Mystic Seaport will hold its annual Antique & Classic Boat Parade on the Mystic River beginning at 11:45 a.m., Sunday, July 23. The boats should begin passing through the Mystic River bascule bridge in downtown Mystic at about noon.
The new start time is 30 minutes earlier than previously announced to accommodate the bridge opening schedules
The name and particulars of each boat will be announced at a public address station on the shore at Mystic River Park as it passes through the bascule bridge. The boats then make their way in a procession down river to the village of Noank.
The parade is the conclusion of the Museum’s Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous weekend, which showcases high-quality antique vessels, including cruisers, sailboats, and runabouts. Approximately 50 classic vessels will gather along the museum’s waterfront. Visitors are invited to see the displayed vessels Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. An awards competition will recognize excellence in restoration, authenticity, and workmanship.
To celebrate the 85th anniversary of the launching of the museum’s schooner Brilliant, the Rendezvous will highlight boats designed by the naval architecture firm Sparkman & Stephens. Brilliant was design #12, one of the earliest of co-founder Olin Stephen’s designs. She was launched in 1932 at the Henry B. Nevins, Inc. yard at City Island, N.Y. As one of the longest-running sail training programs in the country, she has carried more than 10,000 students on cruises throughout New England and beyond.
