Category: News

MYSTIC — Mystic Seaport honored world-class sailor Gary Jobson with the Museum’s America and the Sea Award on November 5, 2013. Presented annually by Mystic Seaport, the award recognizes an individual or organization whose contribution to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character. Jobson received the prestigious award at a black tie gala held in his honor at The Pierre in New York City.

The America and the Sea Award honors and celebrates those who embrace the scholarship, exploration, adventure, aesthetics, competition, and freedom the sea inspires. Distinguished past recipients include founder of WoodenBoat publications Jon Wilson (2012), former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman (2011), oceanographer and deep sea explorer Sylvia Earle (2010), maritime collector and yachtsman William I. Koch (2009), president and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation, Thomas B. Crowley Jr. (2008), Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian David McCullough (2007), and famed yacht designer Olin Stephens (2006).

Jobson has spent much of his life sailing the world’s oceans. He is a decorated sailor, television sailing commentator, Emmy winner, sailing lecturer, sailing coach, and author. A great friend and supporter of Mystic Seaport, he has collaborated on producing documentaries on sailing and sailors with the Museum’s Film and Video Archives, including Unfurling the World: The Voyages of Irving and Electa Johnson. The documentary shares the adventures of the famous sailing couple who completed seven round-the-world voyages between 1933 and 1958 and later in life traveled throughout the inland waterways of Europe. Jobson, in partnership with Mystic Seaport, hosted the Mystic, CT, premier of the film in April, 2012.

Jobson’s talent, enthusiasm, and dedication to the art of sailing have inspired expert and novice sailors around the world. A champion sailor, he was awarded his first trophy, the Powell Trophy, in 1966 and won the America’s Cup with Ted Turner in 1977. In 1999 he won the Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy, U.S. Sailing’s most prestigious award. He has also won the infamous Fastnet Race and many of the world’s ocean races.

“Few people have had such an extraordinary impact on the sport of sailing as has Gary Jobson,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “His contribution goes far beyond the awards and accolades on the race course: Gary is a gifted teacher and storyteller whose generosity and commitment has been an inspiration for many people inside and outside of the sailing community.”

Over the past 35 years Jobson has given more than 2,000 lectures around the world. From 2010-2012 he served as President of U.S. Sailing and he is currently the Vice President of the International Sailing Federation. In 2003, he was inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame and in 2011 into the National Sailing Hall of Fame. He was elected President of the National Sailing Hall of Fame in January, 2013.

A prolific author, Jobson has written 18 books on sailing–newest publications include Gary Jobson: An American Sailing Story (Nomad Press, 2011) and Nantucket: A Sailing Community (Nomad Press, 2012)–and he is also Editor-at-Large of Sailing World and Cruising World magazines. He has been ESPN’s sailing commentator since 1985 and most recently covered the 34th America’s Cup for NBC.

As a lymphoma survivor, Jobson has a strong affiliation with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He has been the National Chairman of The Leukemia Cup Regatta program since 1994 and actively works to raise funds and awareness for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. To date, these events have raised more than $44 million. In 2012 the University of Maryland Medical School established the Gary Jobson Professorship in Medical Oncology.

A resident of Annapolis, MD, Jobson and his wife, Janice, have three grown daughters and two grandsons.

MYSTIC — This past week Mystic Seaport had the honor and pleasure of hosting a visit from the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, Mr. Koji Sekimizu. Escorted by Eric Dawicki, the president and CEO of the Northeast Maritime Institute of Fairhaven, MA, Mr. Sekimizu toured the whaleship Charles W. Morgan and the Museum’s Collections Research Center.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. Headquartered in London, the IMO has 170 member nations and a full-time staff of 300.

While the IMO is concerned with present-day issues confronting the maritime industry, Mr. Sekimizu discussed with Museum staff the importance of retaining the lessons and knowledge of history.

A native of Yokohama, Japan, Mr. Sekimizu shared the remarkable story of Nakahama Manjiro. Shipwrecked off the coast of Japan when he was just 14 years old in 1841, Manjiro was rescued by the crew of the whaleship John Howland and eventually brought to Fairhaven where he was taken in by the ship’s captain, William Whitfield, and attended school and learned to be a navigator and a cooper.

Japan was a closed country during this period and those who left the nation faced the death penalty upon their return. Manjiro opted to go back to sea and shipped out on the whaleship Franklin, on which he rose to the rank of harpooner. Paid off in 1849, he traveled to California to try his luck in the gold rush.

