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Month: February 2023

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Mystic Seaport Museum Acquires Historic Harbor Tours Of Mystic

Mystic Seaport Express Will Offer A River Shuttle Service from Downtown Mystic to Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic, Conn. (February 27, 2023) – Mystic Seaport Museum has acquired Historic Harbor Tours of Mystic which includes its flagship vessel Mystic Express. Captain Carl Shillo has operated the passenger vessel since 2006, providing guided tours of the Mystic River.

Through this acquisition Mystic Express will be renamed Mystic Seaport Express. The 17-passenger vessel will operate from the newly refurbished dock located at the foot of the Mystic Drawbridge in front of S&P Oyster Co.  The Museum plans to operate the vessel as a water shuttle transporting passengers on a continuous loop from the dock in downtown Mystic to both the north and south ends of the Museum.

This service will enable visitors from downtown to easily visit the Museum.  Tickets will be available in person from a Museum attendant located at the downtown dock. The anticipated start date for this service is May 15, 2023.

The rates for the shuttle service will include admission to the Museum:

Adults: $33
Senior (65 & up): $31
Youth (13 – 17): $29
Child (4 – 12): $24

Once at the Museum, visitors will have access to our 19th-century seafaring village, world class exhibits, as well as additional amenities to get out on the water with boathouse rentals and ticketed river tours aboard the historic excursion vessel Sabino.

“Arriving at Mystic Seaport Museum by sea is a truly magical experience,” said Mystic Seaport Museum VP of operations and watercraft Chris Gasiorek. “This added shuttle service will allow local visitors to include a trip to the Museum as part of their overall Mystic experience. Downtown shopping, getting out on the water and visiting the Museum are a trifecta of Mystic experiences and we’re excited to offer this expanded service.”

Mystic Seaport Express will also be available for private group charters for up to 17 passengers.  Inquiries regarding charter scheduling, booking and rates should be directed to charters@mysticseaport.org or 860-572-5341. The dock space in downtown Mystic will also be available for dock and dine rentals, and can be booked through Dockwa, the marina booking site currently used by the Museum Seaport Museum Marina.

To learn more and plan your trip on the Mystic Seaport Express, visit us online.

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Media Contact

Sophia Matsas
Director of Marketing & Communications
Mystic Seaport Museum
860.572.5317 (o)
sophia.matsas@mysticseaport.org

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum is the nation’s leading maritime Museum. Founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America’s seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to “inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.” The Museum’s grounds cover 19 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, CT, and include a recreated New England coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org and follow the Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

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Categories
Press Releases

Mystic Seaport Museum and Discovering Amistad Present a Free Program Honoring Black History Month

Mystic, Conn. (February 13, 2023) – Mystic Seaport Museum and Discovering Amistad will partner to host an invigorating moderated roundtable discussion in celebration of Black History Month. This interdisciplinary conversation will highlight Black Excellence at Sea and will include historical and contemporary Black maritime narratives.

The lecture will be held in the Masin Room of the Thompson Exhibition Building at Mystic Seaport Museum on Saturday, February 25, from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. The event will be moderated by Akeia de Barros Gomes, PhD, the Senior Curator of Maritime Social Histories at Mystic Seaport Museum, Director of the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies and Visiting Scholar at Brown University’s Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

Five Maritime Scholars will share a fascinating history and their remarkable work to reclaim and highlight Black excellence. Panelists include:

  • Dr. Kevin Dawson: Associate Professor of History, Interdisciplinary Humanities Graduate Group, Chair, University of California, Merced; Author of Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora
  • Skip Finley: Journalist, Martha’s Vineyard Gazette; Author of Whaling Captains of Color: America’s First Meritocracy
  • Dr. Frank Mitchell: Cultural Organizer in Visual Arts and Public Humanities; Curatorial Advisor; Author of The Catalog Afrocosmologies: American Reflections, The Anthology African American Connecticut Explored, and The Culinary Study African American Food Culture
  • Dr. Amelia Moore: Associate Professor of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island; Associate Producer of the documentary film, Decolonizing Science?
  • Dr. Timothy Walker: Professor of History, Executive Board: Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Editor of Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad; Tagus Press Series Co-Editor: Classic Histories from the Portuguese-Speaking World in Translation

In-person space is limited, but guests are welcome to join the event virtually. To learn more and register in advance, visit here.

