Museum Open to the Public for Free after 1 p.m. Oct. 31
Mystic Seaport will resume normal operation and be open to visitors on Thursday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, the Museum will open its grounds and exhibits to visitors for free from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 31.
Recovery from Hurricane Sandy is nearly complete and the Museum’s exhibits, historic vessels, and village will be open and available for visitors. Food service, the Mystic Seaport Stores, the Bake Shop, and the Maritime Art Gallery are dependent on the local power status and may not be open.
Tonight’s Halloween Trick or Treat activity is cancelled. However, the 7 p.m. presentation by champion sailor Ken Read will go on as scheduled. The talk has been moved to the Greenmanville Meeting House on the Museum grounds. Visitors are directed to use the north entrance next to Latitude 41° Restaurant & Tavern to get to the event.
People should monitor the Museum’s website, Facebook and Twitter feeds for updates on hours and scheduled programs.
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home of four national Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American merchant vessel in existence. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
Historic Whaleship Charles W. Morgan Safe and Sound
Mystic Seaport emerged from Hurricane Sandy with no damage to its collections and negligible damage to its buildings and grounds.
The Museum’s historic watercraft sustained no damage. Many were hauled out of the water in advance of the storm. Those that were left in were carefully secured and rode out the high winds and storm surge with no difficulty.
The 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, currently out of the water in the Museum’s shipyard for a multi-year restoration, received no damage from Sandy.
The storm surge on the Mystic River briefly rose above the waterfront’s bulkhead and flooded the village green and some of the adjacent roads, but it did not reach into the historic buildings. There were some wet foundations and basements that will need drying out and the grounds will need to be cleared of debris.
The Museum’s Collections Research Center was untouched. The Center houses the institution’s more than two million historic artifacts and documents.
“We are very pleased with the way the Museum emerged from Hurricane Sandy,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “Once again our staff executed our emergency plan flawlessly, and as a result we essentially suffered no damage from the storm.”
The Museum is currently closed, but anticipates reopening for public visitors as early as noon as Wednesday once the grounds are cleaned up and reconfigured for visitation. People should monitor the Museum’s website, Facebook and Twitter feed for updates on opening hours and scheduled programs.
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home of four national Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American merchant vessel in existence. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
Nat Benjamin, co-founder of Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway on Martha’s Vineyard; Stephen C. White, President of Mystic Seaport; Jon Wilson, founder of WoodenBoat; and Richard Vietor, Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.
The 2012 America and the Sea Award was given to Jon Wilson and WoodenBoat for their commitment to the celebration and preservation of the skills, treasures, and traditions of the sea and shore. Wilson, the founder of WoodenBoat, accepted the Award Saturday, October 27, at a gala held in his honor at Mystic Seaport.
“By recognizing and unifying a passion for the allure of the design and beauty of wooden boats, Wilson helped transform a nascent renaissance in the early 1970s into a 21st-century industry, in the process ushering in a new golden age for wooden boats in America,” said Mystic Seaport President Stephen C. White. “Those who know Jon Wilson best speak to his passion for humanity and his desire to foster a meaningful connection to the greater community.”
Wilson founded WoodenBoat Publications in September of 1974 with the first issue of WoodenBoat magazine. Jon assembled the magazine in his cabin in North Brooksville, Maine. This was accomplished without electricity or plumbing, and with his telephone nailed to a tree — half a mile down the road. Taking the inaugural issue to the Newport Boat Show, he sold 400 individual copies and signed up 200 subscribers.
From that inauspicious start, the publication has become a touchstone for enthusiasts and professional practitioners from every far flung bay and harbor in the world. WoodenBoat is published six times each year, and now has a circulation of approximately 100,000. With 37 volumes and more than 200 issues in print, the magazine’s backlist comprises one of the most complete and important archives of wooden boat construction, use, and maintenance in existence today.
WoodenBoat has expanded into a book publishing arm; a school on the art of seamanship and wooden boat building; another magazine, Professional BoatBuilder; and event management, holding the WoodenBoat Show annually for 21 years, most recently at Mystic Seaport where it typically draws an audience of 13,000 boating enthusiasts.
Currently, Wilson divides his time between WoodenBoat and his national nonprofit, JUST Alternatives, an organization that fosters face-to-face dialogue between victims of violent crimes and their still-incarcerated offenders. The goal is to help the victims finally be heard by their attackers while at the same time assisting the offenders to become ready to listen and respond in sensitive and authentic ways.
