Ida May
The Ida May is a replica of a historical oyster dredge, constructed in Oyster Bay, in the large blue boat shed known as Building J. At 50ft long and 17ft wide it only just fit through the doors. When I worked in Oyster Bay, just a stone’s throw from the building, I took walks every day along the same waterfront and had seen the boat under construction over the years. It always occurred to me that volunteering on it when I retired would be interesting.
The original was built in 1925 by Frank M. Flower, the owner of an oyster harvesting company. The boat worked the bay for 75 years and was finally hauled from the water on 2003 and gifted to the Christeen Oyster Sloop Preservation Corp, Oyster Bay, by the current Frank M. Flower and Sons Company. The Christeen Corp is a non-profit which had previously restored the 1883 oyster sloop, Christeen, relaunching it in 1999 to sail for education and for public cruises.
In its last years, the Ida May had also been used for educational purposes, and the hope was to restore it and join the Christeen in sailing the bay. Sadly, the structure was too rotted to save, so a replica was started, based on the original structure. Work began in 2010 under shipwright Dave Short, building the keel and framework, and continued under shipwright Josh Herman from 2013. Funding issues meant that work progressed sporadically over the following years. Final funding arrived in 2022, shortly before I turned up to volunteer. The job of managing and keeping finances afloat fell to George Lindsay and his fellow board members at the Christeen Corp. Construction was completed in May 2023, when the boat was launched. It is now approved for 49 passengers and 3 crew but requires a few finishing details for final certification. Service will start next year under the management of The Waterfront Center.
Credit for the building work goes directly to the shipwright, Josh and his associates Sam Sowyrda, Joe Hoffman, and Elliot Peper. Engineering was the work of Nobby Reese and his crew. Assisting part-time were a long list of enthusiastic volunteers, who provided extra time and talent wherever they could. My contribution was many hours of lifting, cutting, fixing, and soldering alongside my fellow volunteers. Work on the Ida May logos and T-Shirts was a bonus.
It has been an education, both in witnessing a boat being built, and in the team’s commitment to authenticity, accuracy, and safety, in crafting its parts. Having seen it progress from frame to finished vessel, I have no doubt this Ida May will still be working the bay for another hundred years.
IMAGES
Snapshots from the construction
The structure of the boat had been completed before I arrived. What was left was everything else!
These 2” thick planks were cut on site, then planed, shaped, steamed and bent to shape before being screwed and pegged tight to the frame. Josh explained the shaping of the boards, but it’s still magic.
Every screw was capped, and every trunnel glued and wedged - exhausting work. Putting in the last planks was a cause for celebration.
Oakum calking between every plank.
The lines of the boat are just so beautiful, it seemed a shame to paint it….
… especially this color - (primer)
The portlights were rescued from the side of a road and donated to the project. The volunteers polished up the frames but the screens were rubbish. Josh dropped the brass bar and screening on my bench and told the others to leave me alone while I made replacements! Pleased with the friction fit.
The wooden ring holds the mast boot in place on deck - assembled and bonded from 16 pieces.
The boat juuuust fit through the doors. The wheelhouse was removed and taken out separately ….
…. then re-attached in the yard.
Launch day and the paint was barely dry.
Great pride before the launch crowds arrived, and perhaps the smallest apprehension about the seals and calking!
A lot of finishing was done here, and in a hurry. The moving rig was a serious expense. Rescheduling was out of the question. Lots of volunteers.
Launched and towed to the Cooper Bluff dock. Lots of final work completed over the next couple of months.