Month: April 2017

On Friday, April 29, Dana Hewson retired after working at Mystic Seaport for 39 years. He started here in 1977, as a Vessel Maintenance Supervisor, the first full-time ship keeper hired by Mystic Seaport. Hewson moved through the positions of Director of the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard and Vice President of Watercraft Preservation and Facilities Management to his present position of Vice President of Watercraft Preservation and Programs. He was also the Museum’s first Clark Senior Curator for Watercraft. As the Clark Senior Curator, he provided direction and leadership in the preservation and development of the museum’s watercraft collection, which presently numbers more than 500 vessels of all sizes. In the course of his career, he led and helped develop the Museum’s maintenance and preservation program to its present status.

We asked Dana to take a walk with us during his last week at the Museum, stopping at the spots across the property that are most special to him. We were happy to have this opportunity to look back on a tremendous career with Dana, and to be able to thank him for all he has done for the Museum, the region, and maritime history and preservation.

The Shiplift

“One thing that makes everything we do here possible is our shiplift,” Dana said. “After construction of Amistad, we knew the existing shiplift needed work, and it turned out to be more cost effective to replace it. This was a huge financial commitment to continuing the work we’ve always done here. And the goal with the replacement was to be environmentally compliant by every standard, and we did that.

“With the new shiplift, it means we can do two major vessel projects at once, and easily add a third smaller one. To be able to do all this efficiently and cleanly, well, without this capability everything would be very different. Starting in the 1970s, there were fewer and fewer places where we could get the work done that we needed to do – for our own ships and for others. The Shipyard is the largest curatorial arm of the Museum, and to be able to do all the work needed in one place is critical. This is a tremendous resource. We’ve built the Amistad, hauled the Lettie G. Howard, Draken Harald Hårfagre and now are restoring Mayflower II. Plus the Morgan and now Sabino.”

The Sawmill

“Right now we have three sawmills on the property that allow us to create the shapes we need, using the species (of tree) we need. Modern sawmills don’t think the way we do, and they don’t work the way we need to work. So being able to do this ourselves, the way we need to, is important. And we are keeping skills alive. We’ve got a lot of people who come to work here to develop and hone their skills, and then they take them somewhere else. Of course, many stay. Right now we have one second generation Mystic Seaport shipwright. We don’t have an apprentice program, but we have taught a lot of people over the years.”

Stonington High School Crew

In 1997, Mystic Seaport was approached by a group that wanted to start a rowing team at Stonington High School. They had everything set to create a team – except a place to call home. Other marinas along the Mystic River had turned down requests to host the team, but Dana told them they could use Mystic Seaport’s docks and storage facilities.

“This is really special to me,” Dana says, stopping at the area where the crew team was prepping their equipment for the day’s practice. “We were able to accommodate them – they had everything all set, they just needed a place. I thought it was a terrific town-gown program to have and support, and I immediately said yes. My daughter Emma rowed for Stonington her four years of high school and rowed on scholarship for four years at the University of New Hampshire, and then helped pay for grad school by coaching. A large number of Stonington rowers get scholarships. It’s been wonderful. And now it has come full circle, because they are planning to build their own facility next door.”

Roann & Brilliant

Asking Dana Hewson which is his favorite vessel at Mystic Seaport is akin to asking a mother to name her favorite child. But when pressed he will admit that it’s a tie between Roann and Brilliant, two very different boats. Roann is an Eastern-rig dragger, launched in 1947. Brilliant is a schooner designed by renowned naval architect Olin Stephens that just celebrated her 85th birthday and is used as a sail training vessel for teens and adults.

“I was involved in the acquisition of Roann, and one of these days she will be the last of her kind that is still afloat. And it’s because she’s been here and she’s been restored. She and Brilliant are form following function. They were each designed for a purpose and they are still operational. They are teaching vessels. They are still doing what they were meant to do. Brilliant has sailed with more than 10,000 teenagers on board. We have four National Historic Landmark vessels at Mystic Seaport, the highest designation of historical importance in this country. All were restored during my career.”

Charles W. Morgan

The Charles W. Morgan whaleship underwent a five-year restoration in the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard from 2008 to 2013. She was launched July 21, 2013 in front of thousands of visitors at the Museum’s Shipyard and the celebration marked the kickoff to her return to sea. In late May, 2014, the Morgan departed her berth at Mystic Seaport and embarked on an unprecedented voyage to historic ports on the New England coast.

“Certainly the Morgan was the most important (part of his career) to the Museum. Her influence on me and my influence on her were equal, I think. For her, it was her second major restoration, and for me, to be around that and to be responsible for maintaining her. And of course the voyage was a pinch-your-cheek moment. That was a significant moment for me personally and for the Museum.

