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A Full Summer on the Water
There’s no better way to ward off cabin fever than browsing the summertime offerings at Mystic Seaport. Registration is now open for Summer Day Camps, Community Sailing programs, and excursions on the schooner Brilliant.
Mystic Seaport Summer Camps offer children the chance to delve into the region’s maritime history, learn to sail, and master new skills. With both full-day and half-day camps for ages 4-16, from June 19 through August 18, there is a camp for every child’s interest.
New this year to the camp roster is Junior Detectives for 4- to 6-year-olds, a half-day camp similar to the popular Junior Explorers. In addition to the usual camp fun of crafts, games, and activities, junior detectives will try their hand at potting their own herbs, using basic weaving skills, and seeing what kinds of food we harvest from the ocean.
“Children are naturally curious, and this camp gives them a great opportunity to explore how people lived in the past, while also having that classic summer camp experience,” said Sarah Cahill, Mystic Seaport Director of Education.
Cahill noted that “our popular partner camps with the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center and Mystic Aquarium are back, as well as camps that focus on transportation, Victorian life, sea monsters, astronomy and navigation, and of course sailing.”
Registration is now open for all summer camps, with a 10 percent discount for registrations received by March 31. A Summer Camp Open House will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 8 to learn about the camp programs. The full schedule is online at www.mysticseaport.org/learn/summer-camps/day/
Mystic Seaport is adding to its Community Sailing a free Counselor-in-Training program for 14- and 15-year-olds and Summer Evening Sailing, a $10 drop-in program for adults and families.
“The C.I.T. program is an excellent way for local teens to log volunteer experience, build their resume and learn leadership skills, while spending their summer on the Mystic River,” said Cahill. Regarding the drop-in evening sailing program, “We hope people make evenings at the Museum a part of their summer routine. We want to provide a way for sailors to continue practicing their skills in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.”
The Museum’s Community Sailing classes offer ages eight and older a wonderful chance to learn to sail, hone their skills, or simply enjoy time on the water. Both half-day and full-day classes provide a flexible schedule. Community Sailing begins in mid-April and runs through late October. Summer Evening Sailing runs from late June through mid-August. Applications for the Counselor-in-Training program are available online and are due by March 17. Visit www.mysticseaport.org/learn/sailing/community-sailing/ for more information.
Another season of sailing on board the 61-foot wooden schooner Brilliant begins in June, with six Teen Sailing cruises planned as well as seven adult trips.
“We are looking forward to another eventful season aboard Brilliant,” said Shannon McKenzie, director of Watercraft Programs. “This year, as we celebrate the 85th anniversary of her launch, we kick off the teen season at the Sail Boston event in June. This fall, in addition to short cruises, she will head south to participate in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race in October. Exciting transits to and from Maryland and Virginia, as well as the race itself, are available to adventurous adult participants for a longer experience aboard.”
Participants are not passengers; they are crew members who assist in steering the vessel, raising the sails, standing watch and learning navigation. Teenagers ages 15-18 can choose from a five-day or a 10-day overnight cruise, learning sailing, navigation, teamwork, and seamanship. Adults can choose from a one-day trip to attend the Connecticut Maritime Festival in New London to multi-day excursions to Block Island, Greenport, N.Y., Baltimore, Md., and Portsmouth, Va. Visit www.mysticseaport.org/learn/sailing/brilliant-programs/ for more information on each trip and registration information.
Registration Open for Camps, Sailing Instruction, and Schooner Cruises
Mystic, Conn. (January 12, 2017) — There’s no better way to ward off cabin fever than browsing the summertime offerings at Mystic Seaport. Registration is now open for Summer Day Camps, Community Sailing programs, and excursions on the schooner Brilliant.
Mystic Seaport Summer Camps offer children the chance to delve into the region’s maritime history, learn to sail, and master new skills. With both full-day and half-day camps for ages 4-16, from June 19 through August 18, there is a camp for every child’s interest.
New this year to the camp roster is Junior Detectives for 4- to 6-year-olds, a half-day camp similar to the popular Junior Explorers. In addition to the usual camp fun of crafts, games, and activities, junior detectives will try their hand at potting their own herbs, using basic weaving skills, and seeing what kinds of food we harvest from the ocean.
