1 Bay Trip: Exploration of Shinnecock Bay and the Canal
Inlets and LI Express Hurricane by Riley Smith During our first trip of the semester, we were able to sail through the Shinnecock Canal and to the Shinnecock Inlet. I had never been on a boat like this before. Being able to physically experience this through a class while learning about Long Island’s history and the different waterways was interesting. While we were docked by the Shinnecock Inlet, we got to learn a little history about how it was formed. In 1938, there was a major hurricane called the Long Island Express. This hurricane had no warning as it landed on the island and, due to the lack of technology, no one was prepared for the approaching weather. It caused major damage, and a large number of lives were lost. Comparable to Hurricane Sandy, which many of us lived through, the LI Express was much, much worse. Not only the damage to infrastructure and lives, but it also opened eleven inlets along the South Shore. This did raise some questions as to how we should deal with th