Father of the Fire Island Ferry

Father of the Fire Island Ferry
By Amy Armstrong

Edwin J. Mooney is a longtime Fire Island Ferry captain, a devoted family man, and the author of Ferries to Fire Island 1856 to 2003. While meeting with me to discuss his book and captaining career, Mr. Mooney sat comfortably in his desk chair in an office filled with pictures of the Long Island coast, Fire Island national seashore, Fire Island light house, and of course, the many Fire Island ferries that he has captained over the years. At the main Fire Island ferry terminal in Bay Shore, Mooney keeps his past captaining experience close; he has been President of Fire Island Ferries since 1971 and Chief Executive Officer since 2000. With 59 years at Fire Island Ferries, Mooney has created a lifetime out of his passion for the boats.

In 1948, right out of high school, Edwin Mooney moved to Bay Shore, Long Island, from New Jersey. At 18 years old he landed his first job at Fire Island Ferries as a deckhand. By making himself so valuable that the boss wouldn’t want to let him go, Mooney quickly earned respect at his new job. By the summer of 1948, Mooney had received his captain’s license—which he held onto for 58 years. As a captain, piloting the ferry became the biggest part of his life. With a camera always on hand, Mooney took in the beauty of the boats and Fire Island’s many communities, from Davis Park to Kismet. Of course, transporting countless Fire Island rental tenants, Fire Island share house lodgers, New York tourism sightseers, and longtime residents gave Mooney deep insight into the community of Fire Island beach. Mooney quickly knew he would be a Fire Island ferry captain for life. “I enjoyed the job so much, I would get off the boats by necessity rather than choice,” Mooney laughs. “My favorite memories are the simple things; the sunrises and sunsets on the water.” Mooney also enjoyed the challenges of every storm, ice warning, and foggy day. When asked if it was difficult to stay controlled and alert under such adverse conditions, Mooney replied “You have to be aware and concerned . . . but never fearful.”

Mr. Mooney used his experience and adventures as a captain for Fire Island Ferries to create a book that explores the past of the boats he always yearns to be near. Inspired by determination to preserve the history of Fire Island Ferries and detail his decades of experience, Mooney wrote Ferries To Fire Island 1856 to 2003. By collecting newspaper and magazine articles, interviewing other captains, and taking many photographs, Mooney compiled enough information to create a 154-page Fire Island Ferry history text. Filled with firsthand observations and stories from former Fire Island Ferry captains, engineers and deckhands, Ferries to Fire Island 1856 to 2003 allows its readers a chance to understand and explore the boats, people, and experiences of Fire Island’s past and present. Mooney dedicated his book to Captain Elmer Patterson, founder of most of the present ferry system to the west end of Fire Island. His dedication is a respectful nod to an overarching theme: more than transportation, the Fire Island Ferries are a family. For Mooney, the Fire Island family is more than figurative: Along with 16 other couples, Mooney met his mate at the ferries. As a new deckhand, he was introduced to Pat Brown, whose brother was also a deckhand alongside Mooney. A few minutes after he hit his head on a half-opened sliding hatch on a boat, a dazed Mooney was introduced to Pat – and new love bloomed. A few years later the two were married, and went on to have two sons (both of whom work for Fire Island Ferries) and a daughter. Mooney’s family continues to grow; he now also has nine grandchildren.

There is a strong sense of camaraderie among the family of Fire Island ferry workers; with over 1,000 employees, Fire Island Ferries sets a high standard that demands good people who are ready to work. “People who start at Fire Island ferries go on to become very successful in their chosen profession,” Mooney muses. “They can use skills they learn at the dock and on board for the rest of their lives.” Love of the Fire Island ferries lingers even long after workers move on. Past captains and deckhands frequently come back to Fire Island Ferries and work one or two days a week, simply because they miss the sense of family. Mooney still has the same devotion to his career that he had back in 1948. When things go wrong, he is the first to arrive keep the boats running. For all his years as captain, he has lived within a five-minute drive to the Fire Island ferry terminals, so he would be ready to take on any problem immediately. But after 58 years, Mooney decided to not renew his captain’s license. “It’s a young man’s job,” he explains. Full of great memories as a captain, Mr. Mooney has managed to move on, but will never stray far away from his beloved boats.


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