Health & Fitness
Boating the Old Fashioned Way - We Build It
Bayles Boat House wooden boat building is just another of the wonderful programs Port Jeff Village has to offer.
“We are an Island of people and should be informed by the sea.” - Captain George Linzee
Port Jefferson village has many programs to offer its residents from Documentary Film Festivals to an array of workshops, classes and activities. One program that is unique to the village and often goes unnoticed is the , housed in Bayles Boat Shop in adjacent to the .
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, I decided to check on our kayak, stored near the park. After securing the kayak, I headed out of the park noticing that the doors to the boat shop were open and there were people at work inside. I decided to take a peek at the activity.
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As I had hoped, I was greeted with a warm friendly hello by Phil Schiavone and invited to step inside. Upon entering the timber framed shop, I observed people busy at work on a twelve foot wooden fishing skiff, while others were busy clamping and gluing strips of weathered wood in place, restoring an eighty year old, sixteen foot, center console sailing sloop.
One participant was busily at work trimming a piece of wood at the table saw as a number of other volunteers were assiduously at work on various other tasks such as cutting, sanding, and sealing the sides of the skiff in place. A group of men were busy reading blueprints, while still others were observing. The whole experience was quite inspiring, watching so much being done by so many individuals in a small but well appointed and well organized wood shop.
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The teamwork and skill demonstrated by this group was very impressive as were the two projects in hand. That and the smell of freshly cut pine made for a very pleasant visit.
Of course I wanted to join this group, which meets on Wednesday and Saturday from 9 am to noon and found out that membership to LISEC is only $35 for an individual. Volunteers and visitors are also invited to see and learn the “joys of working with wood.”
In the past such instructors as Myron Young, a Master Builder, have lead workshops on such projects as making wooden oars and paddles. The wooden boat-building program is sponsored by LISEC and adds to the historical and educational environment that so many of us in the village have come to enjoy.
