Northeast boating environs book list

This expanded reprint includes previously unpublished photographs, and fifteen estates have been added to those included in the original edition. Note , the prior edition was apparently of a much higher quality print production.

The author is a historical preservationist, film location scout, and author. She lives in Oyster Bay, New York.

American Yacht Club Centennial Book Editorial Board:  The first hundred years of American Yacht Club.  The Land, The People, The Boats.  1883-1983.   Rye , NY .

This hardcover book is occasionally available through Amazon.com or e-bay.  It contains wonderful reproductions of photos and illustrations of historical relevance, a complete perspective on the club’s history and traditions, and copies of documents and memorabilia that may otherwise have been lost.  Well worth finding a copy of if you don’t already own one.

Andersen, Tom and Kennedy, Robert F., Jr.: This Fine Piece of Water: An Environmental History of Long Island Sound, 2004, Yale University Press, New Haven

The most current report on the environmental health of Long Island Sound is a strong wake up call to everyone who loves the Sound. A detailed account of the die-off in 1987 caused by severe hypoxia and the struggle that ensued to save the sound. “And I thought how far the Long Island Sound region had come, how it had taken 400 years of continual exploitation to push the Sound to the point where knowledgeable people thought it might die. And of how it had taken just over a decade to reach the point where saving the Sound now seemed like it might actually become a reality.”  A must read. Great bibliography.

Bailey, Anthony:  The Coast of Summer .  1994, Sheridan House. Dobbs Ferry , NY

An absolute favorite account of sailing New England waters from Shelter Island to Cape Cod .  Lochinvar, a Tartan 27, begins its voyage from Dodson’s Boatyard in Stonington CT.   The stories are told with humor and insight, under glorious as well as trying circumstances.  The account of surviving hurricane Bob in Pandanarum is both frightening and enlightening.

Beston, Henry:  The Outermost House.  1992.  Owl Books.

This reissue of a story first published in 1928 is every bit as beautiful today.  It’s a chronicle of a year spent on Cape Cod alone, when no one stayed beyond the summer season.  The author originally intended to spend only two weeks but was so haunted by the mysterious beauty that he could not find a way to leave.  The rhythms he describes in nature so simply, so sympathetically resonate in your heart forever.

Blanchard, Fessenden:  Long Island Sound. 1958, D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc.,NY

This member of American Yacht Club undertook the task of writing the story – past and present – of “the world’s most popular yachting area.” In two parts, Part I covers Boating while Part II delves into Parts, Ports, and Places. “ Rye has one of the worst harbors ( Milton Harbor ), one of the best yacht clubs (The American Y. C.) and one of the best recreation and amusement parks on Long Island Sound (Playland).” 

He also wrote numerous cruising guides to northeast waters and a book about sailboat designs.

Boyle, Doe: Guide to the Connecticut Shore . 1999. Globe Pequot Press. Guilford CT

Things to do when you get ashore.  Team it up with Connecticut Coastal Access Guide (2001) to find waterfront facilities; it’s available from the CT DEP free of charge by calling 860-424-3000. There are also numerous naturalists’ guides to the Connecticut River .

Buckles, Mary Parker: Margins: a Naturalist Meets Long Island Sound 1997, North Point Press, NY (out of print)

“What passes between the gates and overlooks the Sound from her shores is as varied as anything on earth.” This is a beautifully written and eternally hopeful treatise on the Sound’s varied life, from the marshes to the docks to the islands.

Carroll, Michael C. : Lab 257 : The Disturbing Story of the Government's Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory, February 17, 2004 , William Morrow

This is the book that takes the lid off the biological research facility on Plum Island .  Connects the outbreaks of Lyme disease and others to breaches of security in the facility.  Unfortunately, within the first few pages, it becomes clearly sensational and never recovers.  It is woefully repetitive and really pushes the limits of sensibility.  Similarly, Carroll loses scientific credibility from the first mention of “Canadian geese.”  Any scientist or any person who does a good job of research will uncover that the species is called “Canada goose.”  It has nothing to do with nationality. 

Dunbaugh Edwin L.:  The Era of the Joy Line: A Saga of Steamboating on Long Island Sound (Contributions in Economics and Economic History), Greenwood Publishing Group; (June 29, 1982) Printed on demand.

Edwin Dunbaugh was professor of humanities at Webb Institute of Naval Architecture. This is a well-researched and comprehensive history of the overnight steamboat on Long Island Sound in the pre-WWI era of the twentieth century. Picks up where his prior edition “Night Boat” leaves off.  

