From left to right: Ken Read, president of North Sails; Bob Johnstone, award recipient; Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport; Rod Johnstone, award recipient; and Barclay Collins, chairman of the Board of Mystic Seaport.
Mystic Seaport presented its 2016 America and the Sea Award to Bob and Rod Johnstone – J/Boats. Given annually by the Museum, the prestigious award recognizes individuals or organizations whose contribution to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character.
The Johnstones received the award Saturday, October 22, at a gala dinner held in their honor at Mystic Seaport. The gala was held in the Collins Gallery in the new Thompson Exhibition Building. The America and the Sea Award Gala is the single largest fundraising event for the Museum. Proceeds from the event benefit the mission of the Museum to inspire an enduring connection to America’s maritime heritage.
“Over the past 39 years, the Johnstone family and their company have influenced American yachting and sport of sailing in incomparable ways. They have established a record of accomplishment that few will ever challenge, and they have instilled in countless Americans a passion for enjoying time on the water with family and good friends aboard good boats,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport.
The 2016 gala was co-chaired by J. Barclay Collins, II, Maarten de Jong and Kendra Matthew, Michael and Joanne Masin, and Cayre and Alexis Michas. S. Carter Gowrie is corporate co-chair.
Mystic, Conn. (October 21, 2016) — Mystic Seaport will present its 2016 America and the Sea Award to Bob and Rod Johnstone–J/Boats. Given annually by the Museum, the prestigious award recognizes individuals or organizations whose contribution to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character.
The Johnstones will receive the award Saturday, October 22, at a gala dinner held in their honor at Mystic Seaport. The gala will be the first and only dinner held in the Collins Family Gallery of the new Thompson Exhibition Building prior to its ongoing use to display exhibits. The America and the Sea Award Gala is the single largest fundraising event for the Museum. Proceeds from the event benefit the mission of the Museum to inspire an enduring connection to America’s maritime heritage.
“Over the past 39 years, the Johnstone family and their company have influenced American yachting and sport of sailing in incomparable ways. They have established a record of accomplishment that few will ever challenge, and they have instilled in countless Americans a passion for enjoying time on the water with family and good friends aboard good boats,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “For these reasons and many more, Mystic Seaport is proud to bestow its America and the Sea Award to Bob and Rod Johnstone–J/Boats.”
Past recipients of the America and the Sea Award include oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle, historian David McCullough, legendary yacht designer Olin Stephens, President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation, Thomas Crowley, philanthropist William Koch, former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, WoodenBoat founder Jon Wilson, yachtsman and author Gary Jobson, maritime industrialist Charles A. Robertson, and author and historian Nathaniel Philbrick.
About J/Boats
Bob Johnstone. Photo Courtesy of J/Boats
The J/Boats story began in 1974 when Rod, then an ad salesman for Soundings Magazine, designed and started building the 24-foot sailboat Ragtime in his Stonington, CT garage. Launched in the Spring of 1976, it beat everything in sight. Bob, then vice president of marketing at AMF Alcort, saw the potential in Rod’s design and a 50/50 partnership was formed in February 1977 to build and market the J/24. Today, some 14,000 “J’s” in 40 different designs are sailing in more than 35 countries. “J” owners have won silver in major sailing events worldwide including Fastnet, SORC, Transpac, Pacific Cup, Swiftsure, Ensenada, Middle Sea, Sydney-Hobart, OSTAR, Chicago-Mac, and the Bermuda Race. The J/24 was named “Best Keelboat in 30 years” by SAIL Magazine in 1981. A decade later, the J/105 revolutionized keelboat design with its retractable bowsprit and asymmetrical spinnaker. Nineteen other “J” designs have earned Boat-of-the-Year or Hall of Fame recognition. Five designs have achieved World Sailing’s International Class status. J/Boats Inc. was named by Fortune in 1991 as one of America’s Best 100 Products. J/Boats in the USA are built in Rhode Island and by licensed builders in France, Italy, South Africa, Argentina, and China. J/Boats remains a family business.
Bob and Rod grew up racing Long Island One-Designs and Lightnings at the Wadawanuck YC in Stonington CT, where from 1947 to 1954 they took home many club and ECYRA trophies. With their father, Rob, they built Lightning #3310 in a suburban Glen Ridge, NJ, garage, setting them on a course of sailing for life.
Rod Johnstone. Photo courtesy of J/Boats.
