Preserve the Oldest Remaining Oyster Sloop
Buy a Fastener.
Help Hold History Together.
A $25 fastener helps secure the next chapter for CHRISTEEN—Oyster Bay’s living link to maritime history and a floating classroom for generations to come.
Every gift supports CHRISTEEN’s long-term preservation and care.
Built in 1883 · Still sailing today
A vessel like no other deserves extraordinary care.
CHRISTEEN has survived hurricanes, two sinkings, decades of hard work, and near loss. Today, she sails as a National Historic Landmark and a floating classroom.
Thousands of fasteners work quietly beneath her painted hull, joining plank to frame and helping preserve the strength of this historic wooden vessel. The U.S. Coast Guard reviews CHRISTEEN’s fasteners every five years. They currently look great—and this campaign helps us prepare responsibly for the specialized care her future will require.
Your gift is an investment in proactive stewardship: keeping CHRISTEEN safe, seaworthy, and ready to teach maritime history, marine science, coastal ecology, aquaculture, and the story of Oyster Bay.
“A fastener may be small, but together they help hold more than a wooden hull. They hold a living piece of our history.”
Each $25 gift sponsors one of 4,000 fasteners and moves CHRISTEEN closer to her $100,000 preservation goal.
What your gift preserves
History you can still step aboard.
Your place in her story
Help keep CHRISTEEN sailing.
Sponsor one fastener—or as many as you choose—to protect this irreplaceable vessel for future generations.
Every donation supports the skilled maintenance, materials, inspections, and preservation work required to care for a wooden vessel built in 1883.
Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. The WaterFront Center is a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. EIN: 11-3539597.
Sponsor a Fastener
Choose the impact you would like to make:
Help care for CHRISTEEN all year.
Become a Preservation Partner — Give $25 Monthly