Norwalk Oyster Festival

The Norwalk Seaport Association will hold its 33rd annual Oyster Festival this weekend, September 10,11 and 12th. Located in Veterans Park, the event will feature arts and crafts booths, live music, children's activities, and lots of food.

What started out as a moderately-sized event in 1978 to raise funds and awareness for Norwalk's maritime heritage, has grown into a large, late summer ritual in Fairfield County.

Unfortunately, there were years when the Oyster Festival had become a victim of its own success. As the event grew in size, it seemed to turn its back on the original purpose. Large tents packed with hucksters selling miracle cleaners, Catskill real estate, and singing bass had replaced the harbor tours and other nautical  attractions.  There were plenty of booths selling fried dough and beef-on-a-stick, but very few oysters. For a while, it had become just another street fair.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one  turned off by this. The festival this year will include the return of an oyster pavilion, harbor tours, as well as the Schooners Quinnipiack, and Soundwater. Larry Flynn of Long Tails will also be on hand to give presentations on the wildlife of the Norwalk Islands.  I welcome this decision with enthusiasm.

The Norwalk Seaport Association has played a vital role in the rehabilitation of Norwalk Harbor. Their work includes the restoration of Sheffield Island Lighthouse; the preservation of the Norwalk Islands; as well as many environmental and educational programs and projects.

Their purpose is:

"to foster public awareness of our maritime resources, environment and heritage through research, education and preservation; and also to foster the preservation and rehabilitation of the area of historical value in Norwalk Harbor and Long Island Sound."

This weekend's festival serves as the primary fundraising source for the invaluable work they do.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate, or online on their website.

Norwalk Oyster Festival

Norwalk Seaport Association

Soundbounder: Norwalk Winter Oystering

Soundbounder: Peck Ledge Lighthouse

Soundbounder: Sheffield Island Ruins

Soundbounder: Norwalk Oyster Plant

CT Plus: Putting The Pearl Back In The Oyster

photo credit: (top) Norwalk Seaport; (bottom) Quinnipiack: SchoonerInc

"Boating Local" Visits Noank

Tom Richardson of Boating Local paid a visit to Noank recently, and spent a few hours aboard Carina  for a tour of the local waters. We visited some obvious landmarks such as the local lighthouses, along with West Harbor on Fishers Island, and a few small islands that dot the charts.
For those of you not familiar with Boating Local, it was started by Tom and several others who previously worked for the now defunct Offshore Magazine (aka Northeast Boating). Based out of Buzzards Bay, the site covers boating and fishing for the entire New England coast. Along with marine-related news, they have done some excellent work profiling the harbors and towns from Connecticut to Maine.
I haven't spent much time in front of a camera and I must admit to being a bit nervous. Maybe not nervous, but certainly aware of the camera at all times and self conscious about it. I'm sure there were entire segments he couldn't use because of my constant slurring and tripping over words.
I did however gain a new appreciation for video work. It is not easy being on a rocking boat and putting together a film segment in a relatively small cockpit with the wind blowing. The camera itself was small, but there were tripods, battery packs, and an assortment of equipment needed to put this together.
One of the nice features about Boating Local is that along with the stories, there are often  video segments accompanying  them.  It is a nice touch that bridges the gap between periodicals and generic, stock  footage.

I'll be contributing some stories to Boating Local, and I am glad to be aboard.

Here are some recent profiles of New England harbors:
BoatingLocal: Destinations  
BoatingLocal: Homepage 
BoatingLocal Meets Soundbounder: Companion Story To Video

Heading For New Haven

Tugboat Connecticut; south of West Haven; August

Waiting For The Storm

Recollections of my September visits to Block Island are mostly rose-colored, but in 2008 I spent several days there fearing the force and path of Hurricane Kyle.  I am not in Block Island presently, but I have been thinking about that  trip quite a bit today.

Much like this week, there were several days of spectacular, late summer weather. In the forecasts however, were the rumblings of a storm one thousand miles to the south. The weather remained golden, but by the fourth day, the forecast grew dimmer and there were slight signs of the approaching storm.

