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Kayaker's Delight
Despite growing summer crowds, kayaking the Thimble Islands remains an unmatched aquatic experience
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Business New Haven
6/24/2002
By:
Karen Singer
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It's nearly nine o'clock on a sunny June morning in Stony Creek, and the town's single public boat launch already is a beehive of activity.
As the powerboats begin to arrive, half a dozen kayakers are queued to launch, while another four are being briefed by Chris Hauge of Stony Creek Kayak, who gives tours and lessons.
Hauge briefly discusses essential gear items such as personal flotation devices (PFDs), an extra paddle, flashlight, knife and matches. Then he offers a few pointers on technique after demonstrating how to hold the double-edged paddle.
“The power should come from pushing the blade that's out of the water, not pulling the one that's in it,” Hauge explains, while watching us slice through air in a nearby park.
A few minutes later, we don our PFDs and receive last-minute instructions on what to do if the craft turtles, or flips upside-down.
“Clasp your hands behind your back, roll forward and get out as quickly as possible,” Hauge advises, as he launches us into Long Island Sound.
We're en route to the Thimble Islands, joining the masses of kayakers making the daily summer pilgrimage.
Although I'm the sole group member with no experience, the only one rolling over into the still-chilly waters during the three-hour excursion is Larry LaConi, national accounts manager for Globe Pequot Press. LaConi, who owns his own kayak, practices rescue techniques under the watchful eye of Hauge, who assists him in a two-person rescue. Globe publishes some seminal books on sea kayaking, and LaConi says he took up the sport “so I'd know more about what I was selling.”
Encouraged by Hauge, we all try out a few more paddling strokes during the tour that are aimed at efficiently turning and steadying kayaks, especially in choppy water.
Over the past several years, kayaking has become an increasingly popular water sport, with practitioners showing up in ever-greater numbers along the Connecticut shoreline, especially around the Thimble Islands off Branford.
“It's such a mecca for kayakers because the Soundscape is so interesting there,” says Guilford municipal historian Joel Helander. “The islands are very scenic, very accessible and rich in historic tradition.”
Named for the thimbleberry, a black raspberry-like fruit growing on bushes, the islands are a chain of several hundred pink granite rocks, ranging from some so tiny they barely jut out of the water to several containing rows of houses situated within spitting distance of one another. Families who have passed them down from generation to generation for decades inhabit nearly two dozen of the islands.
Some of the Victorian-era houses have been updated with electricity; others are more modern in vintage. Recent island sales have garnered prices as high as $6 million.
A few celebrities such as NBC's Jane Pauley and her husband, Doonesbury cartoonist Gary Trudeau, have summer homes in the Thimbles. Famous former denizens include the legendary Captain William Kidd who, according to local lore, buried treasure in the islands while hiding from the British navy. President William H. Taft had a summer home on Davis Island, and tiny Tom Thumb, of P.T. Barnum circus fame, is said to have been a frequent visitor to Cut-in-Two Island. (For those too pooped to paddle, several local cruise boats offer daily island tours - replete with commentary from tour guides.)
There are ample nooks and crannies to explore by kayak, while weaving in and out of the islands amid a wide variety of water conditions and wildlife. We see a cormorant struggling to swallow a large eel, as well as a few herons and egrets.
Other birds you're likely to spy include osprey, Arctic terin and American oystercatchers, which Hauge says are making a comeback. They're long-legged black-and-white birds with bright orange beaks. Be on the lookout also for bunker, snapper blues, bluefish and striped bass.
Although plenty of kayakers are paddling in the boat channel this balmy June day, we stay as far away from them as we can. At least one maritime intersection, where power boats often turn corners at high speeds, is unavoidable, Hauge says, creating potentially disastrous conditions for kayakers, who started arriving in substantial numbers about three years ago.
“They come from every state in the Union,” explains Harbormaster Dottie Maynard. During the summer season, which runs from Memorial Day to September, she sees as many as 100 kayakers a day. “It's just as busy during the week as it is on weekends,” Maynard adds.
Her advice to first-time visitors to the Thimbles: “Do a little research on what to expect before you come.” And, if you're a novice paddler, “Take lessons.”
