History

As many local residents know, Katlynn Marine was formerly Sill’s Marina, owned by the family for 42 years.

It started with Stewart Sill Sr. who was in the marine construction business. As part of the business, Stewart Sr. collected and used a wide variety of barges. In fact, “C-D” dock is built over two old wooden barges that were sunken and filled with rock and soil. And the steel barges outside of dock “F” are actually dump scows that were used to dredge the Panama Canal (you can still see the gears of the mechanisms used to dump the spoil at sea), and our large sun deck is built atop one of these barges.

Young Stew, Jr., when not working for his father, was involved with building and racing small hydroplane motor boats. To help pay the bills, Stew Jr. acquired a small building and started selling Mercury outboards and parts. A couple docks were built off the sunken wooden barges so he could dock his boats, and before long a few more docks were added to rent out to those in need. So began Sill’s Marina.

Stew Jr. was a vital and vocal member of the Sodus Point community, and we celebrate his oversized personality and impact on the area with our very own archive of Stew Stories, as recounted by Bill Van Gee.

In 1998, Jim Hollingsworth purchased the marina from Stew on a handshake deal. Jim grew up in West Virginia, the son of a coal miner with 10 brothers and sisters. He came north to Rochester with $20 in his pocket, and through nothing but tenacity and hard work earned his way up from ditch digger to superintendent of a local construction company. From there, he started his own company – Xerxes. Jim’s relationship with Stew began with his desire to do marine construction. And when he bought the marina, that’s exactly what he did.

Jim, renovated the entire marina, and renamed it Katlynn Marine for his granddaughter Katlynn. They built all the docks you see today, the retaining walls, and the travel lift slip, helping make Katlynn Marine a top destination for cruisers throughout the Great Lakes.

Sodus Bay, and the marina in particular, have a rich history. The old Genesee Malt House still stands on our property. Back then, the company would give out a case a beer every week to every employee. And for Christmas, employees would receive turkeys, fruitcakes, and boxes of citrus. A few of our hands remember those days, and would be glad to give you an earful.

There also used to be a great coal trestle where Sodus Marina is now located. Large coal freighters would arrive to be loaded with coal from Pennsylvania for shipment to Canada, and the dredging necessary for these ships helped create the channel that big boaters enjoy today.

You can learn more about Sodus Point and our rich history by visiting http://www.historicsoduspoint.com.