It took a decade longer than anticipated to build, but come spring 2024 a replica of the historic Oyster Bay shellfish dredge Ida May will be carrying paying passengers on New York’s Oyster Bay so they can learn about its ecology and maritime history.
The effort required a dozen years, about $1 million, 35,000 hours of mostly unpaid labor by 70 volunteers and a few professionals, plus a lot of perseverance in the face of fundraising difficulties and Covid 19 complications. But the project finally came to fruition last spring when a special trailer slid Ida May into Oyster Bay, New York. The boat was constructed in a shed on the southern edge of the harbor by the Christeen Oyster Sloop Preservation Corp., which previously restored the 1883 sailing oyster dredge Christseen.
The volunteer was constructed, where she will be used for marine education. The center also now owns and operates the .
