After The Last Drift

Dredging for oysters under sail in Long Island Sound was really more drifting than sailing. Generally speaking, the drift would start at the upwind, up tide end of the bed. A sloop with a three-man crew would usually set five dredges, the captain steering and tending one dredge, the other two tending two apiece. When the dredges were full, the jib sheet was let go and the boat slowed down. The dredges were pulled in, dumped on the deck and lowered anew. At times the run back was so quick that the culling and hauling was nearly continuous. By law, the dredging could only begin after sunrise and end at sunset. At the end of the day, the boats wound up the dredges and race in while culling the last drift, maneuvering for a favorable uploading position at the buy boat anchored in the harbor or near the beds.