After Princeton (’56), Bob spent 17 years managing Quaker Oats subsidiaries in Colombia and Venezuela. Returning to Chicago, he became Quaker’s Marketing Man of the Year. Later at AMF Alcort, he acquired marine market experience, a key to start-up success of J/Boats. In 2002, with the next generation in place at J/Boats, he founded MJM Yachts. The MJM 50z received the 2014 AIM Editors Award for Best Down East Cruiser 50 Feet Plus. Bob has won the 1969 Penguin Internationals, National Hospice Regatta, Maine Retired Skippers Race, New York Yacht Club Queen’s Cup plus Antigua, Block Island, Charleston, Key West and Down East Race Weeks. He was runner-up in the 1983 J/24 Worlds, served as Secretary/Treasurer of the United States Olympic Sailing Committee and was founding chairman of both the United States Youth Sailing Championship and J/24 Class Association. Bob and his wife, The Reverend Mary Johnstone, reside in Newport RI. He is a member and Past Commodore of the Northeast Harbor Fleet and a member of the New York Yacht Club and Little Cranberry Island Yacht Club.
After Princeton (’58) Rod started designing and building sailboats while teaching history at the Millbrook School in NY from 1959 to 1962. He then ran a yacht brokerage in Stonington, later becoming a planner for submarine builder Electric Boat Co. Rod sold ads for Soundings from 1970 to 1977 when he came to know the key players in the sailboat industry, especially Everett Pearson, whose role as builder of J Boats designs for over 25 years was key to their success. In 1988 Rod co-founded Johnstone Yachts, Inc. with nephew Clay Burkhalter to produce his JY 15 sailboat design. Nephew-in-law, David Eck, took over in 1991 and produced over 3,300 JY 15s. Mystic Seaport uses JY 15s in its sail training program. Rod still helps design new J/ Boats and continues to race actively. He has won championships in the J/24, J/22, J/30, J/35, J/120, J/70 and J/88 classes and at various Race Weeks. Rod and his wife, Lucia, live in Stonington. He is a member and Past Commodore of the Wadawanuck Yacht Club, Past Chairman of the Stonington Board of Education, and member of the Stonington Harbor Management Commission.
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, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibits, beginning with SeaChange, which opens December 10, 2016. The state-of-the-art Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $26 for adults and $17 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Mystic, Conn. (October 13, 2016) — Mystic Seaport announces it is honoring the Pacific Class owners and the San Diego Yacht Club with the 2016 William A. Baker Award. The award is given to promote the awareness and appreciation of fine examples of one-design classes or boats of like kind, and to foster faithful preservation and restoration, and encourage their continued use.
The Pacific Class (PC) owners and the San Diego Yacht Club are being recognized for their effort to preserve and maintain a significant class of American sailing craft.
The PC is the first wooden one design racing sloop designed and built especially for Southern California waters. Designed by George Kettenburg, Jr., in 1929, the 31-foot-long sailboat has survived more than 80 years and is still enjoyed today. While the largest of the fleets is in San Diego, there are smaller groups in Marina del Rey, Los Angeles and Washington State. Of the 84 hull numbers assigned, all but 19 are still sailing. Hull number 8, Wings, believed to be the oldest hull in existence, is now on display at the San Diego Maritime Museum.
Antique and classic boat festivals throughout the country typically present awards for the preservation of wooden boats. As a rule these awards are presented to individual owners or vessels, recognizing some superlative aspect of the work that has been done to keep them up, most-original, or the finest craftsmanship.
The William Avery Baker Award is somewhat unique in that it is customarily presented to a class association or group of owners. The purpose is to recognize the people and communities that do the bold, arduous and often expensive work of keeping a large group or class of vessels actively sailing.
“It is this authentic notion of active use that is being recognized and commended,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “It is one thing to save an old wooden boat from inevitable destruction; it is another thing entirely to save a class of vessels from extinction. It has been our experience that this can only occur when a community of like-minded enthusiasts comes together with a common purpose. Thus, we are proud to honor the Pacific Class owners and the San Diego Yacht Club for their effort to save the PC from the brink of extinction and thus allow future generations to sail and enjoy these fine boats.”
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, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibits, beginning with SeaChange, which opens December 10, 2016. The Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $26 for adults and $17 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
PCs at the 2016 Coronado Sojourn in California. Photo courtesy San Diego Yacht Club History Archives
Mystic Seaport is honoring the Pacific Class owners and the San Diego Yacht Club with the William A. Baker Award. The award is given to promote the awareness and appreciation of fine examples of one-design classes or boats of like kind, and to foster faithful preservation and restoration, and encourage their continued use.
The Pacific Class (PC) owners and the San Diego Yacht Club are being recognized for their effort to preserve and maintain a significant class of American sailing craft.
