Boating in Manhasset Bay

Boating in Manhasset Bay. . , Manhasset Bay is an ideal place for boating. With little tidal current except at the bay’s entrance and a six-foot differential between high and low tides, its easy sailing for the experienced sailor or the novice. People have sailed this lovely bay since Dutch colonists first settled here in 1623. For 250 years, the bay supported a maritime economy where part of the local population made their livings working as watermen on boats like fishing schooners, skiffs, catboats, and sandbaggers; in support industries as boat-builders and sail-makers; or as shell fishermen., In the late 19th century, yacht clubs were established here to promote competitive racing and boat ownership: North Shore Yacht Club in 1871, Manhasset Bay in 1891, Port Washington in 1905, and Knickerbocker in 1907. By the 1920s, Port Washington had begun to transition from commercial fishing to recreational boating. Builders like A&R Marshall’s Shipyards and Purdy Boats designed lofty sailboats and fast power boats for wealthy clients who owned estates that lined the bay. In the years following world war two as recreational boating became less exclusive, weekend sailors and fishermen avidly took to the water. By 1980, Manhasset Bay was filled with marinas, yacht clubs, and an estimated 2,000 recreational pleasure craft. Today, the bay has almost 16% of all the marinas and yacht clubs in LI Sound., The State of New York designated Port Washington a historic center of marine activity in 1994., (Captions), Manhasset Bay Yacht Club c. 1910 , Letterhead for the Manhasset Boat Company, ca. 1945 , Knickerbocker Yacht Club patch , Purdy Boat Company built "Seascape," ca. 1947 , Main Photo: The Big Hopper , Courtesy of the Port Washington Public Library Local History Center, About the Artist, Shula Mustacchi was born in Berlin, Germany in 1933 and her family escaped to London in 1938., Shula went to St Martin’s School of Art and graduated in fashion design. In 1977 She moved to Port Washington where she devoted all her time to artistic activities. As a mixed media artist, she works in paper collage, fabric art work and glass mosaic. Shula has exhibited her work extensively in London and New York (including two solo exhibitions at the beautiful Port Washington Public Library), independently, and as a member of Artist-Craftsmen of New York and the Art Guild of Port Washington., “Every artist searches for inspiration. Mine came from watching the magnificent sunsets over Manhasset Bay as well as the colorful sailing boats in the summer and the iceboats in winter. I knew that glass mosaics, with their vibrant colors, would be perfect to bring into play all the reflections of sun, sky and water.”