The influx of kayakers has caused some consternation among town folk, according to Branford First Selectman Anthony (Unk) DaRos, who says the crowded dock and limited parking space in Stony Creek prompted town officials to pass legislation last summer requiring commercial kayak tours to be licensed by the town.
Three were subsequently issued to local companies, including Stony Creek Kayak, and the rule enabled Harbormaster Maynard, who has the authority to ticket illegally parked cars, to turn away trailers carrying as many as a dozen or more kayaks for out-of-state paddle tours.
The islanders “are pretty tolerant, but they wish kayakers would be more respectful of private property,” DaRos says, adding trespassing has been the biggest complaint.
All the islands are privately owned, but some kayakers land on them, despite barking dogs and No Trespassing signs. Even the caretakers on Outer Island, which is part of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge but rarely open to the public, have complained to town officials about kayakers stopping by to use the island as a toilet.
Concern about coastal safety after the September 11 tragedy prompted Branford State Rep. Peter J. Panaroni Jr. (D-102) to introduce legislation during the last session requiring registration for boats less than 14 feet in length.
“It's not so far-fetched to think that someone might want to load up explosives in a kayak for a mission to ram one of those barges with fuel in New Haven Harbor,” Panaroni, says adding he later withdrew the bill because of heated opposition from boaters of all stripes.
Meanwhile, town officials are exploring other ways to relieve congestion in Stony Creek, including creating a second public boat launch away from the center of town and establishing a mandatory safe-boating course.
“The fact is that that lot of kayakers aren't trained in how to navigate the waters, who has the right of way and how to avoid boats,” Panaroni says. “It has become such a popular recreational sport for people, but there have to be some restrictions, in the form of some sort of legislation now, rather than wait until we have a few people dead and say we should have done it.”
The situation at Stony Creek has dampened the enthusiasm about the Thimbles for some experienced kayakers and for clubs such as Connecticut Sea Kayakers (ConnYak), which is advising members to avoid the scene, choose a less hectic boat-launch site or tour the islands at off-peak times.
“A lot of us hard-core kayakers paddle here all year, but the best time is after 6 p.m., when the dockmaster is gone,” says ConnYak secretary Jay Babina, who also recommends staying away on summer weekends.
“Mid-week isn't bad, but the best time to go is at the end of September, when all the [island home-] owner boats are gone and the crowds are gone,” says Vinnie Giordano, owner of Branford Canoe & Kayak. “Then you really get back to seeing the way the fishery here works, with its oystering, lobstering and clamming.”
Giordano rents kayaks, conducts tours and teaches kayaking skills privately and in a course leading to Red Cross certification, which is offered through the Branford Parks & Recreation Department.
“On a summer Sunday afternoon the main thing you'll see,” he says, “is the tourism.”
First Time's the Charm
Kayakers who want to tour the Thimbles but avoid the congestion in “downtown” Stony Creek can find several places to launch within easy paddling distance of the islands.
One is beneath a trolley bridge situated behind the ballfield on the way into town. As you go under the Amtrak bridge, take your first right and look for the ball field, where there's plenty of parking. You'll have to carry your kayak to the trolley bridge. The town hopes the Department of Environmental Protection will install a dock. In the meantime, inexperienced paddlers may have a tough time launching because it's located in a salt marsh, where they may well roll over and end up in the mud.
Another alternate is a state launch site is located in nearby Branford on Godsell Point Road. Because it's less convenient to paddle to the Thimbles from here, Vinnie Giordano of Branford Canoe & Kayak encourages kayakers to instead explore the Branford River. The river is “absolutely gorgeous,” he says, “with plenty of waterfowl to observe, public places where you can stop to picnic, a swimming and several eateries.”
His advice? “First look at a tide table,” Giordano advises. “If it's high at 10 [a.m.], get there around 9.” If you turn left after launching, the first bridge you'll see is the Indian Neck Avenue Bridge. “It's easy to get under, and then you're free and clear of large boat traffic,” Giordano says.
Once you're under the bridge you're in a large, pleasant watershed, where you can paddle up to the next bridge, the Montowese Street Bridge, which can sometimes be treacherous. Heed the warning signs. “At extremely high tides, it's impossible to get under it,” Giordano notes.
