Sand Beach Shipwreck

The Satterlee Boathouse was built with salvaged lumber from the Tay Shipwreck.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Beach/Water Access

Close to midnight on Friday July 28^th, 1911, in the thick rain and large waves of a southwestern gale, a sailing schooner named the “Tay” was working its way along this rocky and treacherous coastline. The “Tay”, already taking on water, struck the ledge you can see just off of Sand Beach called “Old Soaker”. The “Tay” quickly broke to pieces. Clinging on for dear life to the broken mast, the “Tay’s” crew waited till the tide went out so they could scramble to the safety of the sandy beach. The crew found refuge in the Satterlee Family’s summer home. A large portion of the “Tay’s” cargo, close to ninety thousand feet of spruce planks, was washed ashore by the waves. The lumber was salvaged by many local islanders as well as the Satterlee family, who built a boathouse with salvaged lumber to honor the shipwreck.