Manjiro did make his way back to Japan in 1851. Using money he made in the gold fields, he bought a whaleboat and booked passage for Hong Kong. Once off Okinawa, he and two companions were dropped into the water in the boat to make their way to shore. Manjiro was fortunate, his rare experience outside of Japan was of value to the ruling elite and after some months of questioning he was set free and subsequently designated a samurai. When Commodore Perry’s “Black Ships” arrived off Edo, now Tokyo, Manjiro was appointed translator and later participated in Japan’s first embassy to the United States.

Manjiro’s influence on his homeland was significant. He apparently used his know-how of western shipbuilding to contribute to Japan’s effort to build a modern navy. He translated Bowditch’s “American Practical Navigator” into Japanese, and he taught English, naval tactics, and whaling techniques.

His time in Fairhaven is commemorated by the Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship Society, which bought and restored the house he stayed in and promotes cultural ties with Japan. His story will be incorporated into the Charles W. Morgan‘s visit to New Bedford next summer as part of the ship’s 38th Voyage.

Mystic Seaport thanks the secretary-general for taking the time to visit the Museum.

In his new book, The Devil’s Cormorant: A Natural History (U.P. New England, 2013), Richard J. King, senior lecturer at Williams-Mystic–The Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport, looks at this misunderstood and too often maligned bird. Long a symbol of gluttony, greed, bad luck, and evil, the cormorant has led a troubled existence in human history, myth, and literature.

A mixture of lyrical nature writing and salty adventure stories, The Devil’s Cormorant is an exploration of our literary, historical, cultural, scientific, artistic, political, and often comical relationship with the seabird. The book takes the reader to Antarctica, Bering Island, Peru, Japan, Cape Town, Inishmore Island off Ireland, the Columbia River, the Mississippi Delta, Lake Ontario, and the Mystic River in Connecticut.

Cormorants are one of the only animals that can swim hundreds of feet below the surface, fly thousands of feet high, and migrate for thousands of miles. They live next to nearly every major water body on our planet—fresh or salt, river or ocean, urban or desolate, tropical or frigid. They have been prized as a source of mineral wealth in Peru, hunted to extinction in the Arctic, trained by the Japanese to catch fish, demonized by Milton in Paradise Lost, and reviled, despised, and exterminated by sport and commercial fishermen from Israel to Indianapolis, Toronto to Tierra del Fuego. In The Devil’s Cormorant, King takes us back in time and around the world to show us the history, nature, ecology, and economy of the world’s most misunderstood waterfowl.

About the Author

Richard King’s research focuses on the connections between sea voyage narratives and natural history. In addition to The Devil’s Cormorant, he is also author of the interdisciplinary book Lobster (Reaktion/U. Chicago Press, 2011) and is the Series Editor for a forthcoming collection of books about America’s relationship with the sea published by the University Press of New England. King has written numerous popular and scholarly articles, reviews, and interviews in periodicals such as Natural History, Scottish Literary Review, Hemingway Review, Leviathan, and Cruising World. He writes a quarterly column titled “Animals in Sea History” for Sea History magazine. Rich has been sailing on tall ships for more than 15 years, traveling throughout the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as both a teacher and a sailor.

King incorporates creative writing, and the visual and dramatic arts into the Literature of the Sea course at Williams-Mystic. He is a professional illustrator himself, creating ink and watercolor drawings for many of his articles. He has illustrated two children’s books on maritime topics. King also edits the Searchable Sea Literature website which is designed and researched by Williams-Mystic students. He regularly hosts summer research students and encourages undergraduates in any major to contact him about literature of the sea.

For more than 65 years Mystic Seaport has hosted the Adventure Series, providing attendees a unique opportunity to meet each “adventurer” firsthand and experience a wide range of challenges—both on the sea and land all over the world. The 2013-2014 Adventure Series, “In the Wake of the Whale and Other Environmental Issues,” features topics ranging from the elusive narwhal in the Arctic, to rowing across the Atlantic, the rebirth of South Georgia, and the Charles W. Morgan’s upcoming 38th Voyage.

Todd McLeish kicks off the series Thursday, October 17, with his multimedia presentation “Arctic Whales in a Melting World.” The Rhode Island-based author, who has been writing about wildlife and environmental issues for more than 20 years, will recount his adventures studying the elusive narwhal, the northernmost whale on the planet—the whale with the  spiral tusk. McLeish will discuss the work of narwhal researchers who are seeking to solve the mysteries of the animal’s migrations and the purpose of its tusk; the importance of narwhals in Inuit culture and how the warming planet is affecting the species; and the many other unique animals living in the narwhal’s frozen world, from walruses and polar bears to bowhead and beluga whales. Copies of McLeish’s new book Narwhals will be available for purchase and signing.

