‘Island Mike’ finds new calling
Offers boat tours off Norwalk shore
“I was like, ‘man, all these people have so much money put into these boats and they never use them.’ So I was like, why not offer something where people don’t have to spend a ton of money?”
Mike Hart
NORWALK — On Tavern Island, Mike Hart loved the views.
There was the Norwalk coastline, the Long Island coastline and a roughly sixmile strip of surrounding islands, each with its own distinct features. There was the architecture on the island itself — which includes a manor house, boathouse, tea house, two beaches and an Olympicsized swimming pool. There were mornings when the sun would rise over the glassy water before the moon had receded from the sky. And, all around him, there was the Long Island Sound and the many boats navigating its waters.
“I was on the island and I’d see all these boats just sitting on
moorings all year round and they never get used,” Hart said. “I was like, ‘man, all these people have so much money put into these boats and they never use them.’ So I was like, why not offer something where people don’t have to spend a ton of money?”
Hart, who was Tavern Island’s livein caretaker until its September 2018 sale, said this as he stood beside his recently purchased 52foot sailboat, named Eagle, which is docked near the Stroffolino Bridge off Water Street in South Norwalk. The boat is his solution to the problem. In August, Hart began his own chartering operation, offering those who were either unable or unwilling to pay the exorbitant costs that come with boat ownership an opportunity to get on the water at a reasonable cost.
“This way you can just walk down to the dock and hop on a boat,” Hart said, as his first mate Geisha, an 85pound German Shepherd, explored the deck of the boat nearby. “You don’t have to worry about the maintenance at all. You don’t have to worry about the dock fees or anything. You just enjoy the boat.”
The new business venture and change of scenery is a departure of sorts for Hart. He’s off the island he maintained and lived on for 22 years and from which he earned his nickname, “Island Mike.”
But Hart — who is squarejawed and tall, with large, callused hands and a laidback drawl and demeanor — is not one for a 9to5 slog, or traditional housing. A ramp, leading from the deck of the Eagle to a cabin below, allows Geisha to move freely between Hart’s workspace and living space. The cabin, which includes a kitchenette, living room, bathroom and bedroom, is surprisingly spacious and is especially wellsuited to Hart’s unique needs.
“I’ve always lived differently,” said Hart, 43. “My dad always said, ‘Mike, I knew you were going to be on the water your whole life since you were 2.’ I’ve just always gravitated toward the water. And I think you can make it work in this life if you believe in yourself and do what you really love to do.”
Hart grew up in Darien fishing with his father. When he was 13, his father moved his boat from Stamford to Norwalk and began fishing around the islands. One day from the boat, Hart saw a group of people playing volleyball on Tavern and said to his father, “I want to live out there. I want to work out there.”
On his father’s advice, Hart eventually approached the caretaker with an offer of free labor. At the time, the island’s boathouse had recently burned down, and Hart was willing to help transport a large pile of wood, which would be used to rebuild the structure, from mainland to the island. Free labor soon turned into a paid summer gig for Hart in high school. After graduation, Hart signed up for classes at SUNY Maritime, but ultimately balked at the conformity before ever attending.
“It’s too formal, it’s too structured and it’s other people’s way,” Hart said. “And I always have just done things my way.”
By the time he was 20, he was living full time on the island as a landscaper and caretaker. He built a life that included frequent trips to the mainland to visit friends, who were also permitted to visit him on the island for kite surfing and weekly yoga sessions, led by Hart, and also a profound sense of tranquility.
“You could have normal landactivity action whenever you wanted to,” Hart said. “But you had the ability to totally remove yourself and be on the island. It would just be super, super quiet. It’s like, you’re not looking at a picture, you’re actually in the picture. I don’t even have the words to describe how beautiful it was.”
It’s that sense of remove and beauty Hart hopes to bring to a larger group of people through his charters. In the first month, he’s hosted birthday parties and anniversaries. The boat carries up to six passengers and usually does a three to fourhour loop of the Norwalk Islands before returning to share. The most gratifying part of the experience, Hart said, are the thank yous he’s received from those he’s chartered.
“There’s more to this life than just working,” Hart said. “I’m all about enjoying our lives. So to be able to offer something, to take people away from their stress for a little bit, it’s the best gift for me to give to them.”
Hart will continue offering tours through October, or November — as long as the weather holds out — before heading south for the winter. In addition to the tours, he’s beginning what he suspects will be a severalyear process to improve and fortify the boat. The goal is to sail the world with friends, stopping along the way for beachside yoga classes and kite surfing excursions. It’s a dream he’s had for much of his life.
“I’m still young, I still have to do those things before I get too old and I never actually go for it. I just think there’s too much of our world not going for what they really, really want,” Hart said. “And even if it doesn’t work out, at least I tried.”