update

Phantom is a registered therapy dog who belongs to Michelle & Kevin Lake. We recently caught up with Phantom for a Q & A.

We often have dogs riding the water taxi but none of them have a season pass. What prompted you to buy one?
My parents had read about the water taxi last year in The Day and we enjoyed our rides late last season. With the earlier start this year they knew we would be riding more so it made sense.

Is this your first season riding the water taxi?
No, we rode a few times late in the season last year. We were at City Pier one day last year taking my photo in front of the mini-submarine when my parents noticed the taxi was at the pier. The Captain and mate let me get on to check it out. Surprisingly, there was enough room there for me to lay down! Soon my parents were taking me to the Groton dock so we could ride over to New London.

How many rides would you say you went on this year?
Eight or nine times this year. I don’t do well in the heat, so they only take me when it’s safe for me. They always try to go when there is something going on at City Pier.

Have you had a chance to meet any other four-legged friends while on the boat?
We have met one other dog that was owned by the sister of Morgan, one of the mates on the taxi. There have been lots of nice families riding who give me nice pets and take photos with me.

What would you say to all of your friends about riding the water taxi?
It’s great way to get around! There is usually a wonderful breeze on the boat and at the landings.

If you could offer any suggestions what would they be?
Sometimes the gap between the dock and the boat is just a little too much for me. The mates have been great pulling it in as close as possible, but a plank would be ideal to help get me on. We are hoping that the taxi can go to the Nautilus soon, I like it there out on the pier by the submarine.

Phantom, is a Bernese Mountain Dog from the Bern area of Switzerland. Phantom’s official AKC Name is Lewa’s Soaring to New Heights. He was named after an F-4 Phantom Fighter Jet – a favorite plane of Michelle and Kevin. He’s 8 years old. Phantom is a certified Therapy Dog. Some of the places he visits include local nursing and rehabilitation facilities, elementary and middle schools, colleges, group homes, local libraries, and a Drug Detox/Rehabilitation Center.

We’re looking forward to seeing Phantom (and, of course, his parents) next season.

Not only can you expect to have fun and learn about the area when riding the water taxi, it’s also a place to meet new people, make new friends and experience the unexpected. This happened early in the summer to Executive Director Amy Perry. While riding the Groton to Fort Trumbull she struck up a conversation with Jeannie Lambert, wife of Mike Lambert, Bureau Chief for Recreation for the DEEP. Amy was sharing a little bit about the history of the boat when Jeannie realized she had been on the boat in its past life. While working for the Department of Defense in the 1980s, part of Jeannie’s job was to provide events and activities for the sailors when they went on liberty. During that time, she had been aboard the USS Hunley, and rode its liberty boat dozens of times shuttling sailors for off-shore leaves all over the globe. That liberty boat is what we now call the Groton.

Both of our Water Taxis are refurbished from the Navy days of shuttling crew and admirals to and from the large ships of the United States Navy. One of the boats was assigned to the USS LaSalle, which while in the Persian Gulf in1988, assumed the role of Commander of Middle East Forces. The other boat was assigned to the USS Hunley, a submarine tender home ported in Charleston, South Carolina servicing the nuclear powered Polaris submarine fleet.

We conducted our second annual Water Taxi Rider Survey to find out how people heard about the TRHP, where they got their weekend activity information, where they were from, their ages, and what they visited while they were here. We also asked for a rating of their experience. This data will help us to make better and more strategic decisions about our marketing, advertising, and tour promotions. It will also provide good insights for our partner sites to learn where people are choosing to visit. We are happy to report that we garnered an average 4.8 star rating (5 being the highest) from the 125 surveys we received. Take a look.

What a summer! After getting off to a rainy start the season of 2017 kicked into high gear with Sailfest’s 40th Anniversary celebration. Close to 400 visitors and locals took a break from the summer heat by hopping on and off the water taxi visiting Fort Griswold and other sites in Groton, Fort Trumbull and City Pier in New London. Our fireworks tours sold out with one rider commenting, “This is the only way to see the fireworks.”

We had over 2,100 riders this season, a 38% increase over last year. And dozens more took advantage of historic and sunset tours. We were also pleased to learn that almost 500 people took advantage of our mobile app to read or listen to information about the Park sites.

More exciting news: we are closer than ever to adding a fourth landing site at the Submarine Force Museum & USS Nautilus. Read about this tremendous collaborative effort.

As every boat owner knows, boats require constant maintenance and attention. Our water taxis – two historic Navy liberty boats (more about them) – are no different. We made some wonderful improvements this year including the installation of a captain’s T-Top and a new aft awning on the Groton as well as hand railings and sound systems on both the New London and the Groton. A captain’s T-Top and new aft awning for the New London are planned for next season.

In addition to riding the water taxi to visit all the sites in this rich historic district and just getting on the water, loads of people filled the boats to go to lunch, dinner and/or drinks on either shore, avoiding the construction on the bridge and being just a little greener.

Some of our Park partners took advantage of chartering the boats for fundraisers and other events, which are sure to increase next year (read more).

Thanks for all of your continued support. And a big shout out to our 2017 sponsors! By way of this new communication we will continue to keep you informed. But we always want to hear from you. If you have comments and questions, stories about your experiences in the Park and/or on the Water Taxi please contact me directly at [email protected].

I wish you a very happy, healthy, and bountiful Thanksgiving.

Cheers,

We’re pleased to announce that Amy Perry has been named the Park’s Executive Director. She had been the Interim Executive Director and now assumes the position in a permanent capacity.

“Southeastern CT is rich with history and the Thames River Heritage Park will play a leading role in building awareness of and visitorship to the area. I’m thrilled to continue the work that has been in the making for so many years and by so many dedicated people,” says Perry.

“The TRHP Foundation is pleased that Amy has accepted the position. Having the benefit of her experience has been a boon to the organization since she joined us and we look forward to continued progress in the future,” says Marian Galbraith, TRHP Board of Directors President and former City of Groton Mayor.

Among Perry’s responsibilities will be to build a collaboration among the almost 20 heritage sites within the Park to create a community of sites for a rich and relevant visitor experience. Before joining the Park she had been a principal at Smizer Perry, an award-winning marketing and design firm and, more recently, served as Director of Communications for Chamilia, a division of Swarovski.