The two basins which comprise the boatyard are known as Greene Harbor in the West and Ockers Basin in the East. In the late 1800’s several oystermen relocated from Oakdale to West Sayville’s prime bay front, a location which was perfect for sloops to access the rich oyster beds of the bay.
They purchased land in the harbor area from Samuel Greene and began to enclose the harbor area with a basin. The South and East walls of the inner basin dock were built in the Summer of 1902 by a William Rudolph. The entrance to the bay is where the Tiki hut area sits today. The original oyster houses are the buildings fronting the North side of the inner harbor.
The South yard beach, located at the West Basin, housed a pavilion built by the Methodist Church around 1920. For many years it was known as the “West Sayville Beach”. In 1917 the West Basin was converted to a Navy base during World War 1 and consisted of wooden vessels donated by local wealthy families. Its purpose was to prevent the running of supplies to enemy submarines, plus general observation and police duty. The men of the base were called to assist in the rescue of the crew of the U.S.S. San Diego when it struck a mine and sank off Point O’ Woods in 1918, a year before the naval base was converted back to commercial use.
West Basin remained home to the oyster, and later clam dredges for six decades. In the late 70’s Harry Schnepf purchased the property from George VanDerBorgh and converted it into a recreational marina called Dutchman’s Cove. It was purchased by the DeAngelis family in 1995, renamed, and upgraded into the modern facility seen today.
The Eastern basin was built by Jacob Ockers in 1907 when he moved his oyster business from his Oakdale location. His main oyster house was floated here on barges in one piece in 1908, and the original building remains intact and complete today. Ockers merged his business with the Sealshipt Oyster Company in 1912 to form the Bluepoints Clam & Oyster Company. With the company under his management until his death in 1918,
Ockers became the nation’s largest and wealthiest shipper of oysters. In 1929, General Foods Corporation purchased it as a subdivision. General Foods retained the company for 37 years under the management of Paul Mercer, who eventually became President of General Foods, and his family. In 1969 it was sold to The American Can Company, later to become The First Republic Corporation.
In 2004 after a decline in the clam and oyster business, the Bluepoints property was acquired by the DeAngelis family and joined with the existing slips to the West. The buildings were preserved and restored to retain the rich history of the property, creating the West Sayville Boat Basin Marina you see today.