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Media Contact

Sophia Matsas
Director of Marketing & Communications
Mystic Seaport Museum
860.572.5317 (o)
sophia.matsas@mysticseaport.org

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum is the nation’s leading maritime Museum. Founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America’s seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to “inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.” The Museum’s grounds cover 19 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, CT, and include a recreated New England coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org and follow the Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

About Discovering Amistad

Discovering Amistad is a nonprofit educational organization that provides full-year programming on its tall ship, The Amistad, in classrooms and at historic sites of partner organizations. It enables children and adults in Conn. and the region to discover the story of the Amistad and its impact on Conn. and the nation.  Importantly, the organization provides learning opportunities for children and adults to discover the relevance off the Amistad to today’s world. For more information, please visit discoveringamistad.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

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Categories
Press Releases

Mystic Seaport Museum’s Great Traveler Reviews Land it a Place Among Travelers’ Favorites

Mystic, Conn. (February 8, 2023) – Mystic Seaport Museum is happy to announce that it has been recognized by Tripadvisor as a 2022 Travelers’ Choice award winner. The award celebrates businesses that have received great traveler reviews from visitors around the globe on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months. The Museum is committed to curating exhibits, events and experiences that resonate with a diverse audience and this recognition validates the direction of efforts in this post pandemic environment.

“The greatest honor is one received by the people we serve. We are thrilled to be recognized by our visitors as a top attraction on Tripadvisor and are committed to continuing this tradition by delivering memorable and enriching experiences in the years to come,” says Museum President Peter Armstrong.

“Congratulations to the 2022 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Winners,” said Kanika Soni, Chief Commercial Officer at Tripadvisor. “The Travelers’ Choice Awards recognize the best in tourism and hospitality, according to those who matter most: your guests. Ranking among the Travelers’ Choice winners is always tough — but never more so than this year as we emerge from the pandemic. Whether it’s using new technology, implementing safety measures, or hiring outstanding staff, I’m impressed by the steps you’ve taken to meet travelers’ new demands. You’ve adapted brilliantly in the face of adversity.”

To see our reviews and plan your next trip to the Museum, visit here.

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Media Contact

Sophia Matsas
Director of Marketing & Communications
Mystic Seaport Museum
860.572.5317 (o)
sophia.matsas@mysticseaport.org

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum is the nation’s leading maritime Museum. Founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America’s seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to “inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.” The Museum’s grounds cover 19 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, CT, and include a recreated New England coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org and follow the Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

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Categories
Press Releases

Mystic Seaport Museum to Honor Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret) with the America and the Sea Award

Mystic, Conn. (February 7, 2023) – Mystic Seaport Museum will present its 2023 America and the Sea Award to Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret), a decorated sailor, author, educator, and businessman contributing to the American maritime culture through his nearly four decades of service and numerous books and articles on related subjects. The prestigious award recognizes those individuals and organizations whose extraordinary achievements in the world of maritime exploration, competition, scholarship, and design best exemplify the American character.

In the early pages of his book Sea Power Admiral Stavridis speaks of his first voyage on the Pacific: “As I emerged from the dark passageway of the ship, I was simply stunned by all the sunshine, the salt air and vast ocean in front of me…The Pacific grabbed me by the throat and said quite simply, ‘You are Home’ and I have never looked back.”

Adm. Stavridis spent 37 years in the US Navy achieving the rank of 4-Star Admiral, earning over 50 medals, and spending four years as the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO. He is currently the Managing Director and Vice Chairman, Global Affairs, at the Carlyle Group. He is also Chair of the Board of the Rockefeller Foundation. In addition to attending the US Naval Academy, he received an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He is the author of twelve books – published in over twenty languages – on leadership, character, risk, the oceans, maritime affairs, and Latin America, as well as hundreds of articles in leading journals. He also is a weekly columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and Chief International Analyst for NBC News.

Museum President Peter Armstrong said, “You are a kindred spirit with all of us at Mystic Seaport Museum who share your devotion to the maritime world. The breadth and depth of your varied accomplishments throughout your career represent the America and the Sea Award.”

Mystic Seaport Museum will recognize Adm. Stavridis by awarding him the America and the Sea Award on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. The award presentation will take place at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.

