Ty’s Reef
Ty’s Reef
Ty’s Reef
A permanent monument to the spirit of the artist and sailor we all loved.
A living source of refuge and inspiration for all who venture upon it.
A permanent monument to the spirit of the artist and sailor we all loved. A living source of refuge and inspiration for all who venture upon it.
A permanent monument to the spirit of the artist and sailor we all loved. A living source of refuge and inspiration for all who venture upon it.
Donate
Twenty-five years ago, we charted a course that continually inspires others.
Twenty-five years ago, we charted a course that continually inspires others.
Ty built boats, painted the harbor at every hour of light, and never once turned down a sail, always choosing the salty air. When he passed, the people who loved him gave the sea something back: a reef built from his boat, creating a home for the marine life he cared for most.
Ty built boats, painted the harbor at every hour of light, and never once turned down a sail, always choosing the salty air. When he passed, the people who loved him gave the sea something back: a reef built from his boat, creating a home for the marine life he cared for most.
Read the story
An original in an unoriginal world.
An original in an unoriginal world.
An original
in an unoriginal world.
Ty Hellriegel painted the waters he called home. With bright blue eyes and an infectious smile, he inspired everyone around him to love boldly and embrace creativity.
They called him the Ernest Hemingway of Long Island. He left behind a legacy of paintings and poetry that continue to express the passion that fueled his life.
Ty Hellriegel painted the waters he called home. With bright blue eyes and an infectious smile, he inspired everyone around him to love boldly and embrace creativity.
They called him the Ernest Hemingway of Long Island. He left behind a legacy of paintings and poetry that continue to express the passion that fueled his life.
Ty Hellriegel painted the waters he called home. With bright blue eyes and an infectious smile, he inspired everyone around him to love boldly and embrace creativity.
They called him the Ernest Hemingway of Long Island. He left behind a legacy of paintings and poetry that continue to express the passion that fueled his life.
“Create rather than simply exist.”
“Create rather than simply exist.”
“Create rather than simply exist.”
Home was a Spanish galleon.
Home was a Spanish galleon.
Home was a Spanish galleon.
Ty lived aboard the Peregrine, a replica of a 16th-century Spanish galleon he discovered in a Florida shipyard and brought home to the Great South Bay.
Ty lived aboard the Peregrine, a replica of a 16th-century Spanish galleon he discovered in a Florida shipyard and brought home to the Great South Bay.
Ty lived aboard the Peregrine, a replica of a 16th-century Spanish galleon he discovered in a Florida shipyard and brought home to the Great South Bay.
She was his home, his studio. They were as inseparable as mast and sail. Those closest to him often noted his non-materialistic approach in a materialistic world, as Ty always guided others back to the basics.
She was his home, his studio. They were as inseparable as mast and sail. Those closest to him often noted his non-materialistic approach in a materialistic world, as Ty always guided others back to the basics.
She was his home, his studio. They were as inseparable as mast and sail. Those closest to him often noted his non-materialistic approach in a materialistic world, as Ty always guided others back to the basics.
“Back to the basics.”
“Back to the basics.”
“Back to the basics.”
He never once turned down a sail.
He never once turned down a sail.
He never once turned down
a sail.
Sailing, fishing, and painting the harbor in every hour of light, Ty’s days flowed with the rhythm of the bay. The sea fueled his creativity, and his paintings returned its beauty to everyone who admired them.
Sailing, fishing, and painting the harbor in every hour of light, Ty’s days flowed with the rhythm of the bay. The sea fueled his creativity, and his paintings returned its beauty to everyone who admired them.
Sailing, fishing, and painting the harbor in every hour of light, Ty’s days flowed with the rhythm of the bay. The sea fueled his creativity, and his paintings returned its beauty to everyone who admired them.
“Upon sight or smell of wind and sea, stop for a moment and think of me.” — Ty
“Upon sight or smell of wind and sea, stop for a moment and think of me.” — Ty
“Upon sight or smell of wind and sea, stop for a moment and think of me.” — Ty
In 2001,
we lost Ty.
The same sea that fueled his creativity and spirit claimed his life in a boating accident on the Great South Bay. The following spring, his family made the heartfelt decision to return his beloved Peregrine to the sea.
In 2001, we lost Ty.
In 2001, we lost Ty.
The same sea that fueled his creativity and spirit claimed his life in a boating accident on the Great South Bay. The following spring, his family made the heartfelt decision to return his beloved Peregrine to the sea.
The same sea that fueled his creativity and spirit claimed his life in a boating accident on the Great South Bay. The following spring, his family made the heartfelt decision to return his beloved Peregrine to the sea.
The people who loved him gave the sea something back.
The people who loved him gave the sea something back.
The people who loved him
gave the sea something back.
In 2001, Ty’s Reef was born, creating a vibrant home for marine life. That same year, the Ty Hellriegel Peregrine Foundation was established. His family sought a way to memorialize the spirit of their son and brother, finding it in the waters he cherished. They sank his Peregrine, laying it to rest in the Great South Bay, where it became part of the Fisherman’s Reef, stretching from the Fire Island lighthouse to the Coast Guard Station.
Since then, the Foundation has honored Ty’s love of the sea by taking thousands of children fishing over the reef—the very waters that inspired him throughout his life. Ty's Reef now stands in the waters of the Great South Bay, Long Island, New York, serving as a living source of refuge and inspiration for all who venture upon it.
In 2001, Ty’s Reef was born, creating a vibrant home for marine life. That same year, the Ty Hellriegel Peregrine Foundation was established. His family sought a way to memorialize the spirit of their son and brother, finding it in the waters he cherished. They sank his Peregrine, laying it to rest in the Great South Bay, where it became part of the Fisherman’s Reef, stretching from the Fire Island lighthouse to the Coast Guard Station.
Since then, the Foundation has honored Ty’s love of the sea by taking thousands of children fishing over the reef—the very waters that inspired him throughout his life. Ty's Reef now stands in the waters of the Great South Bay, Long Island, New York, serving as a living source of refuge and inspiration for all who venture upon it.
twenty-five years and counting
Keep the reef growing.
Keep the reef growing.
Keep the reef growing.
Give a kid a day on the water. Send a boatload of kids fishing. See what twenty-five years on the bay have built, and continue to inspire children for another generation.
Give a kid a day on the water. Send a boatload of kids fishing. See what twenty-five years on the bay have built, and continue to inspire children for another generation.
Give a kid a day on the water. Send a boatload of kids fishing. See what twenty-five years on the bay have built, and continue to inspire children for another generation.
SUBSCRIBE
Sign up for Ty’s Reef updates: trip dates, events, and news from the bay.
Sign up for Ty’s Reef updates: trip dates, events, and news from the bay.
631.707.1501 · 4301 Oak Beach Road, Oak Beach, NY 11702
631.707.1501 · 4301 Oak Beach Road, Oak Beach, NY 11702