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 […]
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 […]
John Remsen is a traditional boat builder from Freeport, NY. He is featured in the Freeport Waters exhibit in Freeport.
Boatyards There have been many boatyards throughout the estuary that provided commercial fishermen with draggers or trawlers, garveys, skiffs, dories, and other watercraft used in both the bay and the ocean. In addition there have been boatyards, mostly in the 20th century, who specialize in recreational boats ranging from luxurious yachts to simple skiffs able […]
Long Island Herald reviews the opening of the Freeport Nautical Mile exhibit Read the full article. Article courtesy of LI Herald