“Children are naturally curious, and this camp gives them a great opportunity to explore how people lived in the past, while also having that classic summer camp experience,” said Sarah Cahill, Mystic Seaport Director of Education.
Cahill noted that “our popular partner camps with the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center and Mystic Aquarium are back, as well as camps that focus on transportation, Victorian life, sea monsters, astronomy and navigation, and of course sailing.”
Registration is now open for all summer camps, with a 10 percent discount for registrations received by March 31. A Summer Camp Open House will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 8 to learn about the camp programs. The full schedule is online at mysticseaport.org/learn/summer-camps/day/
This summer, Mystic Seaport is adding to its Community Sailing a free Counselor-in-Training program for 14- and 15-year-olds and Summer Evening Sailing, a $10 drop-in program for adults and families.
“The C.I.T. program is an excellent way for local teens to log volunteer experience, build their resume and learn leadership skills, while spending their summer on the Mystic River,” said Cahill. Regarding the drop-in evening sailing program, “We hope people make evenings at the Museum a part of their summer routine. We want to provide a way for sailors to continue practicing their skills in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.”
The Museum’s Community Sailing classes offer ages eight and older a wonderful chance to learn to sail, hone their skills, or simply enjoy time on the water. Both half-day and full-day classes provide a flexible schedule. Community Sailing begins in mid-April and runs through late October. Summer Evening Sailing runs from late June through mid-August. Applications for the Counselor-in-Training program are available online and are due by March 17. Visit mysticseaport.org/learn/sailing/community-sailing/ for more information.
Another season of sailing on board the 61-foot wooden schooner Brilliant begins in June, with six Teen Sailing cruises planned as well as seven adult trips.
“We are looking forward to another eventful season aboard Brilliant,” said Shannon McKenzie, director of Watercraft Programs. “This year, as we celebrate the 85th anniversary of her launch, we kick off the teen season at the Sail Boston event in June. This fall, in addition to short cruises, she will head south to participate in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race in October. Exciting transits to and from Maryland and Virginia, as well as the race itself, are available to adventurous adult participants for a longer experience aboard.”
Participants are not passengers on Brilliant; they are crew members who assist in steering the vessel, raising the sails, standing watch and learning navigation. Teenagers ages 15-18 can choose from a five-day or a 10-day overnight cruise, learning sailing, navigation, teamwork, and seamanship. Adults can choose from a one-day trip to attend the Connecticut Maritime Festival in New London to multi-day excursions to Block Island, Greenport, N.Y., Baltimore, Md., and Portsmouth, Va. Visit mysticseaport.org/learn/sailing/brilliant-programs/ for more information on each trip and registration information.
About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibitions, beginning with the current show SeaChange. The Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $28.95 for adults ages 15 and older and $18.95 for children ages 4-14. Museum members and children three and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
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Winter Hours Begin January 5
Beginning Thursday, Jan. 5, Mystic Seaport will begin its winter hours and exhibit schedule. For visitors, this means that the North Entrance of the property becomes the focal point, highlighting our new Thompson Exhibition Building and the now complete McGraw Gallery Quadrangle.
Hours will be Thursday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (the grounds close at 5 p.m.). The entrance to the Museum will be through the Thompson Exhibition Building. Parts of the village and the shipyard will be closed during this period, but with two strong, compelling exhibitions, SeaChange in the Thompson Exhibition Building and “Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers” in the Stillman Building, visitors can enjoy both outdoor and indoor activities. The Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world, will be open to board and explore and the Benjamin F. Packard Ship’s Cabin has been recreated from original pieces on the second floor of the Stillman building.
Home Port in the P.R. Mallory Building will offer family activities all day and the Children’s Museum will have story time every afternoon. The Buckingham-Hall House will have daily hearth cooking and other life skills demonstrations.
