Peconic Star Fleet in surprise talks to return to Greenport after shutdown

The Peconic Star may not be dead in the water after all.

The fleet’s longtime owner, Arnold Hubert, the Village of Greenport and the East End Seaport Museum have quietly discussed renewing the popular fishing charter’s five-year licenses for two spots at the Railroad Dock — a month after the company said it was going out of business.

“He is very much looking to renew the [license],” Mayor Kevin Stuessi announced near the end of Thursday’s board of trustees work session.

Mr. Hubert was not present at the meeting.

The Suffolk Times reached out for comment.

The surprise negotiations come after the company posted “Out of business, lost our lease,” on its website on Sept. 16 — claiming the village refused to offer a five-year extension after its current deals end next May.

Mr. Hubert quickly sold off one of the two vessels in the Peconic Star fleet. The other is undergoing repairs in Sayville.

Mr. Stuessi, who had denied the assertions about the licenses, said the company can keep the second spot at the dock if it purchases another ship before its deal expires.

Otherwise, the license will be made available to another operator, since each is tied to an actual boat.

“There are currently two licenses under the Peconic Star boats,” Mr. Stuessi said. “One of them will essentially no longer exist if he no longer has that boat.”

There is some interest from others for the spot, Stuessi added.

Each costs roughly $5,000 a year.

The Peconic Star has been a mainstay in the village since its first voyage in 1982. The company has always had two licenses at the Railroad Dock.

Greenport Village took control of the licenses from Suffolk County in 2014, after the county legislature ended its deal for the dock with the Metropolitan Transit Authority.