R and J in the USA

June 22, 2024

We took a ferry to and from the nature preserve on the Outer Island of the Thimble Islands, a cluster of small inhabited islands just off the shore of Branford, Connecticut, about a dozen miles southeast of New Haven.

We were the only return-trip passengers on the 27-foot open air skiff with a stand-up pilot cabin. As we meandered through the small archipelago on our twenty-minute ride to shore, we struck up a conversation with the captain, a middle-aged man who has lived in the area and plied the local waters since childhood.

He gave us an impromptu overview of the things we passed and of the area in general. He told us about the nature of the local waters and the nuances of navigating between the islands. He told us the history of the various islands and the houses on them. He pointed out the island and home owned by Garry Trudeau and Jane Pauley. He showed us the island with a quarry that provided granite for the Lincoln Memorial, the base of the Statue of Liberty, and Grant’s Tomb, and told us about the nearby quarry on the mainland that supplied granite for the Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Central Terminal.

The captain could have kept to himself behind his plexiglass windshield, but he seemed interested in us and seemed to enjoy talking about his local area.

The boat ride was enjoyable on its own. Having an unguarded interaction with a friendly, easygoing person made it even more satisfying.