The Treworgy Planetarium shows are included in museum admission during the winter schedule, which ends Monday, Feb. 20. There are two shows, “Winter Stars and the Mariner” (11 a.m. Sat. and Sun. and 2 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.), and a new show, “Polar Night, Arctic Light” (3 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.). In “Winter Stars and the Mariner” you will learn the constellations of the winter sky and how mariners used the stars to navigate at sea. In “Polar Night, Arctic Light”, learn about the time of year when there is no daylight at the Arctic Circle, and how the Inuit Native Americans used the constellations.
Schaefer’s Spouter Tavern will be open for lunch and visitors may browse the Museum shops at the south entrance and in the Thompson Building, or view the fine art for sale in the Maritime Gallery.
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Jamie Spillane: 31 years leading Carol Sing
In its 70 years, the Mystic Seaport Community Carol Sing has become a beloved part of the area’s holiday traditions. No one understands or appreciates this more than Jamie Spillane, who has been directing the event for exactly half that time, even when he lived as far away as Arizona. Spillane, an Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Connecticut, has been participating in the Carol Sing for even longer – 40 years! He took a few minutes earlier this week to answer some of our burning Carol Sing questions.
Q. Tell us about your day job as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Connecticut – what does that entail?
A. As Director of Choral Studies, I oversee a choral program that includes eight choirs each numbering between 20-
80 singers. My duties include directing the UConn Concert Choir and Chamber Singers and teaching undergraduate and graduate choral conducting and choral literature classes.
Q. You were out of Connecticut for a number of years and yet you came back every year to lead the Carol Sing – why?
A. When I went away to pursue my doctorate and then teach at the college level I lived in Arizona, Iowa (for 7 years) and then upstate New York in Rochester. I never missed a year because there is nothing like the Seaport Carol Sing. My family still lives here in Mystic so it was also a homecoming around the holidays. It was always a gift to myself.
Q. What’s your favorite Christmas carol?
A. I don’t know if I have a favorite though there are moments through the Carol Sing that warm my heart: When we sing I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas and get to the line “and hear sleigh bells in the snow” and dozens of people ring the bells they have brought. Or when we sing Santa Claus is Coming to Town and the family comes each year and brings props. Or when we sing Silent Night and friends and families huddle close to each other and gently sway. Or when we sing Joy to the World and truly wish it so. There is no true favorite, they are all loved family members.
Q. What’s the hardest Christmas carol to sing?
A. They are all about the same? Maybe the higher note in The First Noel can be a challenge but they are all pretty familiar!
Q. True or false – people only know the first verse and chorus of every Christmas carol.
A. Well…mostly true 🙂 That is why we have carol books!
Q. What’s the best part about the Mystic Seaport Carol Sing?
A. I learned long ago that truly the best part of the Mystic Seaport Community Carol Sing – is the community, It is a community of people who come together for one day, many for the 40th or 50th year in a row, and join together in song – celebrating the joy of the season. I would think this would be a better country and world if we did that more often.
The Community Carol Sing begins (rain or shine) at 3 p.m., Sunday at McGraw Quadrangle. The Mystic Seaport carolers will perform a holiday concert in the Greenmanville Church at 2 p.m. The Seaport is open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and free admission will be given from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with the donation of a canned food Item. See other activities scheduled for the day here.
Exhibition is the First for Museum’s New Thompson Exhibition Building
Mystic, Conn. (November 30, 2016) — Mystic Seaport will open its newest exhibition, SeaChange, an exploration of the theme of transformation through select maritime artifacts, on December 10. The exhibition will be the inaugural installation in the Collins Gallery of the newly constructed Thompson Exhibition Building, which opened this past September.
SeaChange will present a range of striking, surprising, and unusual objects drawn from the rich collections of Mystic Seaport. Some of these intriguing artifacts will be on display for the first time, others may not have been seen for many years, but all are presented in a new setting with surprising stories. Each is a survivor of the past that speaks to a notable transformation – in material, technology, the sea itself, or the broader American culture over the past 200 years.
“In creating this exhibit, we were drawn to pieces in the collections that are visually compelling and that tell stories about people, places, and events far from our own that nevertheless resonate today. They speak to the human transformation of natural materials, to massive shifts in technology, to changes in the natural world, and to the personal changes – metamorphoses even – caused by contact with the sea,” said Elysa Engelman, director of Exhibits at Mystic Seaport. “We hope the visitor is similarly transformed by the rich narratives these artifacts tell and leaves the exhibit moved and inspired to learn more.”
