MEET SCHOONER DELIVERANCE

The 39’ pilot schooner “Deliverance” is our pride and joy. She evokes the beauty and history of Jamaica Bay, designed in the same fashion as small vessels engaged in fishing and trade on the bay at NYC’s very beginnings. Designed by Atkin & Co., a father-son firm that was based in Huntington, L.I. They provided three generations of designs, totaling over 800 in all. This makes their firm nearly as prolific as famed naval architects Sparkman and Stevens. Their designs were not limited to sailing vessels but also included rowboats, power boats, houseboats, and more. Atkin & Co. ran their build yard for only a short time and generally sold plans to either be owner or yard built. Due to this fact, there are not many of these designs on the water. Our “Deliverance” is an Atkin & Co. Island Princess design and, to our knowledge, one of only two in existence. Her sistership, “Trigo,” resides in San Francisco Bay.

While designed in 1943, she was not constructed until 1989, making her a “new-old boat,” a rare find! Her accommodations are quite lovely, with berthing for 4 persons, a head, galley, and ample storage space, she allows us to venture as far from Jamaica Bay as we would like. Her rig is simple yet stout, and she has proven to be nothing short of reliable and tough. Each year, we tackle new projects and hope to soon have her fully restored to her original glory! Capable of speeds up to 8.5 knots, she is as comfortable in the open sea as she is in the calm of Jamaica Bay.

MEET OUR CHESAPEAKE BAY SKIFF ‘TURTLE’

Our classic skiff and tender “Turtle” is special in her own right. She is a bay skiff designed in the old-world style, with hand-hewn cypress keel and strakes and cedar planking. Built in 1989, she may be one of the last of her kind, what is commonly referred to as a "yard skiff” or “lumberyard skiff.” These vessels are generally quite simple in design and can be quickly built with little planning. Their shallow draft and rugged construction made them a common choice for individual crabbers and clammers working the bays of the Eastern Seaboard. She was constructed in Chesapeake Bay on the island of St. Michael’s.

While not of a particular “local” design, skiffs of this type once dotted Jamaica Bay in the hundreds. Rented from liveries in what is now Broad Channel, workers from Manhattan would use them in the summer months, particularly for hook and line fishing on the bay, from the mid-1800’s well into the 1940’s. While she mainly serves as a tender to the yacht “Deliverance,” she also runs her own excursions in the bay, and is simply a pleasure.

MEET THE TIKI PONTOON BOAT ‘ROCKTIKI’

While we love the art of sailing, we also love to put around the bay on something super fun as well! The latest addition to our fleet, the “RockTiki,” is a 24’ aluminum pontoon boat that we have outfitted as a slow tiki-party barge. She can accommodate six passengers and is equipped with oversize beanbag chairs, loungers, speakers for your music, tons of cooler space, a full-size head (that’s the toilet), and more.

Pontoons are fantastic for cruising the shallow waters of the bays many secrets. A full-sized boarding ladder provides the perfect entry for swimming and paddle-boarding, and she can creep up to any of the sandbars and uninhabited islands within the refuge. Nothing beats life at 5 knots.

YOUTH SAILING AND ADULT LESSONS

Want to learn to sail, but just haven’t found the way to do it? Look no further! Join the Captain for a variety of lesson settings for Youth (10+ recommended) and Adults alike. From learning how to tie a basic overhand knot to heaving-to in severe weather, Captain Astin has turned his 50,000 miles of sailing into a variety of curriculum structured to instill proper seamanship and safety, line handling and marlinspike work (knots, etc), sail planning and much more. to achieve a nuanced approach to inland and offshore navigation to make you the best skipper you can be! Youth sessions are 6 max M-F in July and August, Adults are Wednesday’s in September - our favorite month for sailing in NY. We also offer longer offshore/ coastal adventure days for those who’d like to push themselves to the next level.