Field Notes: A day with Peter Kuhn

Spend a day with Peter Kuhn: lifelong sailor, conservationist, and steward of coastal tradition. Rowing vintage boats, driving classic cars, shucking fresh shellfish, and discussing life where hats are more important than shoes. Shot by our friend and photographer Joseph Beeching.

Older Post Back to QMS Journal

Growing up in Amagansett on the Eastern End of Long Island, NY in the 60's was very different then the "Hamptons" people know now. In the 8th grade our class was brimming with 9 students and many of the people in town made their living off the sea haul seining for striped Bass and working the bays for shellfish. The longbill hat was as much of a staple as having a black lab in the back of your pickup. All the fishermen wore them year round. There seemingly was no other choice.

My father was an old salt. Navy in WW2 followed by a decade in the Merchant Marine sailing all over the world. The union limited sea time to 6 months a year so while he was ashore he went to art school and worked in ad agencies. When he and my mother decided to have children they moved the family to Amagansett where he worked in a friend's boatyard. He was also a naturalist and illustrated several books on birds and fish and he wore a longbill proudly. A sailing friend of his hired him to be the art director for the local paper, the East Hampton Star, where he illustrated a weekly column on nature and also created a weekly cartoon. The cartoon featured two local fishermen which were called Bub's and they were always wearing their longbills in his drawings.

I often had several jobs at a time as a kid but I gravitated towards retail and became interested in authentic outdoor clothing brands. That is how I met Joe Kaddison, the coast guard veteran who founded Quaker Marine in 1949. I loved that he brought back the authentic oysterman cap and it was a fine moment when I was able to bring one home for my father.

I have always lived near salt water and love diving, sailing, fishing, shellfishing, surfing and spearfishing. For much of my life, sailing has been the main draw and it provided me with a way to get out of our little town. We did not travel as a family but crewing on boats gave me the opportunity to see interesting places and meet fascinating people. I enjoy sailing our classic Bahamian sloop on Eleuthera and last summer the 100ft modern classic on which I crew won the Super yacht regatta in Newport, RI. This spring, I sailed on a 165ft ketch in the St. Barth's Bucket regatta with some friends I have been sailing with for over 35 years. I proposed to my wife on an open 30ft sailboat and that night, on a leaky air mattress, under a leaky boom tent, we were hammered by an intense squall complete with lighting and thunder. I crawled out to check the anchor in the middle of the night and when I dragged my storm soaked body back to our berth she simply said, "I find storms romantic." We have now been together 34 years. Something about a boat has always made us happy.

I recently retired after a career in advertising that certainly scratched that travel itch. For 3 decades I lapped the globe working with interesting clients across multiple sectors. I was once called by a dear friend the "most unlikely CEO"... on paper. No MBA, no agency pedigree. In fact my college years were spent studying marine biology. However, several of the very successful people I sailed for were very kind to spend time with me and encourage me to explore other options. I thought I was just out sailing all those years but I was unwittingly learning how to work with CEO's of major corporations who owned these yachts as well as crews from all over the world. Everything I learned about leadership and management came from being on boats. It also taught me how to navigate stressful situations calmly. As my father used to say: "Your Mother will do a fine job raising you to be acceptable at any dinner party... but I will teach you to be indispensable in a storm." I often hear his words in my head while in storms at sea or in the boardroom and always take great pride in bringing calm to chaos.

Now, we spend a large portion of the year in our home on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera. A friend took me there in 1984 and I fell in love instantly. Marjorie Rawlins writes about the consciousness of land and water lying deeper in the core of us than any knowledge of our fellow beings. When I first set foot on that island, I felt more at home than anywhere, and that feeling continues today. I am American by birth but Bahamian by choice. Our daughters have known the island their whole lives and my longest standing friendships are with my Bahamian community. The island and the surrounding waters are teeming with life but they are also under constant threat from climate change and developers wanting to destroy the landscape, so I actively support several organizations including the Bahamas National Trust and an educational program, Exceptional Eleuthera Outreach, where one of our daughters has worked as a volunteer teacher. I am most passionate about an organization called BREEF. The Bahamas Reef Environmental Education Foundation has worked for over 30 years to protect our reefs and educate young Bahamians on how to ensure their natural resources are protected for future generations.

Deep Sea Fisherman's Sweater in Indigo

Ventura Short in Driftwood Corduroy

$77.00 $118.00

Oysterman in Olive Waxed Canvas

$68.00

Bridle Strap Belt with Ring Buckle in Oak Bark

$118.00

When Quaker Marine asked to follow me around with a camera for a day, I did not hesitate to accept. After Hurricane Dorian destroyed a large portion of the Bahamas in 2019, they produced a hat that raised money for relief efforts — I think I purchased 10! I have lived my professional and personal life trying to answer Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's challenge: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?'" I will always support brands that have purpose and "do" for others. I have worn QM for decades and truly appreciate how they have authentically expanded beyond hats. I often feel that their items were made just for me.

Our day together started at 8am, after I just returned to our home in Connecticut 12 hours earlier. We purchased this home last summer when we fell in love with the 10 acres of woodlands, the spring-fed pond stocked with Bass, and a pre-revolutionary farm house. It was quite the re-entry from Eleuthera — 24 hours with a photographer who arrived as a stranger and left as a dear friend. We picked up my 1984 Land Cruiser FJ60 and drove to a few of my favorite places along the coast. We also took a row down a tributary of the Connecticut river on our Chesapeake Light Craft. I love classic cars and boats but they must always be functional.. able to go anywhere and do anything and not so precious that you can't use them as tools. Nothing I own goes fast. I'm never in a rush. I'm happy to enjoy shifting through all 4 gears to get to 60mph or rowing all morning to get to the fishing spot. We visited the Mystic Maritime Museum, where I spent countless hours as a kid and rolled up to lobster shacks, visited oyster farmers, ate chowder, and drank Guinness at the Griswold Inn that has been in operation since 1776.

When you live a large portion of your life in the sun and salt, you start to really appreciate what works and how important your clothing can be. There is a saying in the Bahamas: "Here, hats matter more than shoes." I am happiest when barefoot with a good hat protecting me from the sun and I have never known a better hat than the Oysterman. There is a picture of me wearing one on Eleuthera in 1990 and one of me standing in the same place in the same hat in 2025. When you find what works, you stick with it. When we visited the oyster farm, the owner saw my hat and his eyes lit up. "I remember when that was the ONLY hat you ever saw anyone wearing around here — boy that takes me back!" I love to see people smile when they have a fond memory of an item. And I find the cars, boats, and clothing choices I make often bring back those memories not just for me but for others.

Peter's admiration for QMS deepened when they assisted with Hurricane relief in the Bahamas. If you would like to support Peter's primary cause donate at breef.org.