Dunbaugh, Edwin L: Night Boat to New England 1815-1900.  Marine Museum at Fall River .

A history of the illustrious days of travel on Long Island Sound via the overnight steamship.  These boats were the major means of transportation from New York to ports in Southern New England and Long Island , as well as from Boston north to Maine .  During this time, numerous overnight lines sprang up to deliver passengers and cargo by waterways to areas inaccessible by land, and the competition was cutthroat. Covers operations of the steamers, disasters, and evolution of ports. Contains 50 pages of plates.

Goodsell, Daniel:  Nature & Character at Granite Bay , 1941, Eaton & Mains , NY (out of print)

A charming book written by a Christian minister who was so struck by the natural beauty of this Bay at the northern end of the Sound that he was compelled to relive it by writing down his observations in this lovingly crafted book.  Includes interesting period photographs.

Hunt, Morton M:  The Inland Sea, 1965, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NY (out of print)

Hunt delivers a sailor’s affectionate perspective about circumnavigating the Sound aboard the Merrywend. “…almost every man sailing across Long Island Sound feels himself to be another Joshua Slocum, capable of sailing around the world singlehanded.” Occasionally available online.

Kornblum, William:  At Sea in the City.   New York from the Water’s Edge.  2002, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill , New York .

This book will make you see New York City through the eyes of a sailor visiting all five boroughs in a catboat. Delightfully written, this book includes a bit of history, a bit of challenge (in Hell Gate ), and a great deal of awe.  

McAdam, Roger Williams:  Salts of the Sound. 1957.  Stephen Daye Press, NY

An informal history of steamships and the gallant skippers who sailed Long Island Sound in the glorious time when travel along the shores of the Sound was principally via steamship..  “Experienced mariners…assert that Long Island Sound and its connecting waters form one of the toughest marine highways in the world.”

Merrick, Elliott: Cruising at last. Sailing the East Coast. 2004, The Lyons Press, Guilford CT.

One of the most lovely books written about the sheer joy of coastal sailing. Elliott Merrick tells about building the boat of his dreams, a twenty foot sailboat, and setting off on a cruise from Georgia to Maine with his cherished wife, Kay. You won't want to miss this one. Perceptive and beautifully written.

Praeger, HC:  The Urban Sea, Long Island Sound.  1976.  Praeger Publishers , New York .

Very rare edition. Out of print and hard to find.  We have not acquired it, yet!

Sterling , Dorothy:  The Outer Lands.  1978. WW Norton & Co, Inc. New York .

A lovely illustrated guide to the islands off our coast, including Long Island , Block Island , Martha’s Vineyard , Nantucket , and Cape Cod .  Simple enough to be useful to show exploring young minds what to search for on our shores.

Weigold, Marilyn E.: The American Mediterranean: An Environmental, Economic and Social History of Long Island Sound  1974, Kennikat Press, Port Washington, NY (out of print)

Weigold gives a fascinating historical perspective of how the Sound flourished through initial settlement, to the whaling era, through the roaring twenties and splendor of the Gold Coast, and finally endured the inevitable pollution that follows population density. 

Weigold, Marilyn: The Long Island Sound: A History of Its People, Places, and Environment, August 2004, New York University Press.

The extensively updated edition of her first book on “The American Mediterranean.”

Zacks,  Richard: The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd, 2003,  Hyperion (paperback ed).

We all know Captain Kidd was a bloodthirsty pirate who murdered and plundered his way to treasure that he would one day bury somewhere in the environs of Long Island Sound, don’t we? Well, it turns out that much of what we thought we knew about Kidd is wrong. He wasn't a pirate; he was a privateer, commissioned by the British government and several private financeers to hunt pirates. He was a family man, with a wife and daughter waiting back home in a well-appointed house on Wall Street. This surprising, eye-opening book completely changes our perception of Captain William Kidd and introduces us to his nemesis, a ruthless pirate, Robert Culliford.  What a great introduction to life in the 17th century and a fascinating and well researched account of Kidd’s life.

Hamilton, Harlon: Lights & Legends: A Historical Guide to Lighthouses of Long Island Sound, Fishers Island Sound and Block Island Sound, 1987.

A good description of the lighthouses in this region, as well as fresnel lenses and modern optics. A chapter is devoted to each lighthouse and provides details of the station and it's history.