Walking around in Old Harbor, the roar of the surf  could be heard smashing ashore. There was still sunshine and mild breezes, but the seas were building. I walked out on the breakwater admiring the surf, but in typical Soundbounder fashion, I went too far. Somewhere beyond the halfway point, I was hit hard by the spray and drenched  thoroughly. Is it any wonder my camera has condensation issues?

By evening, the winds arrived and  blew for two straight days, reaching a high of 62 mph at 4 AM on the second night. Kyle passed Block Island several hundred miles to the east, eventually reaching landfall in Nova Scotia. Funny, I still regard that vacation as one of my best ever.

I've been thinking about that trip today as Hurricane Earl approaches, and this time it doesn't seem so fun. I have removed Carina's dodger, along with her mainsail to reduce windage. I also added some chafing protection to her mooring lines. Hurricanes can obviously change direction, but at this moment, the path appears to be further east. That means the strongest winds will be from the east and north, which gives Carina better  protection in her mooring field. I am off the boat, and will not return until Saturday. Still, I can't help but worry and wonder what else I should have done.

Yes, I  look back at Hurricane Kyle with rose-colored glasses, but Hurricane Earle remains an open book. 

Open House At Faulkner's Island

The Faulkner's Island Light Brigade in cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the US Coast Guard, will hold their annual open house on the weekend of September 11th & 12th. Located about 3 miles from the Guilford shoreline, Faulkner's is part of the Stewart McKinney National Wildlife Refuge. The open house provides visitors a once-a-year opportunity to visit the island along with the 1802 lighthouse.

Ferry service is provided from the Guilford Town Marina, but visitors can also arrive by private boat and anchor, or paddle the 3 mile passage by kayak. Space is limited aboard the ferry and reservations are required.

I attended this for the first time last year, and I highly recommend it. The open house is well organized, and the staff does an excellent job of providing an informative and entertaining visit. This is Connecticut's second oldest lighthouse, and the remote location provides a perspective of Long Island Sound that you otherwise won't get to see.

Faulkner's Island Light Brigade
Soundbounder: Faulkner's Island
New York Times: The "U" In Falkner

Shades Of September

Have you ever looked at a recent photograph of yourself and thought "Wow, time is really piling up"? You don't notice the changes day-to-day, but then a moment arrives when it is the first thing you see. You can't quite put your finger on the details of what is different, but you know it is there.

When I look at these photos of Quiambog Cove, autumn is the first thing I see. There is no fall foliage or long shadows to suggest a later date, but I can see it nonetheless. While it may have been early August with temperatures near 90, the sun was slightly lower, the grass was a different green, and the air didn't smell the same. The landscape wasn't yet dying, but it was no longer growing. 

The past few days have brought cooler temperatures with high winds to Long Island Sound. It has been an early taste of fall without the subtleties in the pictures above. Cold mornings, northeast winds, and a stormfront lingering for 3 days,  all provide a hint of what lay ahead in the coming months.

But summer doesn't end here. Some of my best times afloat have been in the months of September and October. The humidity and fog are often gone, and so are the crowds. Places I avoid in the summer, become accesible again. The fishing is better, and the sailing is too. If given a choice between August and September, I will choose September every time.

Despite all this, there is always a part of me that hates to see August come to an end. Maybe it is some internal clock left over from my days in school. Maybe it is the Halloween items that start appearing in stores, and the advertisements warning me to gear up for winter.

But I really think it has more to do with my outlook than anything else. When September arrives, I appreciate the return of fall for what it is. Nothing more, nothing less. In the days of August however, I always waste too many hours preoccupied with the passing of time. 

Quiambog Cove: Map

Essex Museum Fire

 A fire earlier this month at the Connecticut River Museum in Essex resulted in significant damage to this waterfront landmark. On the evening of August 11, firefighters from three towns responded to the blaze which engulfed all three stories on the east side of the building.

Built in 1878, the building served as a warehouse for the many steamboats travelling the river. Threatened by commerial developement in the 1970's, a nonprofit group organized and created the riverside museum which exists today. Focusing on both the Connecticut River and local maritime history, it is one of the nicer regional museums I have visited.

While the fire caused significant structural damage , the museum's collection of artifacts was saved. They were forced to shut down for a period, but the museum was open to the public once again this past weekend.

CTMQ: CT River Museum

CT River Museum

Soundbounder: Mary E

WTNH: Fire Damages Museum