SeaChange is organized around ten primary objects. Together, they give glimpses into people’s lives in different places and times, from scientific surveyors charting the Atlantic coast on the eve of the American Revolution to western merchants trading for silk and tea in 1850s China, from Artic explorers to laborers harvesting bird guano off Peru for American farmers. They touch on a full range of human concerns, from foodways to family, art to science. In keeping with the bold design, clean lines, and natural materials of the Thompson Building, the exhibit design uses large, free-standing abstract structures evocative of sails or icebergs to frame each central artifact, taking advantage of the soaring heights in the Collins Gallery. The overall effect is visually stunning, an inviting space that entices visitors to contemplate, discover, discuss – and return to the exhibit.
SeaChange extends the sensory approach beyond the visual with more than a dozen custom-created interactives. Among them, visitors will have the opportunity to:
- Peer through a scope at various “dazzle” ship camouflage designs from World War I to see which is most visually disruptive to a submarine commander
- Use an endoscope to see inside the detailed interior of an 18th-century ship model
- Tap to smell the scents related to one of the more curious cargoes of the Pacific trade
- Listen to experts from a range of fields relate the backstories and answer common questions about each primary artifact through video touchscreen programs.
The exhibit will open to the public at 10 a.m. with a special Museum members preview at 9 a.m.
SeaChange was designed by the McMillan Group of Westport, CT, and the audio-visual and interactive programming was produced by Trivium Interactive of Boston, MA.
The exhibition is the centerpiece of the Museum’s initiative to increase its year-round, all-weather offering to visitors. SeaChange will be open into fall 2017.
About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibits, beginning with SeaChange, which opens December 10, 2016. The Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $26 for adults and $17 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation presented a Richard H. Driehaus Preservation Award to the Charles W. Morgan whaleship of Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Conn. The project is one of several award winners honored by the National Trust during its 2016 PastForward National Preservation Conference in Houston, Texas, November 16, 2016.
The Morgan is the second oldest American ship afloat and the world’s only surviving wooden whaleship. Today she is a National Historic Landmark. Her restoration and 38th Voyage in 2014 was made possible by more than five years of work and $12 million raised in a broad national campaign.
The Morgan’s voyage promoted the stewardship of intangible heritage and public history, educating nearly 65,000 people about everything from the diversity of those who worked in whaling to human-whale interaction. She has since returned to Mystic Seaport to resume her role as a permanent floating exhibit: a significant landmark in herself and the preserver of wooden shipbuilding for years to come.
“While each is unique, this year’s outstanding Driehaus Award winners all reflect the importance of protecting our nation’s cultural heritage,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “From prominent gothic building along Chicago’s Michigan Avenue to a 19th-century whaling ship in Connecticut, this year’s Driehaus Award winners demonstrate how saving places is bolstering local economies and helping preserve the unique fabric of communities throughout the country.”
“Mystic Seaport is honored to receive the Driehaus Award for the restoration of the Morgan. There are many significant, historic structures in America, but rarely are historic ships spoken of in the same breathe as buildings,’ said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “The Driehaus Award validates the work of Mystic Seaport’s shipwrights as crucial custodians of historic design and function. All shipwrights and maritime preservationists will be honored by this recognition by the national trust, and, thus. we are most grateful.”
The National Preservation Awards are bestowed on distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies and corporations whose skill and determination have given new meaning to their communities through preservation of our architectural and cultural heritage. These efforts include citizen attempts to save and maintain important landmarks; companies and craftsmen whose work restores the richness of the past; the vision of public officials who support preservation projects and legislation in their communities; and educators and journalists who help Americans understand the value of preservation.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places. www.PreservationNation.org
This report was prepared from a press release issued by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
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MAYFLOWER II Hauled
Mayflower II was hauled out of the water in the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport on Friday, November 18, 2016. The process took about two and a half hours to maneuver the ship in the lift, settle her properly on the cradle, and then lift the ship out of the water. The next step will be to power wash the hull and pull her into the yard and then sideways to the spot where the restoration work will take place. That should happen early next week.