“I was on her the first day she sailed away from New London, the first time she was under sail, and that was an amazing moment. All that work, the planning, the meetings, the logistics, and then to sail right off that dock. That was spectacular. It was as if it all came together, it all came to life, right then. For her to go from a moored to a sailing vessel, that was wonderful.”

Draken and Mayflower II

“The technology of the Draken Harald Hårfagre (dates to) 1100. The technology of Mayflower II is 1620. The technology of the Morgan is 1840. The Joseph Conrad is 1880. The Sabino is 1908. To be able to have our visitors be able to view that progression in the technology of sail, and of ships, is amazing. We are able to show them that.”

 

The Bulkheads

It certainly isn’t glamorous but it is really important: a multiyear project to replace 2,000 linear feet of bulkhead along the Mystic River in the 1980s. The project involved 9,000 tons of cut stone, 13,000 tons of rock fill, and cost $1.6 million. It was such an extensive and complex project that it actually has three plaques in its honor attached to the rear of the Stillman Building, facing the river. One of the plaques pays tribute to the late Waldo Howland, a trustee at the time who championed the need for the work to be done. “He was one of the most important mentors to me. It was Waldo who coined the phrase ‘The Mystic Way’ and that meant if you needed something done, you needed to do it yourself, because you would do it better and cheaper than anyone else.”

Mystic Seaport has named Quentin Snediker the Museum’s Clark Senior Curator for Watercraft. His role will be to provide direction and leadership in the preservation and development of the Museum’s watercraft collection, which presently numbers more than 500 vessels of all sizes, ranging from small rowboats and kayaks to four National Historic Landmarks, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. This position is in addition to his role as Director of the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard.

As the Clark Senior Curator for Watercraft, Snediker will be tasked to evaluate the collection contents, maintain the highest levels of preservation practice, and develop an ongoing curation plan to maximize the collection’s contents for historical importance and cultural relevance. He is only the second person to hold this title at the Museum. He succeeds Dana Hewson, who is retiring after 39 years at Mystic Seaport at the end of April 2017.

“This title is recognition of Quentin Snediker’s extraordinary knowledge and experience in maritime history and preservation techniques,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. ”He is a leader in the field with a worldwide reputation and the Museum is fortunate to have someone of his caliber on staff to lead our collection.”

A graduate of the State University of New York Maritime College, Snediker spent the first 16 years of his career as captain of traditional sailing vessels in New England, Chesapeake Bay, and beyond. During this time he managed the construction and operation of a 140-ton schooner Mystic Clipper.

He arrived at Mystic Seaport in 1989 where he assumed the position of supervisor of vessel maintenance at the Museum. In 1990, he organized an effort to salvage 200 tons of live oak timber downed in South Carolina during Hurricane Hugo. He also led the Museum’s efforts to furnish the Morgan in a historically correct manner during the 1991 150-year anniversary celebration of the historic whaleship.

From 1993 to 1994, Snediker was Associate Director of Programs at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, where in addition to supervising museum programming he also supervised the preservation of the E.C. Collier, one of the few remaining Chesapeake Bay skipjacks.

Snediker returned to Mystic Seaport in 1995 to be project coordinator for the design and construction of the freedom schooner Amistad. Following the launch of the Amistad in March 2000, he was named the director of the Shipyard. Notable projects during his tenure include restorations of the fishing vessel Roann, the Morgan, and the steamboat Sabino, the last two of which are National Historic Landmarks in the collection.

In addition to his B.S. in Marine Transportation from SUNY Maritime, Snediker has a M.A. in Historic Preservation from Goucher College. He is a frequent lecturer and written numerous articles on a variety of maritime subjects. He is the co-author with Ann Jensen of “Chesapeake Bay Schooners” (Tidewater Publications: 1992).

London. New York. Boston. And now: Southeastern Connecticut.

Inspired by the successful collaborations among cultural organizations in three major cities, eight area museums will join forces on Wednesday, April 26, for a museum ‘InstaSwap’ event, in which teams of museum employees will use the social media platform Instagram to promote each other’s collections and resources.

“Southeastern Connecticut is an area rich in cultural heritage and tourism,” said organizer Erika Neenan, who is Mystic Museum of Art’s Curatorial Assistant to the Director. “This event allows the diverse regional museums to reach a broader audience while strengthening connections between the museums themselves.”

In addition to MMoA, institutions participating in the event are: Connecticut River Museum, Essex; Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme; Lyman Allyn Art Museum, New London; Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center, Mashantucket; and Mystic Aquarium, Mystic Seaport, and Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, all of Mystic.

