Thimble Islands and Old Saybrook, Connecticut

It was flat calm in Port Jefferson Harbor yesterday morning, and Rob and Susan took the kayak for a paddle along the shores.

Susan and Rob kayaking

Shortly before noon, we hauled up the anchor in Port Jefferson Harbor and sailed on a broad reach with 8-10 knots of wind for two and a half hours until the wind speed decreased, forcing us to motor the rest of the way to the Thimble Islands off the coast of Branford, Connecticut. All of the rocky islands are privately owned, so we could not go ashore. At first, the anchorage was a bit rocky due to the swell coming to the shore from Long Island sound, but it calmed as the evening progressed, and by morning it was flat calm. 

Thimble Islands

One of the Thimble Islands

Sunset in the Thimble Islands

The archipelago consists of small 25 mostly wooded islands, 23 of them inhabited. The 12-acre Money Island, named for the legend that Captain William Kidd buried treasure here, has a village of 32 houses (none of them occupied year-round), a church, a library and a post office. In total, there are 81 residences on the islands; 14 of them have only one house. The islands are obviously for the wealthy and sometimes famous. One of the most famous was Tom Thumb, a dwarf who was a star for P.T. Barnum's circus.

The Stony Creek pink granite bedrock that makes up the islands were previously hilltops before the last ice age. Yale University and other institutions own some of the islands and maintain them as research stations for this unique ecological niche with a thin layer of soil, high concentration of salt, and extreme exposure to weather phenomena. No unique species have been discovered; the islands have been used by humans for thousands of years, birds have carried berries and fruit and the wind has carried airborne seeds of trees such as pitch pine. 

There was 3-6 knots of wind this morning, so we motored on the flat water for three and a half hours to the mouth of the Connecticut River and called the North Cove Yacht Club in Old Saybrook to ask to pick up a mooring ball. I stated that we are a 56-foot sailing vessel. "How big?" was the surprised response. "56," I responded. "Five six?" "Yes, five six." According to the harbormaster's guidelines, we exceeded the limit but they took us anyway. Stephan came out on the launch to guide us to a mooring ball. With stunning ineptitude, I failed to pick up the pennant, despite Peter's expert maneuvering, and then the boat hook separated and the hook part fell in the water! Stephan came to our rescue and handed up the pennant while another man with a dog in a dinghy picked up the floating hook. 

After we tidied up, we hailed the yacht club for a ride to land. Tanya came for us and provided us with information about town. After we checked in and paid for the mooring, Stephan walked with us into town, suggesting a restaurant called Jack Rabbit, praising their burgers and hot dogs. I was tempted by the descriptions of the milkshakes and succumbed to lure of a key lime shake for lunch. Rob said the hamburger was, indeed, one of the best he had tasted. 

After lunch, Peter returned to the boat, and Rob, Susan and I walked along Main Street. Heading toward the water, we passed many charming houses with large lawns and gardens as well as historic churches. One of the earliest settlements in Connecticut, Saybrook was established in 1635 by the British, the area previously being occupied and abandoned by Dutch settlers. Originally the independent colony of Saybrook, it began when a company of English Puritans headed by Viscount Saye and Sele, Lord Brook, and John Winthrop Jr. erected a fort to guard the entrance to the river. 

Various architectural styles can be seen in the houses lining Main Street. The earliest residences still in existence date from the 17th century. Distinguishing features of the old saltbox houses are a large center chimney, a lean-to rear addition, and a front facade with a center door and five windows, three on the second floor and one on each side of the door. Originally, they had shingle exteriors and later wood siding since sources of lumber were abundant.

Built after the saltbox style houses were larger Georgian homes, built during the 18th century and early 19th century. They also had a central chimney serving fireplaces in practically every room. The facade has nine windows, a center doorway, and a clapboard exterior. These houses reflect early prosperity in Old Saybrook; they are larger and more comfortable with a central hallway for the more formal reception of guests.

Federal or Greek Revival style houses became popular after the American Revolution, with Greek architectural forms reflecting the newly formed nation's interest in Greek democracy. The houses were oriented with the gables facing front and back rather than the sides and were often decorated with corner pilaster and fan lights. Churches and public buildings imitated Greek temple architecture also. 

From the 1836 to 1900, the Victorian style dominated, with bay windows, vertical board exteriors and intricate carpentry. This style is the prevalent in Old Saybrook, with many houses, churches and parsonages the innovations of the era.

Greek Revival style Congegrational Church

Grace Episcopal Church, built in 1872

Home in Old Saybrook

Home in Old Saybrook

Luckily--since we ran out of fresh milk a couple of days ago--there is a large, modern shopping era with chain stores including Walmart. The Stop and Shop supermarket was enormous and we were able to reprovision easily, filling four grocery bags with food. 

Now we are all back on the boat for the evening. The skies threaten rain although the weather forecast indicates no precipitation until after midnight. In any case, it will be a wet morning tomorrow, so we may leave the harbor late. We have foul weather gear, but who really wants to wear it?