The East End Classic Boat Society in Amagansett has been preserving and promoting traditional marine craftsmanship and the enduring integrity of fine marine design since 1998.

First Mate Andrew sailing in Three Mile Harbor
First Mate Andrew sailing in Three Mile Harbor

Tucked away behind the East Hampton Town Marine Museum, the Hartjen-Richardson Community Boat Shop, which the Society rents from the town for $1.00 annually, sits among the dunes of the Atlantic shoreline with clear views to onto ocean at Atlantic Beach.

The interior of the boat shop is full of starboards and sterns, sailing boats in the making, being repaired or restored, all in various stages of completion. The shop is full of friendly smiles and brightly colored raincoats on this wet and gray Spring day.

The basement is a salvaging area, where vintage sailboats—some dating back to the 1960s, some abandoned, damaged or donated—are now returning to life.

Displayed prominently in the loft-like space, this year’s boat for raffle glistens in the natural white light that shines blindingly through the window. A different model is built from scratch and auctioned each year, an exciting annual appeal with a lottery at its conclusion.

The Classic Boat Society is pleased to pass on their skills to a younger generation or just to share in the admiration of all things marine, so consider donating your time and you might not only learn how to fish but how to make the boat you’ll go fishing from. Or so the saying goes.