The first-ever museum InstaSwap took place in London in 2015. New York and Boston followed in 2016. The goal with Southeastern Connecticut’s InstaSwap is not only to highlight current exhibitions, but to provide all-access privileges so that participants may offer rare glimpses into archives and behind-the-scene spaces. Museums have been paired at random and will use their own Instagram accounts to showcase their partner organization.

“In addition to being able to promote all that we offer, it’s fun to be able to spend time at another facility as a ‘tourist’,” said Dan McFadden, Director of Communications for Mystic Seaport. “We look forward to more social media collaborations in the future.”

Mystic Seaport is partnered with the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. You can follow Mystic Seaport on Instagram @mysticseaportmuseum. Follow the Mashantucket Museum on Instagram @pequotmuseum

Search #SECTInstaSwap and #MuseumInstaSwap on Instagram to explore all eight museums on Wednesday!

 

Often when a vibrant and spry lady turns 85, friends and relations will remark that she “looks good for her age.” Certainly this compliment applies to the schooner Brilliant, which is celebrating the 85th anniversary of her launch on April 23.

For 65 of her years, Brilliant has sailed under the Mystic Seaport flag. She has had only five captains in that time, the current being Nicholas Alley, now in his sixth season. Perhaps even more remarkable, since she came to Mystic, more than 10,000 children have sailed on her in one of the oldest youth sail training programs in the country. Alley says it is both an honor and daunting to be her captain.

“There are a lot of expectations,” Alley says. “I feel pressure that the boat has to look a certain way; she has to look ship-shape and Bristol fashion. There’s an expectation she has to be well-sailed – not just fast in a race, but in a seaman-like way at all times, efficiently and effectively. And I am carrying on a tradition that dates back 65 years under the Mystic Seaport flag with legendary captains. It is quite an honor.”

Brilliant was given to Mystic Seaport in 1953 specifically to be used as a sail training vessel for youth. She had been custom-designed as a gaff-rigged schooner by Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens for Walter Barnum, and was built in the Henry B. Nevins yard at City Island, N.Y. After World War II she was bought by Briggs Cunningham, who had her masts lengthened and her sail area increased in the hopes of increasing her speed. It was Cunningham who donated her to the Museum.

Brilliant‘s small world

George Hathaway of Schuylerville, N.Y., is a Mystic Seaport member who has sailed on Brilliant six times since 2005, including once when he chartered the vessel for friends and family to sail to Greenport, N.Y. “Once we got out from Mystic, the wind really picked up,” Hathaway recalled. “It was really rough. We couldn’t even get to Greenport; we were just churning in the washing machine. A couple of the guys didn’t do too well and they weren’t liking me so much. So we went back to Mystic for the night. We went downtown, got some dinner, everyone started to feel better. The next day was beautiful – winds were 5-10 knots and we decided just to do a circumnavigation of Fishers Island.”

As Brilliant was heading back from Fishers Island, Hathaway said, “We saw two submarines. One was heading out and the other was coming in. Our tack took us directly between the two subs. And our captain got a call from one of the (sub escort) boats asking him to state his intentions. It was certainly something to remember.”

In a somewhat incredible “Brilliant small world” story, Hathaway went to work for a bank in upstate New York after he retired from his first career at the Saratoga Race Course. He met a colleague named Virginia Clark, and as they were chatting about hobbies and interests, Hathaway mentioned sailing on Brilliant. Clark knew the boat well – she had been a Mariner Girl Scout and had sailed on Brilliant as a girl in the 1950s. When she passed away a few years ago, Hathaway made a donation to Brilliant in her memory.

The beauty of a boat like Brilliant, Hathaway says, is just that: It brings people together in a shared experience that creates deep bonds. He sailed in 2013 on an excursion with no one he knew, “but one thing I love about Brilliant is how quickly you can become a crew – you come together to do everything that needs to be done to sail that boat. It’s always a very interesting and a very rewarding experience.”

Staying true to the mission

It’s that bonding experience that keeps Brilliant true to Mystic Seaport’s mission, says Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “I’m a firm believer that the best lessons in life are learned at sea. For some 65 years, Brilliant has provided these lessons every summer for almost 10,000 young people. Her impact is immeasurable, and for those lucky ones who have been to sea for five to 10 days on her, they are all the wiser. But how lucky Mystic Seaport has been to serve Brilliant’s steward for all these years. In her is the legacy of Olin Stephens; she is the embodiment of Mystic Seaport’s core values and she represents us so well everywhere she sails!”

Cunningham remained proud of her role at Mystic Seaport, and the Museum’s stewardship of the boat, until his death at age 96 in 2003. In a letter dated Feb. 16, 1989, he wrote to a Seaport employee named D.H. Boyden, in reply to an update on Brilliant Boydon had sent along:

“My children … loved her. I always wanted her to do the job with children she is doing at Mystic, as I felt she was so well built, they could hardly get into any trouble as they learned to handle her. I think you and Capt. [George] Moffett, as well as all the others involved in her maintenance, are doing a wonderful job.”

