The Reporter makes a crossing with a South Ferry captain

On a recent sun-splashed afternoon, the captain’s seat of a ferryboat at the water’s edge on the south side of Shelter Island was as good as it gets, said South Ferry Captain and Chief Operating Officer Nicholas Morehead.

The captain was more than happy to steer the Sunrise across Shelter Island Sound on the perfect summer day, he said, given that more than once he’s had to maneuver boats in less than ideal circumstances.

Previously a journalist at the Reporter and the Southampton Press, Captain Morehead said his career as a reporter taught him some necessary skills for his present occupation: effective communication, acquiring and processing information and working under pressure.

As the ferry powered toward North Haven across the cerulean channel, Captain Morehead explained his multiple responsibilities, as well as the training necessary to get to the captain’s seat.  He paused to allow a small sailboat the right-of-way, then revved the engine forward as he recounted the multiple coastguard-sanctioned tests, medical exams and 365 days of “C time” he fulfilled to become a captain.

He remembered what he termed one of his “most interesting” experiences as both a crewmember and a captain, when the company dredged the sand from the bottom of the channel.  Funneling thousands of cubic feet of sand away from the ferry’s shortest route across was necessary, he explained, to keep the ferry from running aground during low tides.

The extensive training captains and crews undergo served them well during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, allowing them to safely transport Island resident Virginia Jernick across the overflowing channel in 93 mph winds for emergency medical care at Southampton Hospital, Captain Morehead said.

Training also proved essential when a kayaker tipped into freezing water two years ago, he said, with the crew coming together and getting the kayaker safely on board.

“That was a moment when I felt especially proud of the crew’s training and teamwork,” Captain Morehead said.

Currently co-owned by brothers Cliff and William Clark II, South Ferry has been part of the Clark family since the 1830s, and is the oldest family-owned ferry company in America.  On the maternal side of the family — the Havens — ownership dates back into the 1710s, according to Cliff Clark.

In its early years, the company’s boats were wooden sailboats or rowboats, used chiefly to transport supplies, but as time went on and technology advanced, the boats became a vital source of transportation to surrounding communities.

Cliff’s daughter, Paige Clark, a sixth-generation Clark, is married to Captain Morehead. It was she who introduced him to his first ferry job.  They now live just down the road from South Ferry, making for “a great commute,” he said.

The Clark family’s respect for their ancestry can be seen in the names of their boats, Mr. Clark said. The Sunrise and South Side were named in honor of Cliff and William’s grandfather, who built boats with the same names in the 1920s.

The Captain Bill Clark honors Cliff and William’s father, who saved the company from impending bankruptcy in the 1950s and ‘60s “with the sweat of his brow,” Cliff said.

Another boat was christened the Lieutenant Joe Theinert in July 2010, in honor of the American soldier killed in action in Afghanistan, who had worked at South Ferry.

The roofs of the boats are different colors in order to distinguish them from a distance, but the fact that these colors are red, white and blue is purposeful, reflecting the family’s patriotism and military background of many of its members, Mr. Clark said.  The Lieutenant Joe Theinert was painted red, he added, due to its namesake’s ultimate sacrifice for his country.

Captain Morehead, with his eyes ahead across the channel, recalled again the challenges Hurricane Sandy presented in October 2012.

In an earlier interview with the Reporter, he said that “we had our most senior guys down there during the most intense part of the storm and I could be a part of what was going on and learn from them, be out of the way when I had to be, but be right there, tying lines and lifting and helping. I could learn from our senior pilot as he drove the boat across … sitting right behind him, looking for pilings and docks floating in the water that we didn’t want to hit.”

The boat pulled into the dock at North Haven. On a busy day, South Ferry can make up to 36 round-trips in a 9-hour shift, Captain Moerhead said. He throttled down to conclude one more safe passage from the Island.