This is the third phase of a multi-year preservation initiative for the nearly 60-year-old ship. Mystic Seaport shipwrights and Plimoth Plantation maritime artisans are collaborating on the restoration, which is being carried out to prepare the ship for the commemoration of the Pilgrims’ arrival 400 years ago in 2020. Unlike past years, Mayflower II will remain at Mystic Seaport for a period of 30 months and not return to Plymouth in the spring as she has in past years.
Theatrical Performance Based on “The Nutcracker”
Mystic, Conn. (November 10, 2016) — Mystic Seaport will open the 2016 season of its Lantern Light Tours Friday, November 25.
A New England holiday tradition, Lantern Light Tours is a 70-minute progressive play that is set on Christmas Eve in 1876. Featuring actors from Connecticut and neighboring states, the cast weaves a heart-warming holiday story in the setting of the historic buildings and vessels of the Museum.
The Lantern Light Tours plot is changed every year and the writing and production planning begins early in the spring. For 2016, the story is based on the classic tale “The Nutcracker.”
“While not a direct telling of ‘The Nutcracker,’ our playwright adapted many details of the story to our setting in amusing and clever ways that we think the audience will enjoy,” said Denise Kegler, the program manager for Lantern Light Tours. “The costumes in particular are a bit more fanciful and dream-like than we would normally be using. It has been a lot of fun for the production team to bring their vision to life.”
Visitors join a group of 16 to tour the Museum’s seaport village, stopping at designated points to take in the next chapter of the story. Along the way, they will enjoy a dance, a horse-and-carriage ride, a sweet holiday treat, and a scene on board one of the Museum’s historic vessels.
This year’s cast is comprised of 55 actors from Connecticut and Rhode Island. While there have always been family connections within the cast, this year it is particularly strong with a father and daughter, an uncle and niece, two married couples, a mother and daughter, and two sisters. The actors range from 11 to 72 years old.
Performances are November 25-26, December 2-3, 9-10, 16-18 and 23. Tours begin at 5 p.m. and leave every 15 minutes.
Tickets can be purchased online at mysticseaport.org/lanternlighttours, or by calling 860.572.5331. Tickets are $32 for adults ($26 for Mystic Seaport members) and $25 for children ages 5-17 ($19 for youth members). Lantern Light Tours are not recommended for children under the age of 4.
Media access is available during the dress rehearsal November 22.
About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibits, beginning with SeaChange, which opens December 10, 2016. The Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $26 for adults and $17 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
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A New Boiler for SABINO
Mystic Seaport is very pleased to announce the steamboat Sabino will return to operation in 2017. The vessel is a National Historic Landmark and is one of the last coal-fired operating steamboats in the country.
Sabino has been undergoing restoration in the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard since December 2014. This was a major project intended to enable her to continue her role as an operating exhibit for the next 25-30 years or more. The Shipyard addressed issues with her hull and numerous mechanical and systems upgrades. A number of frames and her keel bolts were replaced, some new planking installed, and general restoration and preservation work was carried out throughout the vessel.
The majority of Sabino’s restoration was completed in mid-summer 2016 and she was launched back into the water. However, the vessel needed a new boiler and additional time and funds were required to have one designed, fabricated, and installed.
Thanks to the philanthropic support of numerous parties the funds were raised, and the Shipyard was able to identify and contract specialized vendors to do the work. The design was recently approved by the US Coast Guard and construction will begin shortly. The goal is to have Sabino back in operation for her usual seasonal run in 2017.
Sabino‘s old boiler was installed around 1940. It was manufactured by the Almy Water-Tube Boiler Company of Providence, RI. It was the vessel’s third one since she was first launched in 1908 and powered the steamboat for nearly three-quarters of her life on the water, including during passenger service in Maine, a private attraction in Massachusetts, and finally more than forty years on the Mystic River. It has now been placed on display in the lobby of the Thompson Exhibition Building.
Sabino will continue to be powered by her original 1908 two-cylinder expansion engine that was manufactured by J. H. Payne & Son in nearby Noank, CT.
For additional information on the restoration, please read the Shipyard Blog.
