I met Steve Corkery at Coecles Harbor Marina and Boatyard on Shelter Island, New York. He was always there walking the docks and if he wasn’t immediately available, it was because he was out sailing with Maureen, his wife of 47 years, and they would be back in an hour or so. There they’d be, out in the harbor, tacking along under a little gaff rig, rain or shine, any season. If you wanted to talk to him, you had to fit into his sailing schedule.
Steve helps people obtain the right boat for their boating dreams. Bill Mayher calls him a classic boat matchmaker in WoodenBoat #201 (March/April 2008). But Steve is much more than a boat broker. Bill captures it here:
“When he talks about the magic of boats and their uses in people’s lives, he becomes all alight, a spell weaver, a man with a dream to share and the power totake us back in time…. Suddenly people listening to him can see themselves at the helm of this or that masterpiece.”
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David Tew says:
Some years ago I was intrigued by one of Doug Hylan’s designs (PAGAN) and learned that she was owned by the sister of a friend, cared for and moored near Coecles Harbor Marina. I was on a business trip at the time and made a last minute side-trip to Shelter Island. I’d always wanted to see that end of Long Island anyway, so even if I couldn’t get a look-see at PAGAN it would be worthwhile. On short notice and unannounced I found Steve, who didn’t know me from Adam, yet he went out of his way to loan me a small motorboat so I could cross the harbor to board Pagan on her mooring. “Take your time! I’m sure Miss X (the owner) would be pleased with your interest. And keep an eye out for the sandbar between here and there. The tide is falling.” What a cheerful, trusting and helpful guy. Every waterfront should have one.
Doug Hylan says:
Steve’s gift is in being able to tell when the girl we fall in love with may not make the best wife, and being able to convince us of this without spoiling the romance!
Craig Humphrey says:
Having moved to East Hampton with my wife, Cathy, and having read the article about Steve Corkery in WoodenBoat, I called Steve at Coecles Harbor Marina.
The article on Steve says that he is a boat matchmaker. I told him that I was interested in buying a wooden Rozinante. Time passed; he told me about a Rozinante (featured in WoodenBoat several years ago – the boat is TERN) for sale, but unlisted; etc. I looked over the boat with the then owner, Bill Clapp. Immediately, I could see that TERN was the boat I wanted.
Did you say that Steve was a great boat matchmaker? I think he is.
Duart Snow says:
I think I just figured out why I bought a wooden Grand Banks 32…instead of a glass one.
I’d like to meet Steve.