Love on the Rock: Two Christmases, the Red Trail and Moe’s 

Lidia and Schuyler Needham didn’t meet on Shelter Island, but the Island has a way of calling people home. Their path — from a small engineering college to shipyards, sea voyages and eventually to raising two sons — includes plenty of turns, including a humble first “date” that still cracks them up.

Schuyler grew up on Shelter Island, but clarifies, “I’m not a harelegger. I was born in Riverhead,” he said. “So a local, but not by the strictest definition.” 

His grandparents bought a marina on the Island in 1973, and that’s where Schuyler’s parents, Kathi and Peter Needham, met. “My grandparents even hosted Bible study in the apartment upstairs, where we live half the year,” he laughed. “So yeah, my family’s been here awhile.”

Lidia Mouravieff, meanwhile, grew up a ferry and a couple of bridges away in Washington Township, N.J., in a family that spoke mostly Russian. “Russian was my first language,” she said. “I actually did ESL in kindergarten because my parents were so committed to speaking only Russian at home.” Her childhood was a mix of Russian school on Saturdays, summer camps and church traditions, experiences she fondly remembers.

The couple met at Webb Institute, a tiny, private, high-pressure college for naval architects and marine engineers, situated in a grand old mansion in Glen Cove, overlooking Long Island Sound. The college was founded in the late 1800s by philanthropist and shipbuilder William H. Webb, and graduates only 25 or so students a year. The shipbuilding aspect attracted Schuyler to Webb; he now works for his family’s yacht-building business. 

Lidia’s first connection with Schuyler came via her handwriting as Schuyler’s orientation leader at Webb. “She wrote me a welcome letter,” he remembered. “She was a year ahead of me, but that didn’t faze me.”

Orientation week was a whirlwind of scavenger hunts, Glen Cove ferry rides, and mini-golf. “It was a lot,” Lidia said, “and I remember this clearly … I loved Schuyler’s deep voice and his laugh.” But it wasn’t love at first sight; she laughed off his early attempts to ask her out. 

“I turned him down,” she said with a wink. “A few times.” 

He admits this with a sheepish smile: “It took at least a month.” But persistence prevailed. Soon Schuyler invited Lidia to meet him on the pier at Webb to listen to music, and they bonded over their shared love of singer-songwriters.

Their first unofficial date took place at Moe’s Southwest Grill following a co-ed soccer game they played in. “It wasn’t fancy,” Lidia said, “but it felt special.” Schuyler nodded. “It was the first time we were out somewhere just the two of us. And there was something cool about burritos and two college kids interested in each other,” he added.

From that point, their lives intertwined: Webb studies, late-night problem sets, internships across the globe. Lidia sailed on a Navy supply ship; Schuyler built parts for submarines in Norfolk, Va. Distance became a rhythm, a challenge they met with late-night calls and emails across the time zones. After graduation, life led them on a winding path from Hamburg, Germany to New Jersey and finally to Shelter Island. 

“We’d been together for several years, including a stint living together in Germany, so when it came time for the engagement, I wanted it to feel personal rather than over the top,” Schuyler recalled.

Schuyler had purchased the ring while living in Germany and had it shipped to his sister Mackenzie back home. “My sister visited us in Hamburg for Thanksgiving, so she brought the ring. I hid it in a sock to make sure Lidia wouldn’t find it,” he said. Lidia still chuckles at the thought of her engagement ring being hidden in a sock.

The couple traveled to Tromso, an island city on the Norwegian Sea. Schuyler said, “We viewed the Northern Lights and before we knew it, it was 1 a.m. I said to Lidia, ‘Hey, let’s go for a walk.’ And she was like, ‘Now?’” She thought the hour was odd, but agreed. Schuyler popped the question amid snowfall on the dock of a shipyard, and she said, “Yes!”

Once the proposal was said and done, Lidia took the reins for planning the wedding. “She basically ran the show,” Schuyler said. Coordinating from New Jersey, Lidia managed every detail while Schuyler mostly kept to showing up. “I handled logistics. He handled… showing up,” she joked.

The couple wed at the Novo-Diveevo Russian Orthodox Church in Nanuet, N.Y., where Lidia’s parents, Tania and George Mouravieff, were married, and where her grandparents are laid to rest. The ornate red and gold interior set the stage for a ceremony that felt intimate and special. About 200 close friends and family gathered, filling the space with love and tears. 

“It wasn’t a huge production,” Lidia laughed. “But it was perfect for us.” Schuyler added, “I wanted it to feel like us … low-key. Mission accomplished.”

Schuyler planned their honeymoon, a surprise trip to the Maldives. “I had no idea we were going until we got to the airport,” Lidia recalled. “It was paradise!”

The couple eventually looked to purchase a home on the Island. “We went into contract when I was eight months pregnant,” she said. Their first child, Jonah, arrived in December 2019, followed by Kiprian (“Kipa”) in August 2021. “The boys are so different. Jonah is cautious and competitive, he loves chess,” Lidia said. “Kipa is fearless, joyful chaos.” “They balance each other,” Schuyler said.

Parenthood came with its own challenges. “Jonah got RSV when he was just two months old,” Lidia said. “He was flown to Stony Brook Hospital … it was terrifying.” And then, just as they were finding their rhythm, COVID hit. “We were all home together, hunkered down, learning how to be a family in a tiny bubble,” Schuyler said.

Their life on Shelter Island has its own charms and rhythms. Walks on the Red Trail at Mashomack Preserve are a staple. “The boys insist we pause at every book sign,” Lidia laughed. “They can’t run past the page.” Kayaking is a seasonal passion, with the boys sitting on the front of the boat, leaning from side-to-side and narrating the ride. And pickleball? “It’s mostly chaos, but everyone’s happy,” Schuyler said. 

The family recently spent a night on Taylor’s Island for Lidia’s birthday. “The boys slept on the cushions of the bay window for the whole night instead of in beds. It was so fun and easy … such a special place,” she said.

Holiday celebrations are particularly whimsical. Because of Lidia’s background, their season of celebration stretches nearly 20 days, with Christmas being celebrated on Jan. 7 in the Russian Orthodox tradition. First, a Needham family gathering in December, then a New Year’s day visit from Santa, and finally a January celebration with the Mouravieff family. “It’s chaotic,” Lidia said, “but it’s our chaos and somehow, it works.”

Travel is another passion. Lidia and Schuyler have journeyed — pre- and post-kids — far beyond Long Island Sound: France, Greece, Canada, Italy, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tahiti, Norway, Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Bahamas, Saint Lucia and the Netherlands. “The boys are learning to be travelers,” Schuyler said. “They sometimes get more excited about their iPads than the destination since we are mostly screen-free at home.”

Through all these adventures, work, and parenting, Lidia and Schuyler have maintained a playful partnership. Schuyler downplays his job title, calling himself “service manager” at Coecles Harbor Marina & Boatyard. Lidia works remotely as a naval architect from her quiet office at Coecles Harbor. Amid the whirlwind of work, travel and parenting, their love is grounded in small, everyday moments. 

“We love walking the Island trails, kayaking and cooking dinner together,” Lidia said. “And the boys make everything more fun.”

Schuyler summed it up: “Shelter Island is beautiful. We love it here, and we can’t imagine being anywhere else … at least not right now.”