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.

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Ty in his captain's hat aboard the Peregrine

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 was always ready to hop on a boat, reveling in 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 was always ready to hop on a boat, reveling in 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's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting of the Peregrine
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting of the Peregrine
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting
Ty's painting of the Peregrine
Ty on the water in his denim jacket

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.”

Sunset over the dock on the Great South Bay
Sunset over the dock on the Great South Bay
Sunset over the dock on the Great South Bay

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 Peregrine decorated with shields and flags on the beach before her final voyage
The torch-lit gathering on the beach the night the Peregrine was returned to the sea
The torch-lit gathering on the beach the night the Peregrine was returned to the sea
Watercolor of the Peregrine carried to the sea, by Christy Edwards

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.

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.

right here

right here

The reef gives back.

The reef gives back.

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.

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 of first casts

A girl showing off the sea robin she caught
A young girl smiling with the flounder she caught
A boy proudly holding his flounder aboard the boat

See 25 Years

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. Discover the legacy created over twenty-five years on the bay, and help inspire another generation of children.

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631.707.1501 · 4301 Oak Beach Road, Oak Beach, NY 11702

631.707.1501 · 4301 Oak Beach Road, Oak Beach, NY 11702

© 2026 Ty Hellriegel Peregrine Foundation

© 2026 Ty Hellriegel Peregrine Foundation

A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit

A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit