A fiery West Sayville tribute to a boat that served its families well

Moments before firefighters from the West Sayville Fire Department set the Shadom ablaze, cries of “put down the burgers” and “light the boat” could be heard over the heightening murmurs coming from the crowd.

At least 3,000 attendees had gathered for the Long Island Maritime Museum’s 36th annual boat burning. It was a massive turnout for the museum’s most anticipated event of the year.

The Shadom’s story began in 1952, in faraway Port Clinton, Ohio. A Matthews Boat Company design, the yacht served as “a pleasure craft for several families that offered years of recreation and activity on the bay,” according to the museum’s executive director Craig Low.

Eighteen volunteers worked alongside museum staff to filter through the strong crowd of families, boat enthusiasts, and couples, according to volunteer organizer Justin Walsh. Children in costumes fought with light-up swords in front of a live band, a mix of folk and rock the backdrop to the Suffolk County Department of Fire preparing the scene.

Firefighters inserted a chest into the gasoline-doused vessel through a cabin window just before a lit flare. Walsh said, “We have people write down things that they’re hoping for, things they want to get rid of, drop it in that wooden chest… and then when it’s time for the burn, a few of us take that, bring it up to the boat, and we put that in there. That’s kind of the signal it’s about to kick off, and then we burn that up with the boat as a sendoff.”

In the darkness of night all that could be seen was a dull orange glow seeping through the cabin window. Then came the billowing of smoke and soon tongues of flame could be seen ripping through the deck of the Shadom.

Dozens of foldable chairs were behind the fence keeping the spectators from the show, but almost none of them were being used.

Besides the occasional “that’s the biggest fire I’ve ever seen” comment, hushed wows and ahs were the dominant sounds emerging from the audience. With this, the museum seemed to accomplish its goals for the night, “to have a bonfire, and sort of pay homage to a boat that served the community or a family or had a long history here on the waters of Long Island,” according to Low.

The bonfire towered over the audience, its fires blazing colors that some had never seen before. “I swear I saw some flashes of green and blue when it was at its peak, you know?” said Ronkonkoma resident Sue Field. “So, so, cool—never seen a fire like that before.”

Flames could be seen all inside the boat as the Honduran mahogany hull cracked and separated from itself. Soon, the boat collapsed off its blocking, crumpling into a mass of burning tinder.

The end of the Shadom signaled the beginning of a new boat’s life. “We’re celebrating an old boat and we’re bringing in a new boat,” Low said. Up for grabs was a hand-built canoe, made by volunteers and the top prize for the night’s raffle.

This event marked the end of the museum’s events for this year. But the museum is open year-round, with a mission to “celebrate and educate the public on Long Island’s boat building history and maritime history... the fisheries, clamming, oystering, crabbing, and fishing, which all had their own style of work boat that is unique to this area,” according to Low.

Boat building sessions are available to attend at 9 a.m. for volunteers every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on site. n

Matthew Figueroa is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.