Marblehead's Island Tradition In Its 55th Year

It is deja-vu for Karl Nordin as he drops his 7-year-old son, Markus, at the boat to Children's Island. He took the same boat ride when he was a kid.

"Markus spent his first day searching for buoys on the island. He starts kayaking today," Nordin said. "He's having a great time, just like I did."

A new generation of kids arrived on Children's Island -- one mile off the coast of Marblehead -- this week. It is the YMCA camp's 55th season.

About 200 campers in grades two through 10 make the scenic trip aboard the Hannah Glover out to the island each morning, for a day of swimming, sailing, kayaking, arts and crafts, archery and other sports.

They start the day together with counselors singing silly songs such as "Boom Boom Ain't it Great to be Crazy?" then break off into smaller groups for activities.

Tommy Flynn, 13, has been coming for three years.

"I love the swimming best," he said. "When I get in that pool, they can't get me out." He also enjoys kayaking and whiffle ball.

"I look forward to it all year," he added.

Family Tradition

Most of the counselors started here as young campers. Many have parents who came a generation ago.

Counselor-in-Training Tom McEnaney was just six months old when he first came to Children's Island for a family overnight run by the camp. His mother, Carol, was a counselor in the 1980s.

"I've heard stories about this place my whole life," McEnaney said. "I love working with all the kids here now."

Marblehead native Matthew Tuttle practically grew up on Children's Island as a camper and counselor from 1976 to 1990. Now he travels back from Greenwich, CT,  every summer so his three children can go to the camp.

"I love the fact that it's out on an island, out in the wilderness," he said. "As a kid, I loved the overnights when we would sleep out in tents under the stars with the seagulls making noise."

Tuttle is  happy that his kids get to experience it all too.

"My last day in 1990 I remember I went into one of the rooms and I painted '1976-1990 Matt Tuttle, Bye.' Now I go back and see that and it's really neat."

Making new memories

Of course, there are plenty of campers new to Children's Island this year, including 8-year-old Callie O'Neill. She's making her own memories this week  building fairy forts on the beach with rocks, seaweed, shells and acorns. "I like being out in nature," she said.

O'Neill is part of the camp's Rangers program, which teaches kids about nature, Native American lore, camping skills and more. Rangers earn colored patches as they advance through the program.

She's already learned a lot about the special grass that grows on the island.  "It's called Timothy grass," she explained.

Who knows? Maybe some day O'Neill's daughter will be learning the same thing, in the same spot.

To learn more about the island, check out its history here.