Upcoming presentations include:

Mark Roye and Nancy Krill: “Polar Bears to Penguins”
November 21

Roye and Krill dreamed of sailing to more challenging destinations than the tropics–they wanted to follow the routes of the early Yankee maritime fur traders, sealers, and whalers, particularly those venturing around Cape Horn to the Pacific Northwest. Roye’s passion for story-telling and maritime history, combined with Krill’s fine photography, chronicles voyages aboard their 44′ ketch Tamara from Hudson Strait to Alaska, by way of Newfoundland, the Azores, Cape Verde, Brazil, Argentina, the Falklands, Cape Horn, Antarctica, Chile, and the Galapagos. The couple was awarded the 2011 Cruising Club of America’s Charles H. Vilas Prize and the 2012 Royal Cruising Club Trophy.

Katie Spotz: “Alone Across the Atlantic in a Rowboat”
December 19

At age 24, Katie Spotz has a long list of accomplishments, but her most remarkable feat was a row across the Atlantic Ocean in 2010 which lasted 70 days, setting a world record from Africa to South America for the youngest solo ocean rower. Throughout her row, Spotz wasn’t just seeking to make history, she was also raising money for the Blue Planet Network, a nonprofit funding safe drinking water projects for the billion people around the world in need. As interest grew of Spotz’s efforts, donations came flooding in and the total, to date, is more than $150,000.

Rachael Miller: “What’s Down There”
January 16

Founder and Executive Director of Rozalia Project, Rachael Miller, will visit Mystic Seaport to present an eye-opening talk about what’s lurking in the urban and coastal waters of Long Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, and the Gulf of Maine. Miller will discuss the problem of marine debris in our waters and describe her trash-hunting adventures that include getting attacked by a lobster, freeing an octopus, and making some unusual finds while picking up more than 500,000 pieces of ocean trash together with 10,500 participants all over the United States.

Thies Matzen: “South Georgia in the Wake of the Whale”
February 20

South Georgia is an island of superlatives: a glaciated Himalaya protruding from a storm-torn ocean, a Serengeti in Antarctic climes. Its coasts, in summer, hold the highest density of birds and mammals on this planet. It is one of the ultimate meeting points of bird and sea life on earth. Blue Water medalists Thies Matzen and Kicki Ericson stayed on South Georgia for 26 months – through two winters – living aboard their iconic 30′ wooden sailboat Wanderer III. Industrial whaling, the fateful interaction between our planet’s most intelligent and its largest inhabitant, started in South Georgia. Half a century later, its whaling stations are succumbing to the forces of nature. The island is now taking the lead in changing its legacy from exploitation to rehabilitation.

Joe Roman: “Raising Whales: How Cetaceans are Helping Restore the Oceans”
March 20

Joe Roman is an author and conservation biologist who has tracked whales from the Bay of Fundy to the sushi bars of Japan. He will discuss his examination of the history and future of whales in the modern ocean, using DNA technology and the collection of fecal plumes. Before the age of industrial whaling, cetaceans exerted significant influences on marine ecosystems, not only as consumers of fish, but also by pumping nutrients to the surface, increasing ocean productivity. After death, whale falls bring massive pulses of nutrients to the deep sea, sequester carbon, and provide habitat and food for many deep sea creatures. Whales are now recovering after centuries of commercial harvest. Roman will discuss these restoration efforts and how great whales can help maintain the health and resilience of the oceans.

Dana Hewson with the Charles W. Morgan Captain: “Readiness for the Morgan’s 38th Voyage”
April 17

Dana Hewson, Vice President for Watercraft Preservation and Programs at Mystic Seaport, will team up with the to-be-announced captain of the Charles W. Morgan when she sails on her 38th Voyage to historic ports of New England in May 2014. They will describe how the 19th-century wooden whaleship, built to hunt whales, was prepared for a 21st-century voyage of discovery and education. The program marks a special send-off to the Morgan before she leaves in mid-May 2014 to fulfill her new ambassador role.

J. Barclay Collins II was announced the new chairman of the Mystic Seaport board of trustees on September 27. He was elected by the Museum’s membership at their annual fall meeting.

A longtime executive in the energy industry, Collins recently retired as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Hess Corporation. Prior to joining Hess, he was Vice President and General Counsel of City Investing Company and an attorney with Cravath, Swaine and Moore, the New York law firm. Collins is a passionate advocate for health care, education, and the arts. He serves as the chairman of the board of the United Hospital Fund of New York and is on the board of the New York Botanical Garden among other philanthropies. An avid sailor, he is a member of the New York Yacht Club and the Shelter Island Yacht Club.

