Thames River to Mystic Seaport Museum

It was a beautiful day for us to make our move to Mystic. The Coast Guard Academy rowing teams were out for an early morning practice session. The stillness of the morning was disrupted by the sound of the coach's voice which was amplified by a bullhorn. We awoke to the coach's litany of the names of the rowing team members as she shouted instructions and encouragement to the women.

After breakfast, we decided to take Foreign Affair as far up the Thames as we could before heading out to the Sound. The Thames is nothing like the 400 plus mile long Connecticut River. The Thames is a deep but short river and there is much more development along its entire length.

The Groton Monument which towers above Groton is a 135 foot tall granite obelisk erected between 1826 and 1830 lists the names of all the defenders of Fort Griswold who died at the Battle of Groton Heights on September 6, 1781. This battle was the largest to take place in Connecticut during the American Revolution. Fort Griswold guarded the town of Groton and the Thames River. The British under the leadership of General Benedict Arnold, who was a traitor to the revolutionary cause, captured the fort after heavy fighting. A large number of American soldiers were killed during and after the battle. As a result, the battle was sometimes remembered at the Groton Massacre.

Groton Monument - Fort Griswold

We passed the USS Nautilus which is now a museum at the US Navy's largest submarine base which is located on the river. General Dynamics has huge facilities dedicated to servicing the submarine fleet along the shore.