Fisher's Island

After Mass and brunch in Old Saybrook we took a leap of faith and made the short hop over to Fishers island.  We had been warned that the uber-wealthy lived there and were not welcoming.  In fact, most of the entire island is not only gated but walled.  Turned out to be a short but fun visit and we found the people quite nice.  In a lot of places we have visited in the north, you don't get a response to your "Hello" but we that was not the case on Fishers. An interesting tidbit was that Fishers is actually a New York state property.  The king granted the Duke of York ownership of the island in the early 1600s and it has remained part of New York since.  The town mooring was convenient to the dock at the yacht club and they were most welcoming.  We're glad we stopped in.

This old ship's figurehead was in the local pub we were told by one
source that we "must visit".  I think they must have been related to the
owner as a wine and a beer were $20 before tip.  People who know us
know that we don't drink premium brands so for us, that's a lot at happy hour!

Some of the hedges were eye catching.  This duck was the best of the
plant sculpting we saw.

The mooring field was full.  Considering how short the sailing season
is here, it is impressive how many folks invest in boats.

The non-gated/walled part of the island.  Like many places the
full time locals are vastly outnumbered by summer visitors for
about 3 months out of the year.

Someone has a sense of humor here.  This fireplug was just sitting out
on a rock outcropping in the middle of the harbor.

There weren't too many roads but they were clean.  No boat can
bring any trash onshore and the fine for littering is $1000.  They must
actually enforce it.

A huge difference from our  normal cruising grounds is how rocky the
bays and coves are compared to our softer, more forgiving sand.
We really have to be vigilant to not hit a shoal spot.

The island used to house a sizable Coast Guard station and we easily
recognized former base housing. This was the old movie theater and
movies were still shown by a cooperative effort.  The price is whatever
you care to donate.  If you click and look closely, you can see the iconic
 profile image of Alfred Hitchcock in ticket booth.

Wildlife of Fishers Island. 

The Yacht Club from the dock.

A lot has happened at the club since 1886, I'm sure.

The club from the road.  The building on the right was built over
100 years ago but is well maintained.  The main clubhouse is on the
left with a large meeting room.

I think this may be a popular sentiment!