After the bridge is a railroad trestle, with an Amtrak overpass, which can be difficult to navigate if the tide is going out.” Then watch for the Branford River swimming hole, near the Pine Orchard Bridge abutment. At this point the river constricts a bit, but opens up into a marsh area after the bridge.
From there it's a “clear shot up to Route 1 and the Route 1 bridge, which probably a good place to turn around,” Giordano says, adding there's a restaurant there, Vincent's, which serves Italian pastries and latte.
Other boat launch sites in the area may take a bit of detective work to ferret out, because kayakers in the know are loath to share them, fearing they will become too popular.
Resources for Kayakers
Several local businesses, including Stony Creek Kayak, Branford Canoe & Kayak and Urban Eskimo Kayak of Wallingford, offer guided tours of the Thimble Islands and other nearby waterways.
Do-it-yourselfers who don't own a kayak can rent one from Action Sports Kayak & Bike Shop in Branford and Branford Canoe & Kayak, among other places.
Books such as Sea-Kayaking Along the New England Coast by Tamsin Venn (Appalachian Mountain Club, 1991) provide self-guided tours of the Thimbles.
Kayak Rentals, Instruction, Sales, Tours
• Action Sports Kayak & Bike Shop, Branford (203-481-5511): Kayak rentals, four hours $35 and up; all-day rentals $65
• Branford Canoe & Kayak (203-483-0236): Kayak rentals, tours and lessons. Four-hour rental: $45. All day: $65
• Glass Kayak (860-663-2398): For kayak lessons in Middlesex & New London counties, www.glasskayak.com, or e-mail richard@glasskayak.com
• Kayak Adventure (888-454-0300): Kayak lessons and guided tours from Norwalk, www.kayak-adventure.net/, or e-mail mskayak@attglobal.net\
• North Cove Outfitters, Old Saybrook (860-388-6585): Kayak sales
• Outdoor Sports, Wilton (800-782-2193): Kayak sales
• Small Boat Shop/Kayak Tours, Norwalk (203-854-5223): Sea kayaking classes and tours through the Norwalk Islands
• Stony Creek Kayak, Stony Creek (203-481-6401, www.stonycreekkayak.com): Lessons, tours include Thimble Islands, Guilford Harbor, Branford Harbor and the Connecticut River. Three-hour guided tours, 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekends, $70 per person; private instruction $60/hour (two-hour minimum)
• Urban Eskimo Kayaking, Wallingford (203 284-9212, www. uekayaking.com): Kayak lessons, tours
Books
• The Connecticut Coastal Access Guide identifies more than 250 sites, including little-known boat launches, for access to Long Island Sound. For a free copy, e-mail a request with your snail-mail address to coastal.access@po.state.ct.us or call the state Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Long Island Sound Programs at 860-424-3034
• Sea Kayaking along the New England Coast, Tamsin Venn (Appalachian Mountain Club, 1991)
• Complete Boating Guide to the Connecticut River (Inspiration House, 1990)
• Guide to the Connecticut Shore, Doe Boyle (Globe Pequot Press, paperback, 2001)
• Guide to Sea Kayaking, Nigel Foster (Globe Pequot Press, 1997)
• The Complete Book of Sea Kayaking, Derek C. Hutchinson (Global Pequot Press, 1995)
• Fundamentals of Kayak Navigation, David Burch (Globe Pequot Press, 1993)
Online Resources
• www.paddletrips.net/ Lists trips, safety tips and other links
• www.npmb.com/home.htm Northeast Paddlers Message Board lists gear, books, trips, weather information, paddlers directory and safety information
• http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/tp4days.html Tidal predictions
• www.gasp-seakayak.org/faq/toc.html Frequently asked questions about sea kayaking
• www.ct-amc.org/index2.htm Connecticut Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) whitewater home page, includes sea kayaking information
• http://pages.cthome.net/wsmi-th16/photo3.html Thimble Islands photos
• http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/Kayak.html kayak links from a Connecticut kayak builder and intrepid traveler
• www.connyak.org Connecticut Sea Kayakers (ConnYak) club, news, events, information for paddlers
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