Back to the mouth of the Connecticut

Last week I had a chance to take out a friend who I met through the tugnuts forum. Brian lives nearby and is thinking about purchasing a Ranger 21. We had a back-and-forth conversation through emails and finally picked a day to go out on a boat. We met on a warm but cloudy Wednesday last week and headed out from Salmon Cove on the Connecticut River going south towards the mouth of the river. The day was cloudy but warm and we brought some lunch with us. It was nice to have company on the boat and Brian seemed to really enjoy the trip. The nice thing about the Forum is that you get to meet all sorts of different people who are either owners of Ranger tugs or are interested in them as potential buyers. It was great to have some company for the day on this trip and Brian really enjoyed himself and got to see the Ranger 21 on the water.

Brian is a great guy. He had some great stories being a veteran and having a long career in the dairy industry. Brian is now a professional photographer and brought a giant camera which took some amazing photos. He was generous enough to share the some of the photos with me and I've included them in the slideshow below.

This stretch of the river is so interesting. After leaving Salmon Cove you go under the Haddam swing Bridge after which is the Haddam Opera House. This Playhouse is popular for shows that are either headed to Broadway or coming off of the professional circuit. On the opposite bank is a landing where a local steam train takes riders to a station where they transfer to a boat for a Connecticut River trip on a mini cruise boat.. Further south we visited the town of Essex which was known for its boat building during the Revolutionary War and beyond. Also here is the Connecticut River Museum - a must stop for those interested in this historic river that stretches all the way from the Canadian Border to Long Island Sound.

At the mouth of the river is Old Lyme Connecticut. After traveling under the highway bridge there's a large open area at the mouth of the Connecticut which is bordered on both sides by a National Wildlife Reserve. There are few marinas in a nice Lighthouse here. We motored around for a while and then headed back up River.

On the way back we swing through one of the Connecticut Rivers most hidden gems - Selden creek. This small narrow River goes around Selden Neck State Park which is an island in the river. The creek that runs around the island is almost magical. You weave in and out of marshes, see eagles and other birds, and encounter a solitude not found in other parts of the river. Only small boats can make it up here and so there are no larger craft with excessive wake. The State Park Island offers camping opportunities for those in boats only.

Continuing up river we passed one of the ferries run by the State of Connecticut that continue the long tradition of bringing cars and people across this historic waterway. The ferry terminates its short 1/4 mile crossing of the river on the east side at the base of Gillette Castle. This enormous Mansion was built by William Gillette is now a state park. You can tour the mansion and its eccentric furnishings and Design. It's well worth the stop if you are in the area.

As the day wound down we headed back to the dock I dropped Brian off.

Brian is now an amazing professional photographer (http://www.brianstonesr.com) and was kind enough to share some of the photos from the day with me which I put below on a slideshow. It was a lot of fun to meet somebody new who was interested in the Ranger Tugs and take him out for the day. Brian is still actively looking for a Ranger 21. I'm always happy to take people out who interested in the boat. If you're interested in coming and joining me on a trip feel free to send a message to the blog.