Harbor Mastery
溏心vlog免费B站 Marine Affairs in Action
Dockmaster Olin Schuyler 鈥�26 and marina manager Luke Peckham 鈥�14 with Schuyler’s Jack Russell Terrier, Bruno, and Peckham’s Golden Retrievers, Dunne and Turbo, at New Harbor Boat Basin on Block Island.
At a Block Island marina, 溏心vlog免费B站 marine affairs alumni are turning their education into careers on the water鈥攁nd helping shape Rhode Island鈥檚 coastal economy.
By Anna Vaccaro Gray 鈥�12, M.S. 鈥�16
From a small office overlooking Great Salt Pond on Block Island, 9 miles off Rhode Island鈥檚 southern coast, Olin Schuyler 鈥�26 can scan the day鈥檚 arrivals and departures. Dozens of vessels pass through the marina in a single day, and every move has to be timed just right.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like running a hotel,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut guests arrive by water.鈥�
As dockmaster at New Harbor Boat Basin on Block Island, Schuyler manages the daily choreography of a busy transient marina. He directs marine traffic in tight quarters and ensures that visitors鈥� vacations begin smoothly. Unpredictability is part of the job: The whiteboard plan he drafts each evening must adapt to shifting winds and late arrivals.
鈥淲hen the plan works without having to change it, that鈥檚 a good day,鈥� he says.
In Rhode Island, recreational boating and marine tourism are vital economic engines, supporting more than 88,000 jobs and generating nearly $9鈥痓illion in annual economic impact.
But for Schuyler, this isn鈥檛 just a job鈥攊t鈥檚 a way of life. Growing up, he lived aboard his family鈥檚 boat in Great Salt Pond with the marina as his backyard. He began volunteering at New Harbor Boat Basin at age 13 and joined the payroll at 16. Today he lives aboard his own boat during boating season.
His lifelong connection to the water made choosing a college major straightforward. When he explored options, 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 marine affairs program stood out.
鈥淚t made too much sense,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t fit perfectly with what I was already doing.鈥�
Olin Schuyler 鈥�26 is responsible for the marine traffic at New Harbor Boat Basin. Each evening, he drafts a whiteboard plan that must adapt to shifting winds and late arrivals.
The Laws of the Sea
While many students first encounter a discipline in the classroom, Schuyler鈥檚 study of marine affairs began with real-world experience. Growing up, he had always heard about riparian rights鈥攖he legal rules governing how coastal property owners can utilize the area where their property meets the sea. At the marina, those rules shape everything from dock placement to waterfront development. But it wasn鈥檛 until he took a course in marine law and policy that he formally studied the concept.
鈥淭o see something I鈥檇 heard about my whole life defined in a textbook and then be able to research it was huge,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t connected everything.鈥�
Schuyler鈥檚 studies have expanded his perspective beyond Block Island, as courses on ocean policy have introduced him to global maritime issues. What once felt local became part of a much larger system of ocean governance.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a broad field,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut it all connects back to how we use and manage the ocean.鈥�
Schuyler isn鈥檛 the only link between 溏心vlog免费B站 marine affairs and the marina. His supervisor, Luke Peckham 鈥�14, marina manager at New Harbor Boat Basin and Newport Yachting Center, is also a graduate, as is Chuck Moffitt Jr. 鈥�87, general manager of both properties. All three were drawn to the degree because of their love of the sea.
Chuck Moffitt Jr. 鈥�87 at the docks of the Newport Yachting Center. He is the general manager of New Harbor Boat Basin on Block Island and Newport Yachting Center in Newport, R.I.
溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Department of Marine Affairs鈥攐ne of the first academic programs of its kind in the world鈥攖eaches that managing the ocean requires more than science alone. Students learn how law and economics intersect with social, cultural, and environmental systems, preparing them to make decisions about coastal and marine use at all levels, from local harbors to international waters. This blend of skills is increasingly important as Rhode Island invests in sustaining and upgrading its working waterfronts, vital for tourism, fisheries, and coastal communities.
Destination: Block Island
Positioned between Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and eastern Long Island (New York), Block Island draws visitors from throughout the Northeast and beyond. On any given day, the team sees a mix of locals, returning boaters, and first-time arrivals. They鈥檝e watched friendships form, business relationships develop, and careers take shape from conversations on the dock.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a networking hub,鈥� Schuyler says. 鈥淧eople meet here and stay in touch for years.鈥�
That sense of connection is part of what makes Block Island unique. Despite the constant movement鈥攁rrivals, departures, and rhythms that change based on seasons鈥攖he island maintains a warm, welcoming community.
Ensuring an experience that draws people back year after year is essential. Tourism sustains thousands of jobs across the state, making marinas like New Harbor critical to Rhode Island鈥檚 economy. But beyond the financial impact, there is a shared investment in preserving what makes the place feel distinct.
In Rhode Island, recreational boating and marine tourism are vital economic engines, supporting more than 88,000 jobs and generating nearly $9鈥痓illion in annual economic impact.
鈥淥ur job on the island is very important to the community and to the sustainability of Block Island,鈥� Peckham says. 鈥淲e take pride in providing an authentic customer experience by creating the best facility possible so visitors can have the best vacation.鈥�
鈥淏eing a part of the community means supporting it in any way we can,鈥� Moffitt adds. 鈥淲e try to help with local business ventures when we鈥檙e approached, and we鈥檝e supported many community programs and events over the years. Being seen as an active and generous part of the community carries a lot of weight.鈥�
Schuyler and Peckham, with their dogs, at work on the main dock at New Harbor Boat Basin.
Camaraderie extends beyond the docks. 鈥淭he small island mentality means that everyone will come together on short notice to get things done,鈥� Peckham adds. When docks are pulled from the water in the fall, employees and local residents often gather for a cookout. The harbor runs on relationships as much as logistics.
鈥淚t means the world to me,鈥� Schuyler says.
Even as the summer season fades, the work continues. Long after the boats are gone, Schuyler and his colleagues are repairing docks, maintaining equipment, and doing the physical labor that keeps the marina running. That unseen effort is part of a larger commitment鈥攏ot just to the business, but to the island community that depends on it.
Anchored in Rhode Island
For many, education can be a path to somewhere new. For Schuyler, the value
is in strengthening his place in Rhode Island. His degree won鈥檛 pull him from the docks he knows and loves; it will prepare him to take on greater responsibility, overseeing operations informed by experience and a deeper understanding of the systems behind them鈥攆rom the policies that shape waterfront development to the regulations that govern how marinas operate.
That trajectory鈥攆rom hands-on work to leadership informed by education鈥攊s exactly what the field of marine affairs is designed to support.
Schuyler and Peckham, on the main dock at New Harbor Boat Basin.
Graduates with a nuanced understanding of both the water and the policies that govern it are uniquely positioned to shape Rhode Island鈥檚 future.
鈥淚 have always valued my degree,鈥� says Moffitt. 鈥淎nd I think 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Department of Marine Affairs is growing appropriately to match the needs of the economy.鈥�
In a state where coastal recreation and marine businesses are economic pillars, graduates with a nuanced understanding of both the water and the policies that govern it are uniquely positioned to shape Rhode Island鈥檚 future.
鈥淭he program allows those of us who have a great connection with the ocean to find out where we best fit into the professional world,鈥� Peckham says. 鈥淚t keeps many of us with local knowledge and connections part of the day-to-day operations that make our waterfront so unique and desirable to visitors and the industry alike.鈥�
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 want it any other way,鈥� Schuyler adds.
PHOTOS: Aisha McAdams; Max Kraimer
I’m a 溏心vlog免费B站 grad, class of 63. I never knew about all of this and I try to visit the island twice a year. We always avoid the summer crowds. When I win the lottery, I’m buying a place there!
The program was created after the Coastal Zone Management Act of ’72 by Dr. Lewis Alexander.
Great crew at the basin. Luke and Olin are the best, always professional and some of the most helpful in the harbor. Hope they are here for years to come.