Hedge Funder Lists Connecticut Private Island for $35M

A private island in Connecticut is hitting the market for a hefty price tag, and it’s the second luxury listing in as many years in the state with a connection to Bridgewater Associates.

The hedge fund’s co-chief investment officer, Greg Jensen, listed Rogers Island in Branford for $35 million, the Wall Street Journal reported. The listing comes six years after Jensen purchased the abode for slightly under $22 million from Edmund and Christine Stoecklein, who spent years collecting islands in the area, who listed eight islands for $78 million in 2016.

The seven-and-a-half acre private island is accessible by boat, with two docks. It’s one of the largest of the Thimble Islands archipelago on the Long Island Sound. The Thimble Islands have often featured summer vacation homes and residents have included P.T. Barnum and President William Taft.

The main house, which was built around 1900 but has since been restored, has 10 bedrooms. The guesthouse has four bedrooms, while the other structures include a greenhouse, a pool house and an artist’s studio.

Other features of the island include a tennis court, a putting green designed by Jack Nicklaus, a pool and manicured gardens. Electricity comes from the mainland and there are three septic systems, as well as a generator.

Douglas Elliman’s Jennifer Leahy has the listing.

Jensen joined Bridgewater in 1996, according to a company bio. He oversees investment strategies and research efforts at the hedge fund. His outside pursuits include poker, winning a gold bracelet at the 2022 World Series of Poker.

Bridgewater and its founder Ray Dalio are a familiar presence in Connecticut’s luxury real estate market. Last year, a limited liability company connected to the hedge fund billionaire sold Copper Beech Farm in Greenwich for $138.8 million, representing the most expensive sale in state history.

— Holden Walter-Warner