Connecticut
Fifty Years Have Passed, and Little Has Changed for Connecticut's Beaches
To the Editor:
I grew up in Old Saybrook but spent my summers in Old Lyme. My grandfather had built a cold-water cottage at Old Lyme Shores in 1953 so, my summers and summer friends were formed around the private beach association of OLS. I knew it was a private beach. There were gates, and the private beaches of Old Colony and Edge Lea flanked us. And it did not seem odd to me that one could list all the OLS Irish families from the tops of the streets down to the sea wall. Until it did seem odd.
While researching material for a historical novel about the origins of Connecticut’s private beach associations, I discovered a father and son realty company had built these private beaches from old coastal farmland. Then they got the state legislature to grant the associations special charters to set their own zoning and taxes. It was an effective development strategy. By the time Governor John Dempsey warned in 1961, “The time is not far off when the last remaining open area on Connecticut’s shoreline is usurped for some private purpose,” it was already too late. For most of the state’s residents, Connecticut had become a state without an accessible, public coastline.
The charters also contained restrictions on cottage construction and other activities, including who could buy or rent an association cottage. In my novel, the protagonist—David Enders—asks the Old Lyme town clerk about the deed from a beach association he’s helping build. “Is this common language for properties around here? ‘…properties herein conveyed shall not be sold, leased, or rented in any form or manner directly or indirectly to any person or persons: (1) who are not of the Caucasian Race; (2) who are not acceptable either to the Grantor or to the Directors of the Beach Club Association…’” The clerk assures him it is, to which Enders replies, “…it seems like wording that might lead to all kinds of trouble down the road.” Surprisingly, it did not. Not for fifty years.
In the early 1970s, activist Ned Coll began busing Hartford kids to private beaches in Saybrook and Old Lyme to highlight the public’s lack of access to a once-open shoreline. For some of my family and neighbors, it was their Pearl Harbor. In response, OLS and other beaches were hardened with better fences and gates, festooned with No Trespassing and Private Property signs, and guarded by summertime busybodies checking the comings and goings of residents and suspect guests.
Now another fifty years have passed, and little has changed. There is the occasional court case about beach access — Leydon v. Town of Greenwich, for example. Local arguments about fence lines and the definition of “mean high tide” boundaries periodically erupt and fade away. What has changed is the character of the private beach associations.
Those communities of seasonal cottages for a few lucky middleclass families are now year-round, gated retirement communities for the grandchildren of the original cottage owners. Public water and sewers came to the associations, and those simple summer cottages were remodeled or razed to become expensive McMansions. Now the beach associations are defended year-round by retirees with time and money on their hands.
In my novel, a lawyer for the NAACP asks David Enders, “What do you think is going to happen to all this once-open coastline?” Enders reluctantly admits, “I guess some people will enjoy the beach and some won’t. Just like always.”
Edward McSweegan is a writer in Rhode Island where most beaches are public.
Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
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Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
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