With " Captain Marty "

Wow ! two times within a year I have had the good fortune of taking a boating trip with Marty Van Lith out on the bay I grew up on in the 1950's and then used to make a living on in the 1970's. Our first trip in October of 2003 can be seen here. This time we went up the creeks we didn't get to last October.

For those who don't live there, this map will give you an idea of where the heck we were on August 17, 2004

We started out on Beaver Dam Creek #1 on Map, The OKALEE is moored next to Marty's boat.

and I just can't resist pointing my camera at a wooden boat. They are a rarity and I have a wooden heart.

Beaver Dam Creek Is In Marty's Backyard. This is the eastern side of it as we near Bellport Bay

First Stop Was Fire Island. This was taken at Old Inlet just across the Bellport Bay

Then it was back across the bay and just east of Smith Point Bridge Marty steered hard to port

and soon we found ourselves

UP THE UNKECHOGUE!

Heading Up The Unkechogue #2 on map

Marty used live on the east side of this one too. That's The Tolfree Manor House behind the cattails.

There are pictures Marty took in the 1960's from his house of The Tolfree place in winter on the Spotlight Photo Pages

Dodi's Dock at the foot of Dock Road #3 on map

You didn't think we could pass by Joseph F. Knapp's private creek and dock without snapping a pic did you? I often wondered if you could ever see his chimney tops from here in the 1920's? In the 1940's my grandpa kept his rowboat in here. Larry Schulz kept his rowboat in here in the 1950's. Both the Joseph and Schulz 14 foot flatbottoms were not much compared to Knapp's 30 foot Sea Sled speed boat Miss Demure or his 53 Foot Storm King custom trunk cabin cruiser ...... but we sure liked them.

Dave Schulz (Larry's Dad) circa 1951 Steady As She Goes

BEACH ONE IS BACK !

#4 on map

Through what I would imagine was a whole lot of effort by a few visionarys, Beach One the very first beach in Mastic Beach and the place I first learned that I might be able to really swim someday is back. For some crazy reasons all of Mastic Beach's Beaches have "Disappeared" in the last twenty years. ...Although the concession stand and pagoda are still long gone and most likely will never return, the sand is back, there are a few chairs and obviously some people too enjoying what should of never left. Hopefully it will catch on and Beach 5 & 10 may return too, cause you don't know what you got, until you lose it. Somewhere Warren and Artie Smadbeck are smiling too...What is Mastic Beach without a beach? Plain Old Mastic that's what !!!

Beach One Concession Stand

Beach Pagoda

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FORGING AHEAD