Believe it or not, we cruised around Fishers Island Sound some more with Don and Cindy on Limerick and Don’s brother, Tom and his wife, Dorian on their boat Post Flight. Once again (every year) we are thankful to live in a boating area that has lovely locations so near to our homeport. The two Long Island boats came east to visit and cruise, meeting us in West Harbor on Fishers Island.
When we saw them entering the harbor, Al jumped in the dinghy to assist with the moorings. First Post Flight and then Limerick.
Al has the mooring line ready for Cindy, and then….. what’s this? Is he trying to be human bow thruster?????
Nice to have Limerick back here again!
All three boats –Limerick, Post Flight, and Kindred Spirit. All three of these boats were once owned by Don & Cindy. No joke! They owned Kindred Spirit before the people we bought her from (the story is here – Thirty-Nine Times Two), and they also owned Post Flight before selling her to Tom and Dorian.
The two Krogens have shade cloths over their bows. Al had made ours last year and then customized another for Limerick over the winter.
Dinghy rides to shore for a walk on the island.
West Harbor homes
We passed oyster nets on a dock and have kayaked by the nets in the water. The museum had a “lantern net” on display.
Fishers Island Oyster Farm– One of the first of the boutique East Coast oyster farms, and the most unique. Sarah and Steve Malinowski spawn their own broodstock each year from the previous year’s stars, meaning their current oysters are twelfth-generation Fishers Island natives–a genetic line uniquely adapted to the island conditions. Also unique, the oysters are grown in five-tiered lantern nets suspended from the surface of West Harbor. This is as oceanic an environment as any oyster in the Northeast, and it comes through in the pure marine brine.
WooHoo! The dinghy dock here finally got an upgrade. No more straight up vertical ladder to climb.
Guys really appreciate a place to sit while the women explore the little shops, which does not take long. These purple Adirondack chairs are a favorite.
Toppers is a must-do on the island. For us. 😉
We stopped in the Henry L. Ferguson Museum to see the new exhibit (last visit was in 2019) and a long chat with Director Pierce Reynolds who is always ready to share his wealth of knowledge about Fishers Island.
Exterior front view of the museum and the path behind that leads to the preserve.
The little pond is still there and just as green, if not more so, as ever. As we gazed at the pond, an interesting question was posed (I forget who thought of it. Tom??) How much money would it take for you to jump into that pond? There was some casual debate but no one seemed willing to do it for any amount. The only motivation was to save a grandchild or spouse.
Around and in the pond. A little turtle and a tree made for climbing. There is a dragonfly on each of those two sticks by the edge of the water.
We had a nice stop in West Harbor.
Stonington is a favorite harbor of ours so that was the next stop for the three boats.
Kindred Spirit leads the way.
Stonington homes along the water.
All day long we could see these little sailboats, more in one place than I’ve ever seen. It was a “fun regatta” for the kids who had not qualified for the official one. Nice!
A walk around Stonington – Tom, Dorian, Don, me, and Al.
The Stonington Harbor Light is a historic lighthouse built in 1840 and located on the east side of Stonington Harbor in the Borough of Stonington, Connecticut. It is a well-preserved example of a mid-19th century stone lighthouse. The light was taken out of service in 1889 and now serves as a local history museum. We have never gone inside, but do appreciate it’s exterior.
Stonington has beautiful homes with stately doors.
This is the infamous “black house” in Stonington. When the owners wanted to put an addition on in 2000, the historical society and zoning commission stopped it because the house was next to the historic lighthouse. Unhappy with that decision, the owners painted the entire house black. The plaque by the front door states “THE BLACK HOUSE CIRCA 2001.” A googling of “black house Stonington, CT” leads to old news articles about the uproar. Curiously, it seems that the house is once again in the news for another renovation project…… It’s also curious that I could find no photos of the house during its black phase. We do remember walking past it back in the day!
We found ice cream at the “Borough Bodega & Scoopery.” Tasted good and their motto speaks to our souls – “Ice cream solves everything.”
Al’s clever attempt at swimming photo. Haha.
Our favorite place in Stonington is The DogWatch Cafe. A must do!
Dinner on the porch.
The Lobster BLT Boys! The only thing Al ever orders at DogWatch. And I only get the seared Ahi tuna.
OMG! They had to get ice cream AGAIN at the DogWatch. Erin did the scooping. 😳😉
Onto Napatree for a few days!
Just chilling in Napatree.
Stretched our legs with a walk out to the Coast Guard Station through this stately and very, very, very nice Watch Hill neighborhood.
Taylor Swift’s house on the hill.
One of the loveliest gardens in Watch Hill.
The beach side view of the Watch Hill bathhouses.
Back on the beach for a walk, the tree from 2 weeks earlier is still there, just sinking a bit lower into the sand.
Evening lights
The fiery colors of the setting sun.
In a very silly juvenile moment this “tribute” to the week ran through my head, to the tune of “Three Blind Mice” –
Three Dahl boats, three Dahl boats See how they sail, see how they sail Up and down Fishers Island Sound West Harbor, Stonington Napatree Did you ever see such a sight in your life as three Dahl boats?
What a great week it was. We do love our home cruising grounds but also enjoy sharing it with others. We said good-bye to Tom and Dorian, and “see ya later” to Don and Cindy.
Ellen Seltzer
i think it’s wonderful that you have a “community” of fellow boaters and that you meet up and share time together…what happens during the winter?