also catches fluke, flounder, and eels using pound traps and fyke nets. Besides being a fisherman Bill is also a boat builder who makes […]
Chris Hale: Boat Builder and Model Maker Chris Hale has worked at many boat yards on Long Island, including Coecles Harbor Marina on Shelter Island, at Hampton Shipyard in East Quogue, and currently at Weeks Boatyard in Patchogue where he has worked since the 1990s. He works on traditional wooden boats ranging from skiffs and […]