Things are starting to come together for the restoration of the Christeen oyster sloop.

"It's beginning to break," said John Collins, a Christeen Oyster Sloop volunteer. "We now have a sawmill and are collecting logs and trees in the area. If anyone wants to be a part of history, they can donate their trees and they will become part of the Christeen."

David Short, shipwright, from Maine via Newport is overseeing the operation of the new sawmill. It was in operation last week. It is outdoors, right behind the shed where the Christeen is berthed.

"People have been dropping off trees that are going to become the planking," he said. "We need more donations of white oak and black locust."

On Wednesday, April 1, the sawmill was working on a white oak log provided by Tom Stapleton Tree service located in Northport.

Clint Smith, former Oyster Bay Harbormaster and... of the COSPC said there were locust logs ready for pick-up on Turkey Lane and they got a white oak from Huntington Bay. There were also two white oaks on the property of the Oyster Bay Jewish Center, all cut and waiting to be hauled away, he said.

"Little by little, people are donating logs," said Clint. More are still needed. Money is also needed: they will cut up your wood for a donation.

"No nails please," said Dave Short. They found a nail deeply imbedded in the white oak they were cutting up on Wednesday. "It must have held up a tree house" he said. The nail wasn't visible until they made a cut several inches into the diameter of the log, luckily it didn't hurt the new saw blade.

That piece, volunteer Dick Holifield of Bayville explained, was being cut to function as the "dead wood." It is a piece of timber that goes on top of the keel at the back of the boat. The rudder post will be attached to it. A plank of wood called the garboard is attached to the keel and the dead wood. It is the first plank on the bottom, he said.

The ship has been prepared for the dead wood.

Now that the restoration has begun, 'It looks even worse," said Mr. Collins. "The whole transom is off. You walk up a beautiful set of stairs and look down and see a shell. All of the ribs of the boat will be reconstructed. Dave Short is tracing them out on the new wood planks. The boards are laying outside drying out now.

The Christeen Oyster Sloop Preservation Corporation needed approval from the state for the use of the grounds themselves, before they could put up the sawmill, said Mr. Collins, a Hicksville resident who has been doing paintings of the ship, which he sells as a fund raiser.

The ship itself is being stripped down. Much of the old wood is being replaced. The ship will have the original lines from 1883.

This is a restoration and not a replica, he said. For information, or to donate logs, please call Dave Short at the Carpenter's Shop at 922-1098.