This affair is the premier fundraising event for Mystic Seaport Museum. Past recipients of the America and the Sea Award include solo circumnavigator and author Captain William Pinkney; outstanding yachtsman Terry Hutchinson; America’s Cup Hall of Famer Tom Whidden, one of the most acclaimed sailors of all time; American businesswoman and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt, whose ocean explorations have advanced our understanding of the ocean’s biodiversity and vulnerability; groundbreaking Whitbread and America’s Cup sailor Dawn Riley and Oakcliff Sailing; philanthropist and environmentalist David Rockefeller, Jr., and his Sailors for the Sea; boat designers Rod and Bob Johnstone and their company J/Boats; author and historian Nathaniel Philbrick; maritime industrialist Charles A. Robertson; America’s Cup Hall of Famer and author Gary Jobson; WoodenBoat Publications founder Jon Wilson; former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman; oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle; America’s Cup sailor William Koch; President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation, Thomas Crowley; historian David McCullough; and the first honoree, legendary yacht designer Olin J. Stephens, II.

For invitations, please email advancement@mysticseaport.org.

Admiral Stavridis’s full biography can be read here.

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Media Contact

Sophia Matsas
Director of Marketing & Communications
Mystic Seaport Museum
860.572.5317 (o)
sophia.matsas@mysticseaport.org

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum is the nation’s leading maritime Museum. Founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America’s seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to “inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.” The Museum’s grounds cover 19 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, CT, and include a recreated New England coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org and follow the Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

###

Categories
America and the Sea Award

Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret)

Mystic Seaport Museum will present its 2023 America and the Sea Award to Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret), a decorated sailor, author, consultant, and businessman contributing to the American maritime culture through his nearly four decades of service and numerous books and articles on related subjects.

In the early pages of his book Sea Power Admiral Stavridis speaks of his first voyage on the Pacific: “As I emerged from the dark passageway of the ship, I was simply stunned by all the sunshine, the salt air and vast ocean in front of me…The Pacific grabbed me by the throat and said quite simply, ‘You are Home’ and I have never looked back.”

A Florida native, Jim Stavridis attended the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, and spent 37 years in the Navy, rising to the rank of 4-star Admiral. Among his many commands were four years as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans, and counter piracy off the coast of Africa. He also commanded US Southern Command in Miami, charged with military operations through Latin America for nearly three years. He was the longest serving Combatant Commander in recent US history. Following his military career, he served for five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

In the course of his career in the Navy, he served as senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense. He led the Navy’s premier operational think tank for innovation, Deep Blue, immediately after the 9/11 attacks. Admiral Stavridis was promoted directly from 1-star rank to 3-star rank in 2004. He won the Battenberg Cup for commanding the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet and the Navy League John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational leadership, along with more than 50 US and international medals and decorations, including 28 from foreign nations. He also commanded a Destroyer  Squadron and a Carrier Strike Group, both in combat.

In 2016, he was vetted for Vice President by Secretary Hillary Clinton, and subsequently invited to Trump Tower to discuss a cabinet position with President Donald Trump. He earned a Ph.D. from The Fletcher School at Tufts, winning the Gullion prize as outstanding student in his class in 1983, as well as academic honors from the National and Naval War Colleges as a distinguished student. He speaks Spanish and French.

Admiral Stavridis has published twelve books on leadership, character, risk, the oceans, maritime affairs, and Latin America, as well as hundreds of articles in leading journals. An active user of social networks, he has tens of thousands of connections on the social networks. His TED talk on 21st-century security in 2012 has close to one million views. He tweeted the end of combat operations in the Libyan NATO intervention. Two of his most popular books are “Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character” published in 2019 and the novel “2034: A Novel of the Next World War” in 2021, which was a New York Times bestseller and is being published in 22 languages. His most recent book is “To Risk It All: Nine Crises and The Crucible Of Decision.” Admiral Stavridis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and Chief International Security Analyst for NBC News.

He is happily married to Laura, and they have two daughters – one working at Google and the other a Nurse Practitioner and former naval officer, both married to physicians.

For more information about the gala, to purchase tickets or sponsorships online, or to donate to the paddle raise initiative, please visit MSMGALA23.givesmart.com.


MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM

75 Greenmanville Ave
Mystic, CT 06355
860-572-0711
info@mysticseaport.org

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  • Full Museum: Open Daily, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Grounds close at 6:00 p.m.
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