Geoff Rand
Dinghy trip back from the beach at Great Misery.
"Here one finds liberty and privacy, things most desired in modern civilization."
So Charles Hanks, President of the Misery Island Club, described the islands in 1901. {JEG/NS, p.222} To club members, a visit to Great Misery meant freedom from the oversight of general society. A sailor today may be disappointed here in his pursuit of such liberty, but stands a reasonable chance of finding a little privacy.
Great and Little Misery Islands, less than a mile outside of Manchester, can be crowded with day trippers on a summer weekend. Mid-week or off season, however, these wooded and grassy islands owned by the Trustees of Reservations offer reasonably protected anchorages and an unexpected sense of seclusion.
