From the Sea

Baymen

Two of East Hampton's finest baymen, Charlie Niggles and his father-in-law Harold Snyder were the inspiration for the monicker "Farmer's of Land and Sea."  

The lives of commercial fisherman here on the South Fork of Long Island have not been without trials and tribulations.  Yet, the local waters surrounding the small hamlets of East Hampton yield some of the finest fish in the world.  

Many, including Shelly's husband, Al Schaffer - a local lobsterman, have made it their life's work to supply this prime catch to local fish markets like our own.  They are known fondly as "Bonackers" - we see them daily, usually in the morning to drop off a bushel or two of whatever the tides brought their way. 

Local Catch:

Men's Lives

"There's a saying, 'You don't choose music, music chooses you.'  The same could be said about the calling to live life as a bayman.  It's an unnamed drive, one that forces a humble human to set out in a modest boat on a boastful sea, day after day.  Easy? Never. Necessary? Absolutely.  At least for those who take to it, like a fish to water." - S.G.