Bayman's Clamdigger Shirt, Short Sleeve

The Bayman's Clamdigger Shirt

One of the fondest memories of my early years in Beach Haven, NJ, was treading for littleneck clams in and around Little Egg Harbor. Two hours before ebb tide, we’d motor out in a decrepit cedar-plank Garvey from Morrison’s Marina to our “secret” spot in the bay. With wool socks to protect our
bare feet, overboard we’d go into chest-high water to start the clam dance: pivoting on our heels, shuffling side to side to feel the clams with our toes as we waddled backwards, through the muddy silt and eel grass. We’d reach down and it
was one, maybe two clams at a time. When the incoming tide rose past our armpits, it was quittin’ time.

Back in the Garvey, even before we’d start bailing the 6” or so of water that had seeped in, I’d reach for my salt washed, sun faded shirt. First to my face and then over the shoulders I’d button it loosely across my chest for the homeward bound ride.

That shirt was a near permanent fixture on my Garvey, laid flat to dry on foredeck day after day… it saw more fresh water from squalls than it ever did from the laundromat. And it’s that vintage, well-worn, salt marred patina it developed over the summer months that, I became hellbent on recreating in a fabric for one of our early Atlantic Rancher, circa 1996, cotton twill shirts.

At a tradeshow in Paris that year, I little-known Swiss fabric
mill caught my attention with its off-course, quirky finishing techniques, and together, we concocted a sea-salt-washed fabric finish that became hugely appreciated.

When launching Atlantic Rancher Co. 2.0 in 2019, I was upside-down after learning that the mill, Hammerly, had gone out of business years ago. And so, the hunt was on… and after 3yrs and literally dozens of mills on the case dissecting
my original fabric samples, not one was able to produce anything that even came close.

Except one. And one was all we needed! Add another year of
final development and here we are with a near perfect replica of the original sea-salt-washed finish twill. For sure this fabric will be deployed broadly in our builds, but for now, please enjoy it deeply as it makes its debut in our Bayman’s Clamdigger Shirt.

Limited Availability:

The Bayman’s Flannel Shirt is a mainstay of our shirt program. However, colors featured here are part of our small batch production run. Quantities are limited to available fabric and might not be restocked this season.