Mystic Seaport invites owners of Sparkman & Stephens yachts to join the Museum’s Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23. The annual event showcases high-quality antique vessels, including cruisers, sailboats, and runabouts.
To celebrate the 85th anniversary of the launching of the Museum’s schooner Brilliant, the event will highlight the designs of Sparkman & Stephens. Brilliant was design #12, one of the earliest of Olin Stephen’s designs. She was launched in 1932 at the Henry B. Nevins 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 since the early 1950s.
Mystic Seaport invites all Sparkman & Stephens-designed boats built in 1975 or earlier to join the gathering on the Mystic Seaport waterfront. Vessels will be displayed Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. An award competition will recognize excellence in restoration, authenticity, and workmanship.
The Rendezvous continues to invite all other boats built in 1975 or earlier. Interested boat owners should visit the Mystic Seaport website for additional information and the application form.
The Rendezvous concludes Sunday at 12:30 p.m. with a parade of the classic vessels down the Mystic River led by the recently restored 1908 steamboat Sabino. Each boat will be announced on the shore at Mystic River Park as it passes through the iconic Mystic River Bascule Bridge. The boats then make their way down river to Fishers Island Sound in what has become a highlight of the Mystic summer season.