The mission Alley lives every day on the boat is to “share her on as many levels as we can. Whether it’s the students, volunteers, passengers or just someone talking to you on the side of the dock, she’s recognized and welcomed everywhere she goes. That’s the mission. People hear ‘sail training’ and they assume we are going to teach you how to sail. No. We are teaching you how to communicate, work together and be responsible. We take 12 strangers and put them in tight quarters and then we build a team. We teach life skills using a boat. The boat is the one teaching them. It’s why I do it.”

Mystic Seaport announces Christopher Gasiorek has been named Vice President for Watercraft Preservation and Programs. He succeeds Dana Hewson, who will be retiring at the end of this month after 39 years at the Museum.

A graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) at Kings Point, Gasiorek is a professional mariner with more than 25 years of experience in a diversity of maritime positions. He holds an unlimited tonnage master’s license from the U.S. Coast Guard, and he has served on tugs, bulk carriers, research ships, training ships, and racing yachts. He has circumnavigated the world twice.

Gasiorek was the Director of Watercraft Operations and Training at the USMMA from 2007 to 2014, where he oversaw the operation of more than 100 vessels ranging from the 224-foot Kings Pointer to sailing dinghies. He was responsible for maintenance, cadet training, shoreside support, facilities improvements, and the command of cadet-crewed training voyages.

As a maritime educator, Gasiorek has served as classroom and underway instructor for numerous Safety at Sea Seminars, including training for NOAA’s shipboard officers and USCG-approved instruction in Bridge Resource Management, Leadership and Management, and Safety of Life at Sea. He is involved with Tall Ships America and is a past relief captain and mate of South Street Seaport’s 1893 schooner Lettie G. Howard. He currently serves on the board of the USMMA Sailing Foundation, where he has been intimately involved in their yacht donation program.

“Chris Gasiorek brings to the position demonstrated experience and expertise in strategic planning, budget planning for a multi-million dollar waterfront operation, personnel management, and close work with government and civilian stakeholders at all levels,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “We believe his extensive maritime experience, proven leadership, and knowledge of sail education and waterfront management will serve the Museum well in the years ahead.”

Gasiorek is a resident of Mystic, CT. He will assume his duties in early June.

Spring is a busy time in the maritime world, as boats are scraped and painted, batteries are charged, hulls are caulked, and sails come out of winter storage to be inspected, repaired and readied for the season. Spring is also a busy time around the 19-acre grounds of Mystic Seaport, as our nine gardens and miles of landscaping need to be awakened from their winter slumber.

Of course the winter weather that has dominated this spring has been challenging for Garden Supervisor Julia Jankowski and Steve Sisk, gardener. They had to postpone pansy planting for three weeks because of the cold, the snow, and the rain. Of course, the Museum’s many snow drops, crocuses and daffodils ignored the weather and just came up regardless. Also now appearing are scilla, grape hyacinth, and hellebore.

Jankowski and Sisk have been busy in the greenhouse, where they grow many plants from seed, including vegetables for the Buckingham-Hall House. In addition to the wide variety of perennials on the grounds, there are more than 50 boxes and tubs with annuals (starting with pansies) that change with the seasons.

A dedicated corps of volunteers works with Jankowski and Sisk to maintain the grounds and gardens.

Three of the Museum’s gardens are 19th century historic gardens, one at the Burrows House and two at the Buckingham-Hall House (one kitchen garden with vegetables and herbs and a parlor garden with flowers). These gardens are designed to show gardening techniques from the 1830s to the 1870s, as well as plants themselves. They utilize both native plants and plants that were brought to New England by ship captains.

Other specialty gardens include:

• Children’s Zoo Garden (Located at the Children’s Museum, each of the plants has an animal or insect in its common name such as dogwood, elephant ears, butterfly bush, snail flower, and turtlehead.)
• Mallory Birds & Butterflies Garden (This garden is in front of the Mallory Building and is inviting to butterflies and hummingbirds.)
• Memorial Garden (Located behind the Treworgy Planetarium, the Memorial Garden was created to honor those who have given their time and resources to Mystic Seaport.)

Now that the weather appears to be evening out somewhat, Jankowski, Sisk and their volunteers are busy raking, removing winter leaf mulch, and filling boxes and tubs with pansies. As you stroll the Museum grounds on a lovely spring day, take a moment to admire the beautiful landscaping, and all the man and woman hours that have gone into it. For more information on all the special gardens at the Museum, please visit our website.