The Thimble Islands of Branford, Connecticut were first discovered in 1614 by Adrian Block, who also discovered Block Island. There are 25 islands, now all privately owned. Some have fresh water from the mainland, they generate their own electricity with generators and solar panels, they are all summer residences. The islands have been used for farming, vacationing (there were hotels at one time on some of them), quarrying pink granite, Captain Kidd lived there, bootlegging operations were performed here.
The tour lasted about 45 minutes, Donna Bigda and I went on the Sea Mist with Captain Mike. It was a lot of fun, only cost us $10.00 apiece, the tours run every hour and their are 3 tour boats that run daily. The Sea Mist even has a bar on the lower level, but we were too busy taking our photos from the upper level deck.
I would put this on my list of fun things to do on the Connecticut coastline. It was great fun, I took 700 photos and am still going through them! One of the islands is for sale, aptly named Gazebo Island. The town will not give permission to put a house on the island, but there is a dock and a gazebo, and if you are smart you can dock a houseboat there to live on during the summer! All yours for under $400,000! Give Donna a call if you are interested!
I have many more photos, but will take my time getting them ready to go. I hope you enjoy my slide show! And, for those of you that read my post yesterday called "Two AR passengers set sail that day for a three hour tour, a three hour tour..." it would not have been a bad thing to be shipwrecked on THESE islands!
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Andrea...
Fantastic photos, what a perfect day for photography! I need to get back to CT for some photos soon.
Great job with this post Andrea!
Love the photos and the history of The Thimble Islands.
Well done my friend!
Richard, thank you. And if you come up here you better let me know! Not only would I get to meet you, but I could get some photography tips!
And I am thinking AR should buy Gazebo Island! We could have some fun!
Craig, thank you! I had a wonderful time, and of course Donna is awesome! I am looking forward to getting back down there and finding some more great places on the coast!
Looks like you had a perfect tour. I don't think I would mind being shipwrecked on those islands either! Go Gilligan!
Hi Andrea,
What a beautiful little Island! It sounds like you had a wonderful time! That is also a beautiful home! It will be a great deal for the lucky buyer! I am sure it wont last long! Good Luck!
Judy
Good Morning Andrea-What a beautiful place. Sounds like you had a wonderful time and WOW 700 photos. Snap happy HUH. Have a super weekend. <SMILE>
Andrea What beautiful photos - those islands and homes are spectacular Karen
Andrea - Great pics. I wouldn't mind being shipwrecked stranded on these islands either. A boater never wants to be shipwrecked. Although stranded is not much better. LOL
You have inspired me to force my husband into taking me to Cuttyhunk Island. I have fished and boated all sides of it, but have never gone into port. This is the summer. Now if only these hurricanes would stop foiling my boating plans! Have a great day.
Andrea, glad you and Donna had a good time. I will have to put this down as something to do.
Andrea - 700 photos????...I took about 275 shots yesterday...I'm still sorting through them all to pick out the best ones. I had an absolute blast yesterday with you! We would have made the Skipper and Gilligan proud! :)
Lourdes, it was a perfect day, perfect tour, and believe me, we would have loved to be shipwrecked on any of those islands!
Judy, there are actually 25 of them, it is amazing!
Sharon, snap happy is right, LOL, we had fun!
Hi Karen, thank you, they are amazing, and such colorful history.
Judy, stranded on one of these islands, with food of course, would not be a bad thing, trust me, LOL. Hope you take your CAMERA with you, LOL.
George, we are going to come to your office, with ski masks on, and take you for our next adventure. :D (we might have to rethink the whole ski mask thing.... )
Donna, it is that camera of mine, LOL. I had a wonderful time too, it was just so great to meet you, and we picked the PERFECT thing to do. We have to find our NEXT adventure, LOL. And soon!!!!!
Andrea, WOW, that's all I have to say, they are beautiful!
Andrea, I remember as a kid we would vacation in Branford and see some of the islands from the shore, but I don't remember them looking anything like your photos. Isn't it strange how much the mind can lose?
Rita, thank you so much! It was such a fun tour.
Ed, many of the homes have received quite a facelift from the 10 years since you last saw them? LOL
I have only seen them from the shore. But geez for 10 bucks a head that's a looks like a great time for little money. Yesterday was a perfect day for boating, you two couldn't have picked a better day.
Andrea, you don't have to re-think the ski masks, the people in my office would just think that it is normal for me ....... LOL
Jim, for 10 bucks you should go, the kids are cheaper than that!
George, they wouldn't? Hmmm.... alrighty then, ski masks it is... and if anything happens to us you can bail us out?
Andrea - That's a really delightful looking slide show. The pictures remind me that I need to take an extensive tour of the East Coast one day!
Andrea - Sounds like we're gonna be singing the tune to Jailhouse Rock instead of Gilligan's Island after we kidnap George! LOL!!
Andrea, that sounds like a deal ..... LOL
Hey Andrea, 700 pictures? $10 bucks for 3 hours? Not sure what is more amazing! You got some great shots, thanks, have always heard Conneticut is beautiful and now we know it is!
Andrea, your photos are just breathtaking - literally! With scenery like this, I may have ignored the bar, too. NAH!
Andrea, looks like you and Donna had an absolutely lovely day, just fabulous photos. Love the slide show too!
Myrl, I will eagerly await your slide show as I just love your photography and posts! Thank you.
Donna, do you think he is trying to trick us into getting into trouble? LOL.
George, ok, but I hope you have bail money.
Al & Peggy, it really is a 45 minute tour, and if I were only a wee bit older or younger, it would have been a wee bit cheaper! Thank you so much.
Pat, thank you! And I can't believe I ignored the bar... but I had to drive home, and Donna had a client to meet. And how can I take pictures with a drink in one hand???
Cynthia, thank you so much! It was a wonderful day to be sure. And now I am sitting looking at rain rain rain all weekend, cooler temps, and the photos are a great comfort, LOL.
Hi Andrea: I scrolled through for gazebo island - it turned out to be an easy one to spot!
:)
Andrea- beautiful, just absolutely beautiful. I feel like I visited you did such a wonderful job. Thanks for sharing a selection of your photographs.
Andrea, maybe I can do something like one of those fundraisers were you call people you know to bail you out of jail ........... LOL
Matt, are you in the market to buy it? LOL.
Tammy, how kind of you to say so! We sure had fun though.
George, oh no no no.... I am afraid people would pay to keep me IN...
Andrea-Beautiful photos! Looks like alot of fun. 700 photos? How the heck do you take 700 photos in 3 hours? Did Donna get to see a full frontal of your face at all? LOL
Andrea, you know I think that I would have to agree with you on that...... LOL
Love that bridge - and that is one nice looking home.
Andrea awesome photos, I love Block island, then again I can't think of an island I don't love...lol.
Glad you and Donna had the opportunity to spend some time together offline.
Very nice indeed !
Love the photo montage !
I heard you two had a great time :o)
Cheers !