Collins earned an A.B. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. He joined the board at Mystic Seaport in 2008.

“We are very excited to have Barclay assume leadership of the board,” Museum President Steve White said. “He brings a level of professional expertise, institutional knowledge, and a passion for our mission that will help us succeed at developing new and exciting ways for the public to explore our collections and understand the importance of our shared maritime heritage.”

Collins succeeds Richard Vietor who served as chairman from 2007. White added his praise for the accomplishments of Vietor, saying, “The Museum is truly grateful for Richard’s leadership during one of the most challenging periods in the history of the institution. He guided us deftly through a difficult economic environment to not only put Mystic Seaport on sound financial footing, but also to enable us to embark on some of the transformational initiatives critical to the future of Mystic Seaport, including the 38th Voyage of the Charles W. Morgan and the construction of a new state-of-the-art exhibition building to transform the north end of our grounds.”

During Vietor’s tenure, the Museum restructured its finances and operations to become a debt-free institution. Vietor oversaw the restoration and launch of the whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the development of a new strategic plan for the institution and its collections, the initial work for the new exhibition hall, and the creation and success of seven America and the Sea Award Galas.

The Museum also welcomed to the board four new trustees in 2013:

Grant Cambridge, of Pasadena, CA, is a Senior Vice President and a Portfolio Manager of Capital Group in Los Angeles. In addition to an M.B.A. from Harvard, Cambridge has an M.A. from Suffolk University and a B.A. from Bentley University.

Sheila McCurdy, of Middletown, RI, has an extensive background in sailing and is well-known in the U.S. racing and cruising communities. She is a graduate of Smith College and holds a M.M.A from the University of Rhode Island.

Cayre Michas, of New York, NY, and Stonington, CT, has long been involved with non-profit and educational institutions and is a Trustee and Secretary for Learning Leaders, Inc. She received her A.B. from Brown University.

Waring Partridge of New Haven, CT, is a former senior executive in the telecommunications industry. He is presently the president of the Partridge Family Office. He received his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from Catholic University (U.S.).

Emily Schimelman of Middletown, CT has been named the 2013 recipient of the Mystic Seaport Orion Award for Excellence in Experiential Education. She was honored at a reception at the Museum’s Maritime Gallery on September 27.

The Award is bestowed annually by Mystic Seaport on educators who create meaningful and innovative learning experiences for their students by utilizing the Museum’s collections, programs, and learning resources. The Orion Award recognizes teachers who infuse history, math, science, and literature with a maritime focus and are an inspiration to their students and their colleagues.

Schimelman is a fourth grade teacher at Hamden Hall Country Day School in Hamden, CT. She teaches reading, language arts, and specializes in social studies. With the help of Mystic Seaport staff, she created a year-long unit on American whaling, life at sea, and the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. The hands-on, project-based unit focuses on artifacts, primary sources, artwork, music, acting, journal writing, and critical thinking to inspire lifelong learning through exploration.

Schimelman also masterminded the creation of a Mystic Festival at Hamden Hall, where students created 12 booths representing primary aspects of the whaling unit. Students collaborated in small groups where they researched their topic and created the content and activities for their station. Participants were given 15 minutes at each booth before they rotated to the next.

As the point person for a new partnership between Mystic Seaport and Hamden Hall, Schimelman has fostered a constructive relationship of program development and evaluation for both institutions. She is also contributing to the creation of Mystic Seaport for Educators, an online learning community that will use historic artifacts in the Museum’s collections to build interactive learning tools for educators and students. Mystic Seaport for Educators is a key component of the Museum’s “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” in Connecticut, a series of learning tools and programs that utilize the ship and her 2014 38th Voyage to teach a range of subject material, including but not limited to history.

“We chose to honor Emily Schimelman with this Award because she understands that primary sources and hands-on research are more than just a fun experience—they create an opportunity for students to develop and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are integral components of the new Common Core State Standards being implemented in schools today,” said Sarah Cahill, director of Education at Mystic Seaport.

About the Award

The Orion Award for Excellence in Experiential Education was introduced in 2005 in honor of the Museum’s 75th Anniversary. Named for one of the most familiar constellations – the Hunter Orion, son of the sea god Poseidon – Orion has often marked the course for many seagoing vessels. Through the Orion Award, Mystic Seaport acknowledges the unique skills and abilities of teachers to link disciplines and communicate ideas with their students, helping their students navigate the course of life.