In 1988, he was elected to the Mystic Seaport Board of Trustees and currently serves as Trustee Emeritus.
With its commitment to the celebration and preservation of the skills, treasures, and traditions of the sea and shore, Wilson considers WoodenBoat’s missions to be in total consonance with the missions of Mystic Seaport. He credits the inspiration for WoodenBoat’s somewhat “rigorous” approach to the subject to the late John Gardner. Gardner, the Museum’s small craft curator from 1969 to 1995, was a seminal figure in the documentation, preservation, and renewed appreciation of American small watercraft through his research, writing, speaking, teaching, and building. Much as Gardner was responsible for regenerating interest in an important part of America’s maritime heritage, Wilson has achieved a similar feat for wooden boats in modern times.
Mystic Seaport is pleased to name Tom Brillat the Museum’s new Director of Interpretation.
Brillat has been an Interpreter at the Museum for the past three years. In his new role, he will oversee the day-to-day management and strategic planning of the Interpretation Department, which is responsible for the programs and activities that interpret America’s maritime history across the Museum, including the 19th-century village and the formal exhibit galleries.
“Tom is distinguished by his first-hand experience working with the public and in the contemporary maritime world, as well as his commitment to historical accuracy, creative presentation style and engaging programs,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “We are impressed by the way he can make history come alive for our visitors.”
Prior to joining Mystic Seaport, Brillat has served as Executive Director of the Tall Ship Bounty Foundation, President of Educational Exchange in Wakefield, RI, and Executive Director of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling.
Brillat graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in history and earned an M.A. in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. He also holds a teacher certification from Providence College and a Non-Profit Management Certificate from Columbia University.
Brillat lives in Richmond, Rhode Island with his wife Susan.
About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the country’s oldest commercial vessel still afloat. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
Mystic Seaport will open its Halloween event, Sights & Frights, on Friday, October 19. The family-friendly production offers haunted Halloween fun for all ages.
Performance nights are October 19-20 and 26-27, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Visitors can walk the decorated grounds of the Museum’s 19th-century village to encounter spooky locations and activities. Storytellers will tell tales of maritime misfortune, the schooner L.A. Dunton will be converted into a haunted ship, roving characters will entertain or frighten, and tradespeople in the shops will be manufacturing items of a creepy nature.
Family activities include mask-making, face-painting, temporary tattoos, free horse-and-carriage rides, and live music of a slightly sinister nature from the Museum’s chantey staff. Children are encouraged to dress in costume and are invited to participate in a nightly parade at 7:30 p.m.
New this year is a pumpkin patch filled with elaborately carved jack-o-lanterns and a free planetarium show, “Whoo’s Up in the Night Sky?”
The experience is self-guided and all “scary” activities are located inside, permitting families with young children to avoid them.
Tickets are $13 ($12 for Museum members). Children three and under are admitted for free. Advance tickets are strongly recommended and can be purchased at mysticseaport.org/sightsandfrights or by calling 860.572.5322 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the event.
Sights & Frights is recommended for all ages. Not all portions of the production are wheelchair accessible. Visitors will be walking outdoors and are encouraged to dress appropriately.
About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last remaining wooden whaleship in the world. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
Inspirational speaker Sarah Everhart Skeels will kick off the 2012-2013 Adventure Series with her presentation “Pushing the Boundaries to Engage Life” at Mystic Seaport Thursday, October 18.
Skeels sustained a spinal cord injury after being hit by a car while riding her bicycle. She has been paralyzed from the chest down and living life from a wheelchair for 22 years.
However, determined not to let her misfortune impair her enjoyment of life, she concluded life doesn’t end after disability; it just continues in a different way. Since the accident she has hand-cycled across the United States, swum across the span of the Newport Bay Bridge, voyaged off Guadeloupe, and has gone scuba diving in Bonaire. She is a volunteer adaptive-skiing instructor and is an avid sailor. Skeels will discuss her adaptation to her disability, living life on her terms, and how pushing boundaries helps to determine character.
Presentations will be given at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the River Room at Latitude 41° Restaurant.
The Mystic Seaport Adventure Series runs once a month from October 2012 through April 2013. Individual tickets are $14 ($12 for members) for the afternoon presentation and $15 ($13 for members) for the evening presentation. Tickets are available online at https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ or by calling 860.572.5322.
The series will continue Thursday, November 15, with Laurel Schultheis recounting her pilgrimage in Spain along the Basque region’s El Camino De Santiago (The Way of St. James).
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the country’s oldest commercial vessel still afloat. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