The PC is the first wooden one design racing sloop designed and built especially for Southern California waters. Designed by George Kettenburg, Jr., in 1929, the 31-foot-long sailboat has survived more than 80 years and is still enjoyed today. While the largest of the fleets is in San Diego, there are smaller groups in Marina del Rey, Los Angeles and Washington State. Of the 84 hull numbers assigned, all but 19 are still sailing. Hull number 8, Wings, believed to be the oldest hull in existence, is now on display at the San Diego Maritime Museum.
Antique and classic boat organizations throughout the country typically present awards for the preservation of wooden boats. As a rule these awards are presented to individual owners or vessels, recognizing some superlative aspect of the work that has been done to keep them up, most-original, or the finest craftsmanship.
The William Avery Baker Award is somewhat unique in that it is customarily presented to a class association or group of owners. The purpose is to recognize the people and communities that do the bold, arduous, and often expensive work of keeping a large group or class of vessels actively sailing.
“It is this authentic notion of active use that is being recognized and commended,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “It is one thing to save an old wooden boat from inevitable destruction; it is another thing entirely to save a class of vessels from extinction. It has been our experience that this can only occur when a community of like-minded enthusiasts comes together with a common purpose. Thus, we are proud to honor the Pacific Class owners and the San Diego Yacht Club for their effort to save the PC from the brink of extinction and thus allow future generations to sail and enjoy these fine boats.”
About William A. Baker
A 1934 graduate of MIT with a degree in naval architecture and marine engineering, Baker was active in the American shipbuilding industry through World War II and up to the early 1960s. Best known as the designer of Mayflower II, which was built in England in 1955 for Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts, Baker was one of the most prominent maritime historians and historic replica ship and boat designers of his era.
Mystic Seaport President Steve White addresses the crowd at the opening of the Thompson Exhibition Building September 24, 2016.
Mystic Seaport announced today it has received a $1 million gift from the Thompson Family Foundation to support the Thompson Exhibition Building, the Museum’s first new exhibition building in more than four decades. The Thompson Building opened to visitors on September 24, 2016.
The Thompson Family Foundation’s latest gift caps the $15.3 million required to fund the exhibition building and the McGraw Gallery Quadrangle project. This fundraising effort was scheduled to conclude on December 31.
“We are extremely grateful for the continued generosity and confidence in the future direction of the Museum that the Thompson family has demonstrated with this gift,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “Their support has been critical to the genesis and completion of the transformation of the Museum’s grounds and our capability to usher in a ‘New Era for Exhibitions’ at Mystic Seaport.”
The Thompson Building is the cornerstone and final element of the McGraw Gallery Quadrangle, a project which integrated existing buildings and grounds with new construction and unified the buildings of the north end of the Museum by focusing on their common role as formal exhibition galleries.
Wade Thompson was a Mystic Seaport trustee for 27 years who believed passionately in the need for contemporary exhibition space and its importance for the future of the Museum. The Thompson Building houses the Collins Gallery, a 5,000-square-foot hall featuring soaring ceilings and a flexible layout that provides the caliber of conditions required to curate not only exhibits from the Mystic Seaport collections, but also permit the borrowing of outstanding art and artifacts from other museums around the world.
“We are deeply appreciative to all donors who made extraordinary gifts to complete this ambitious project so vital to the Museum’s future sustainability and institutional growth, many of whom were inspired by Wade Thompson and his family’s example of philanthropy,” said Elisabeth Saxe, the Museum’s vice president for Advancement.
The first exhibit to be featured in the Thompson Building will be “Sea-Change,” a dramatic presentation of a range of beautiful and unique objects drawn from the collections of Mystic Seaport. A special grouping of these intriguing artifacts will be on display for the first time, and all will be presented in a new setting which reveals surprising stories of transformation that continue to impact a contemporary audience and its experience with the sea. The exhibit opens on December 10.
Mystic, Conn. (October 5, 2016) — Mystic Seaport announced today it has received a $1 million gift from the Thompson Family Foundation to support the Thompson Exhibition Building, the Museum’s first new exhibition building in more than four decades. The Thompson Building opened to visitors on September 24, 2016.
The Thompson Family Foundation’s latest gift caps the $15.3 million required to fund the exhibition building and the McGraw Gallery Quadrangle project. This fundraising effort was scheduled to conclude on December 31.
“We are extremely grateful for the continued generosity and confidence in the future direction of the Museum that the Thompson family has demonstrated with this gift,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “Their support has been critical to the genesis and completion of the transformation of the Museum’s grounds and our capability to usher in a ‘New Era for Exhibitions’ at Mystic Seaport.”
The Thompson Building is the cornerstone and final element of the McGraw Gallery Quadrangle, a project which integrated existing buildings and grounds with new construction and unified the buildings of the north end of the Museum by focusing on their common role as formal exhibition galleries.
