Essex, CT

After a quiet night at the Goodspeed dock, we awoke to the sound of traffic on the East Haddam Swing Bridge on Wednesday, September 9.

Fortunately, it was no earlier than our usual wake up time which is between 5:30 and 6:30. The day was overcast but became less so as the sun tried to peek through.  We went for a morning walk through East Haddam and found a lovely park with the reconstructed little red schoolhouse where Nathan Hale taught school after he graduated from Yale at 18!

At the park we met a woman who was walking her three dogs. As we chatted for awhile we discovered that she, too, had been married at the Gelston House many years ago - small world!  Lots of old interesting architecture lined the streets on our short walk up and down the hilly roads of this small town, including the formidable Goodspeed Opera House.

After walking out on the swing bridge to get another view of Zendo, we returned to our little “yacht” and headed south towards Essex.

As we approached Gillette Castle, we decided to take time to go ashore and visit that unique site.  Jonny dropped the anchor and we took the dinghy in to shore and tied up on a dead tree. The grounds around Gillette Castle are extensive and there are many well-marked trails. Although the castle was closed due to Covid there were several small groups exploring the grounds.

Gillette Castle was designed and commissioned by William Gillette, an American actor who was famous for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage.  It took five years to build and was completed in 1919. It is built of wood, cement and lots and lots of Connecticut fieldstone. It has been described as medieval gothic or a “weird combination of American fairy tale and European flair.”  We had been here many years ago and were able to tour inside but this time we could only wander its perimeter and grounds.  It is really quite fascinating.

After a time, we continued our cruise a bit further south to Essex which is located on the west side of the river.  There was a comfortable anchorage on the east side of the river where we dropped the hook and took the dinghy to the town dock.  The Essex harbor is filled with beautiful classic sailboats and is well known as a yachting center.

We strolled up the very charming Main Street lined with shops and galleries in stately old buildings. The many historic homes in town were immaculately maintained and there were several historic markers noting significant events.

Essex, first known as Pettipaug, was settled in 1648 and incorporated in 1852.  It was known as a shipbuilding center and is one of the few American towns to ever be attacked by a foreign power. This was during the War of 1812 when 28 vessels housed there were destroyed by the British.  As the shipbuilding industry faded, the growth of ivory and piano parts grew in the village of Ivoryton.  Many of the beautiful homes in the area were built after the Civil War and were owned by the titans of those industries.

We walked up and down the streets of Essex late in the afternoon but decided to pass on having a drink at the famous and historic Griswold Inn.

After strolling along the town dock we headed back to Zendo for a dinner of our substantial leftovers from the Gelston House.  We were about to settle in for the night when Jonny turned on the generator to recharge the batteries and checked the water flow.  He saw that the cooling water was not flowing and he immediately shut down the generator.  He proceeded to check the strainers which were OK and then checked the hoses that showed that the impeller was not pumping water.  Fortunately he had spares and had to spend the next hour and a half replacing the worn impeller.  Another great  repair job was completed by our very competent captain!

East Haddam, CT

We ventured out for a walk near our Old Lyme dock first thing on Tuesday, September 8. Walking up the hill we could see the graceful home of the owner of the two Excellence yachts. The setting, overlooking the river, was magnificent and the grounds were decorated with some quirky animal statues of horses and bears.

We also revisited the coastal boardwalk, another lovely feature of the area.

After a leisurely morning we took off for a quick pump out and headed up the river. It was a glorious day. The Connecticut River is really beautiful with lots of undeveloped green space, attractive homes and charming historic towns.

Turning east we explored Selden Creek, a very narrow tributary, where we dropped anchor to have lunch. It was so peaceful and serene that we stayed for a couple of hours just reading and relaxing.

From there we resumed our cruise passing Essex on the west. We’ll stop there on the way back - a beautiful, not to be missed town.

We cruised past Gillette Castle, a very unusual home that we’ve visited in the past and is well worth another visit sometime.

Heading towards the Gelston House (“the room where it happened”), we wanted to visit the site of our wedding 34 years ago. This scenic, historic building is in East Haddam and next door to the Goodspeed Opera House. Goodspeed, of the same era, is a theatre where many plays open before they make their way to Broadway. We read that they had a dock so Lynn called to see if we could tie up there. The woman she spoke with said that the dock was only for season ticket holders but it was currently not being used.  “You didn’t hear it from me” clearly indicated that we could dock there. And so we did (despite the many signs that said No Docking Due to Covid)!  The site is also just south of a swing bridge that traverses the river. It was a “no brainer” that we would have dinner at the Gelston House that night since they were serving on their large patio.

We had a very pleasant dinner reliving the details of our lovely wedding.  Their servings were so large that we had enough leftovers for another meal.  It was a beautiful trip down memory lane!

Old Lyme, CT

After two weeks at our Thimble Island mooring, we awoke to a stunning sunrise on Monday, Sept. 7 - Labor Day.

We finally had to disengage ourselves from this scenic spot. But first Jonny had to remove the pennant from the mooring ball and return it to its owner, Ted, who met him at the Stony Creek dock.  After a quick lunch, we left our beautiful spot at 1:30.

We headed out onto Long Island Sound bound for Old Lyme at the mouth of the Connecticut River. It was a gloriously sunny and clear day, cool enough to wear an extra shirt. Our plan was to arrive at the Old Lyme Dock around five. Their fuel was the best price around and we learned that if we filled our tanks (which we needed to do) we could stay the night for a small charge.  There were remarkably few boats on the Sound considering it was a holiday.

That changed as we approached the mouth of the Connecticut River. Besides the lovely lighthouses, we were “greeted” by the sight of a huge super yacht named Excellence. 

We looked it up online and discovered that it was 275 feet long and owned by a gentleman who made his billions by owning 18 car dealerships in Boston. He lived in Old Lyme and commuted by helicopter weekly to his office in Boston. And he owned several mega yachts, all of which were named Excellence. Apparently he read In Search of Excellence early in his career and figured if he named his yachts that, his boat captains would adopt that philosophy in their care of them!

As we entered the mouth of the river, boat traffic increased significantly as all the speed boats and pleasure boats returned for the day. They zipped by us as we plowed up the river. We arrived at the Old Lyme Dock early and the first thing we saw was another huge yacht docked there, also called Excellence. 

And as we watched, a helicopter was taking off from the lawn behind the dock house.  Clearly, this was the owner of these yachts returning to work for the week! 

After hovering for a bit waiting for some boats to fuel up, we approached the dock where we were guided into a very protected slip behind Excellence where we took care of our fuel and water needs.  We were one of only three boats there, a wonderful place to stay and plug in after having been on a mooring for two weeks. We learned from the dockhand that Herb Chambers, the owner of these yachts, lived up the hill and has been leasing the fuel dock to the dockhand’s dad (and fellow UConn grad) for many years.

That evening, after dinner, we took a walk and discovered a wonderful boardwalk that extended along the coast all the way to the main railroad bridge that crosses the river. People were fishing and crabbing along the bridges in this beautiful setting.

That evening, in the shadow of our illuminated neighbor, we had a blissfully calm night’s sleep absent the rocking and rolling of previous nights.