The eastern-rig dragger Roann attended the 10th annual Working Waterfront Festival in New Bedford, Mass., September 28-29. According to a press release, the free festival was a “celebration of New England’s commercial fishing industry, features live maritime and ethnic music, fishermen’s contests, fresh seafood, vessel tours, author readings, cooking demonstrations, kids’ activities and more.” The event was held on three working piers in New Bedford and waterfront parks in the city.

Built in 1947, Roann sustained three New England fishing families for 50 years. Powered by a diesel engine, and dragging a large conical fishnet along the seabed, Roann and her crew caught groundfish throughout the waters of southern New England. Her fish hold could keep approximately 55,000 pounds of iced fish.

Roann was acquired by Mystic Seaport in 1997, complete with food in the galley and trawling gear on deck. She now rests at the Museum and allows visitors the chance to see a piece of New England fishing culture before it moved into a new era of steel hulls, regulated catches and GPS technology.

Roann‘s journey from Mystic Seaport to New Bedford will be the vessel’s first major voyage since she was launched in 2008 after a three-year restoration. The project included reframing and replanking the dragger, along with interior, mechanical, and deck work. All of the vessel’s frames and planks were steam-bent and arranged as they originally were when she first entered the water in 1947, both maintaining the vessel’s historic integrity and preserving her for future generations.

Additional vessels displayed at the festival included a steel-hulled dragger, a scalloper, a deep sea clammer, a tug boat, a Stonington dragger, and a Beetle whaleboat. The whaleboat was built this spring by the Beetle Boat Shop of Wareham, Mass., in collaboration with the New Bedford Whaling Museum, for the Charles W. Morgan restoration project.

Roann will return to New Bedford in 2014 as part of the support vessels for the Morgan‘s 38th Voyage. Along with the tugboat Thuban, Roann will shadow the whaleship as she moves from port to port on her journey from Mystic and New London to Boston and back. She will transport staff and equipment and act as a photo platform for Museum documentary crews and other media.

The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport is proud to present the 34th Annual International Marine Art Exhibition and Sale. Open now through December 31, the exhibition is the most comprehensive collection of contemporary marine art in the United States. More than 100 examples of recent work from award-winning artists are on display, including exceptional paintings, sculpture, scrimshaw, and ship models. The show is a commemoration of America’s maritime heritage with both intricately researched historical scenes and contemporary images that document the relationship of man to the sea.

“The Annual International Marine Art Exhibition is such a unique event for both artists and art lovers,” said Jeanne Potter, director of the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport. “Not only is the maritime art on view of such high quality representing the most talented marine artists from around the world working today, but it also gives the public, and especially collectors, the opportunity to view and purchase these works in such a beautiful gallery on the Mystic River.”

Participating artists include Patrick O’Brien, Yoko Gaydos, Geoff Hunt, Russ Kramer, Robert Lagasse, Victor Mays, and Kim Shaklee.

Awards of excellence and prestigious-named awards–including the Rudolph J. Schaefer Maritime Heritage Award, which recognizes the work that best documents our maritime heritage for future generations–were awarded at a black-tie awards dinner on September 22. Judges for this year’s show were Elizabeth Goddard, executive director of the Newport Art Museum and Stuart Parnes, director of Connecticut Humanities and the former director of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and Connecticut River Museum.The awards and honorees are as follows:

• Rudolph J. Schaefer Maritime Heritage Award – Walfun Luey “Departure”
• Rudolph J. Schaefer III Emerging Artist Award — Paul Beebe “Schooner Passing Gay Head”
• Stobart Foundation Award — Robert Noreika “Seaside Café”
• Maritime Gallery Yachting Award — Russ Kramer “Last But Not Least, J-Boat WHIRLWIND, 1930”
• Marine Environmental Wildlife Award — Terry Miller “Paradise Cove”
• Thomas M. Hoyne III Award — David W. Smith “Dory Mates”
• The Thomas Wells Award — John Tayson “The White Ship”
• Museum Purchase Award — Steven Lush “East-West”
• Award of Excellence — Jeff Weaver “Boatyard Office”
• Award of Excellence — Ronald Tinney “Quietly Passing”
• Award of Excellence — David Bareford “Outbound”
• Award of Excellence — Neal Hughes “Restless Rising”
• Award of Excellence — Patrick O’ Brien “USS CONSTELLATION On Patrol”

All works in the exhibition are available to view and purchase daily between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The show can also be viewed online. Every purchase of artwork helps to support the maritime preservation work performed by Mystic Seaport.