Month: May 2013

Musicians from Around the Globe Gather to Celebrate Maritime Traditions

Mystic, Conn. (May 23, 2013) — Musicians from around the world will come to Mystic Seaport to celebrate the musical traditions of the Golden Age of Sail at the 34th annual Sea Music Festival, Thursday through Sunday, June 6-9.

The weekend’s festivities include concerts, a storytelling stage, instructional workshops, folk dancing, and a scholar’s symposium. The Festival is the premier sea music event in North America.

In addition to the Mystic Seaport Chantey Staff, scheduled performers include the Sicilian group AcquAria, Kapriol’! from The Netherlands, and Australia’s Danny Spooner. Sara Grey, recognized as one of the finest traditional performers ever, will appear with her son Kieron Means, and the group OCEAN Celtic from Washington DC, will entertain with their unique blend of Celtic and folk based on the research of two members who work at the Library of Congress Archive of Folk Culture.

A special appearance will be made on Thursday night by the Polish group Sasiedzi (“the Neighbors”), a quintet that carries on a sea chantey craze that first emerged in that country under Communism. Overall, more than 20 individuals and groups will perform at the Festival.

Returning this year is a storytelling stage co-sponsored by the Connecticut Storytelling Center and an evening sea music “contra dance,” a style of partnered folk dancing traditional to New England. The storytelling stage will feature gifted storytellers from throughout the region, who will entertain the audience with original stories and folktales from a wide range of sources. The Museum’s Wendell Building will host the stage on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The contra dance will be held Saturday evening from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Mystic German Club’s Frohsinn Hall, located directly across the street from the Museum’s main entrance on Route 27. There is an $8 admission fee for the dance.

In addition, the annual Music of the Sea Symposium, hosted in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, will be held on Friday and Saturday, June 7-8. The Symposium, which features presentations of themed papers by some of the country’s leading maritime music scholars, explores the interaction between sea, music and song. The Friday session will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at McAllister Hall Auditorium on the Coast Guard Academy campus and is free to the public. The Symposium continues Saturday from 9:30 a.m.to 12 p.m. at the Greenmanville Church on the grounds of Mystic Seaport. Museum admission is required. For further details and a list of Symposium presenters and topics, visit mysticseaport.org/smfsymposium.

All workshops and daytime concerts in the Festival are included in regular Mystic Seaport admission. Museum admission is good for two days upon ticket validation (visit must be made within one week of purchase date). Special tickets are required for evening concerts and can be purchased by calling 860.572.0711, or at the Museum’s main entrance. Weekend passes are also available. College students will be admitted into the Festival for the youth rate upon presentation of a current student ID.

For more information, including ticket packages, musicians’ bios, and a schedule of performances, visit mysticseaport.org/seamusicfestival.

This event is made possible by the Friends of the Sea Music Festival, who raise funds each year to generously support sea music at Mystic Seaport.

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 wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free.

Museum Reaches Milestone in Restoration of the National Historic Landmark Vessel

Shipwrights at Mystic Seaport installed the final plank on the hull of the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan on Friday, May 10. Known as the shutter plank because it “shuts in” and completes the hull, the achievement is traditionally a moment of celebration in the shipbuilding process.

The 20-foot long plank of yellow pine was placed on the port side quarter of the hull near the waterline. It was steamed for several hours prior to installation to make it flexible, lifted into position, and spiked in place. Each member of the Shipyard crew working on the restoration signed the plank.

The last spike used to fasten the plank was gold-plated to mark the occasion. F. M. Callahan & Son of Malden, Mass. donated the plating. Company president Eric Jackin presented the 10-inch long fastener to the Museum in an informal ceremony Friday afternoon.

”This moment is a milestone in the continuing voyage of the Charles W. Morgan. The shutter plank is just one small part of the ship’s fabric, but it is emblematic of all the parts, and of all the people, that are coming together to take the ship back to sea for her 38th Voyage in 2014,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White.

The Morgan has been undergoing a comprehensive restoration in the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard since November 2008. The project addresses significant structural issues in the hull below the waterline and in the bow and stern. While the shutter plank marks the end of principle hull restoration, Museum shipwrights must finish caulking, fairing, and painting the hull prior to launch.

The ship is scheduled to be launched on Sunday, July 21 at 2 p.m. in a public ceremony in the Shipyard. Once back in the water, the Morgan will remain berthed at the Museum’s lift dock through the completion of the project. The shipwrights need to build and restore many peripheral details, build and restore spars, and restore and install the rig. With rare exception, the ship will remain accessible to visitors to board and explore.

Once the restoration is complete in late May 2014, the Morgan will embark on a ceremonial 38th Voyage to historic ports in New England to celebrate the importance of America’s maritime heritage. After a period of refitting and sea trials based in New London, Conn., the ship will sail to Newport, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, Provincetown, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and Boston. She will also participate in the centennial celebration of the Cape Cod Canal.

The Morgan is the oldest commercial vessel in the United States and the last whaleship of a fleet that once numbered more than 2,700. During her 80-year whaling career the ship sailed on 37 voyages that spanned the globe. Retired in 1921, the ship had a brief movie career and then became a historical attraction in the New Bedford area. Needing a new home, the ship came to Mystic Seaport in 1941 where she has remained as the flagship of the Museum’s watercraft collection. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1967.

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 wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum is located one mile south of exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children 6-17. Museum members and children under 5 are admitted for free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Proceeds to Support Mystic Rotary Club’s Community Charities

Mystic, Conn. – Mystic Seaport plans to kick off the summer season and prepare for the cracking of thousands of lobster claws at the 28th annual Lobster Days during Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday through Monday, May 25-27.

Members of the Mystic Rotary Club will serve “lobsters-in-the-rough” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Diners can enjoy their picnic-style meal under Mystic Seaport’s open-air Boat Shed where they can watch boats cruising on the Mystic River. More than 3,000 lobsters will be cooked and served over the course of the weekend with all proceeds going to support the Rotary Club’s community organizations and projects.

In addition to a great meal, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the water as the Museum’s boat rental dock will be open, and the 1908 steamboat Sabino and catboat Breck Marshall will be operating a regular schedule of brief cruises on the Mystic River.

On Monday, May 27, the Museum will hold its annual Decoration Day ceremony. Known today as Memorial Day, Decoration Day was formally instituted by the U.S. Government in 1868 as a day of national remembrance of those killed during the Civil War. Costumed role-players will conduct an 1876 tribute and procession to honor the fallen beginning at 10:30 a.m.

A special combination ticket of Museum admission and a single lobster dinner is available for $40. The youth combination ticket (ages 6-17) is $33. A senior combination ticket (ages 65 and older) is available for $38.

Lobster dinners can be purchased separately from Museum admission for $22 (single lobster) and $38 (twin lobster). Lobster platters include coleslaw, corn on the cob, drawn butter, and choice of iced tea or lemonade. Hot dog platters are available for $7. Coastal Gourmet, the Museum’s food service provider, will also be offering wine and beer for purchase.

In the past, Lobster Days has raised as much as $20,000 for the Rotary’s charitable causes. Recipients include community enterprises such as Groton Human Services, Riverfront Children’s Center, the Stonington Community Center, and college scholarships for local students.

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 wooden whaleship in the world. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.