Wade Thompson was a Mystic Seaport trustee for 27 years who believed passionately in the need for contemporary exhibition space and its importance for the future of the Museum. The Thompson Building houses the Collins Gallery, a 5,000-square-foot hall featuring soaring ceilings and a flexible layout that provides the caliber of conditions required to curate not only exhibits from the Mystic Seaport collections, but also permit the borrowing of outstanding art and artifacts from other museums around the world.
“We are deeply appreciative to all donors who made extraordinary gifts to complete this ambitious project so vital to the Museum’s future sustainability and institutional growth, many of whom were inspired by Wade Thompson and his family’s example of philanthropy,” said Elisabeth Saxe, the Museum’s vice president for Advancement.
The first exhibit to be featured in the Thompson Building will be “Sea-Change,” a dramatic presentation of a range of beautiful and unique objects drawn from the collections of Mystic Seaport. A special grouping of these intriguing artifacts will be on display for the first time, and all will be presented in a new setting which reveals surprising stories of transformation that continue to impact a contemporary audience and its experience with the sea. The exhibit opens on December 10.
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, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibits, beginning with SeaChange, which opens December 10, 2016. The Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $26 for adults and $17 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
Frederick Kubitz’s award winning “Two Barkentines Docked, Port of Boston, 1880.”
The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport honored 11 artists at the opening of its 37th Annual International Marine Art Exhibition and Sale on Saturday, October 1. The International is a juried show that features the finest examples of contemporary marine art in the United States. This year artists from around the world presented examples of their most recent work. All submissions are a new work that has not been previously exhibited.
“This exhibition and sale continues to delight art lovers and visitors year after year, showcasing the finest art by today’s leading marine artists,” said Monique Foster, director of the Gallery. “We are very pleased to be able to recognize their outstanding work with these awards. ”
Participating artists were honored with four awards of excellence and seven named awards–including the Rudolph J. Schaefer Maritime Heritage Award, which recognizes the work that best documents maritime heritage for future generations. The judges were John Hays, Deputy Chairman, Christie’s Americas; and Todd French, French & Webb, Inc., Co- Founder and President.
All of the award winners and the entire exhibition may be viewed in the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport through December 31, 2016.
Rudolph J. Schaefer Maritime Heritage Award
Give in memory of Rudolph J. Schaefer’s devotion to preserving maritime history and making it accessible and enjoyable, the judges recognize the artists whose work best documents our maritime heritage, past or present and for generations of the future.
Frederick Kubitz
“Two Barkentines Docked, Port of Boston, 1880”
(See above)
Stobart Foundation Award
This award is given to encourage the importance of painting from life. The judges will recognize the work that attracts their attention most by virtue of its uniqueness of style, quality of light and atmosphere.
Leif Nilsson
“From Hamburg Cove”
Maritime Gallery Yachting Award
This award celebrates the singular pleasures of going to sea. The judges will recognize the work that best captures the beauty and excitement of sailing in all its many forms.
Laura Cooper “Resolute, America’s Cup Defender, 1920″
Marine Environmental Wildlife Award
This award acknowledges the importance of preserving the fragile balance within the world’s ecosystems. The judges will recognize the work that best depicts marine mammals, fish or birds in their native habitat.
Cindy House
“Plovers over the Gulf”
Thomas M. Hoyne III Award
Given in memory of Thomas M. Hoyne III’s dedication and contributions to accurate-historical representation of the great Gloucester fishing schooners and the men who sailed them, the judges recognize the work that best documents an aspect of the marine fisheries industry of today or yesterday.
Paul George
“Back Cove”
The Museum Purchase Award
The Museum Purchase Award is chosen by a committee of the curatorial staff of Mystic Seaport. They will select for purchase one work appropriate to the current needs of its permanent collection, which emphasizes the commercial maritime experience of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Jeffrey Sabol
“Fog on the Banks”
Rudolph J. Schaefer, III Emerging Artist Award
This award is given in memory of Rudie J. Schaefer and his lifelong commitment to recognizing and supporting new maritime artists to the Gallery for their exceptional skill in capturing the endless beauty and heritage of the sea in painting, sculpture, scrimshaw, or ship models.
William Hobbs
“Mid-Morning Break”
Award of Excellence
For outstanding creativity, insight, and integrity in Marine Art.
Mystic, Conn. (October 21, 2016) — Mystic Seaport will present its 2016 America and the Sea Award to Bob and Rod Johnstone–J/Boats. Given annually by the Museum, the prestigious award recognizes individuals or organizations whose contribution to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character.
