Greenport Peconic Star Fleet Returns After Months of Uncertainty
After months of lease fights, the Peconic Star Fleet tied up at Railroad Dock and got ready for summer sailings, with new licenses, higher fees and a bigger boat.
Greenport’s Peconic Star Fleet was back at the Railroad Dock, where the boats were tied up and crews spent the week getting them ready for visitors after months of uncertainty over the company’s future. For Arnold Hubert, the longtime owner known as Captain Speedy, the return brought a jolt of momentum to a business that had been left in limbo since last fall and had spent the winter in public conflict with the Village of Greenport.
The turnaround followed a stretch that began on Sept. 16, 2025, when Peconic Star Fleet announced it was out of business and had lost its lease. The fleet had been a Greenport fixture since its first voyage in 1982, and the fight over its dock rights quickly became a test of how the village manages one of its most valuable waterfront assets. The village took control of the Railroad Dock from Suffolk County in 2014, and the company has long operated there under two licenses tied to specific vessels.
The Village Board signed off on new Peconic Star license agreements at its Jan. 22 regular session, ending the immediate standoff and allowing the company to keep operating for the season. The package covers the existing 65-foot boat and a new 80-foot Peconic Star V, which can carry up to 150 passengers. Each license costs $5,600 a year, up from roughly $5,000 under the previous terms, with 5 percent annual increases and an option for a five-year extension.
The new terms also make the licenses transferable, subject to board approval, which means Hubert could pass them to Matt Gilbert if he retires before the agreement ends. That was a meaningful win for the fleet, but it also gave the village tighter structure and a clear paper trail after months of uncertainty. Under a 2021 agreement negotiated by Capt. David Brennan, the company paid $9,660 for two slips in the first year, with 3 percent annual increases through May 2026.
Hubert and Gilbert said parking changes and the ferry queue work cut off customer access during prime season, putting pressure on business just as the North Fork’s summer economy was building. Mayor Kevin Stuessi said the new boat would also serve the East End Seaport Museum and Bug Light Tours, widening the vessel’s role beyond fishing trips. The fleet’s return means harbor excursions and porgy trips are back on the calendar, but the boardroom fight showed how quickly dock access, vessel rules and seasonal traffic can threaten a legacy employer in Greenport.
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