MYSTIC, Conn. (March 25, 2014) — NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries announced today its partnership with Mystic Seaport to support the 38th Voyage of the Charles W. Morgan. Nearly 100 years after its last whaling voyage, the Morgan will sail across the New England coast this summer to celebrate America’s maritime heritage and the whales that gather in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

The Morgan, a National Historic Landmark built in 1841 and restored to seaworthy status over the past five years, is the flagship of the watercraft collection at Mystic Seaport, the nation’s leading maritime museum located in Mystic, Conn. Over an 80-year whaling career, the Morgan sailed on 37 voyages to the remote corners of the globe, including waters of national marine sanctuaries in California, Hawaii, and American Samoa.

“America’s pursuit of whales is an epic story of global dimensions that shaped the nation’s identity,” said Daniel J. Basta, director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “Today, thanks to pioneering work by sanctuary scientists and others to understand whale behavior, and develop conservation strategies to reduce risks to whales, we’re writing a new chapter based on respect and stewardship for these magnificent creatures of the deep.”

During the voyage, NOAA will work with Mystic Seaport and its partners to conduct a series of science and outreach activities around the voyage. The ship’s stop in each port will be accompanied by a dockside exhibit customized for each location. Upon its return to Mystic Seaport, the ship will resume its status as an exhibit at the museum.

“The Charles W. Morgan is an exceptional and truly unique artifact of our shared maritime heritage,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “While the ship is an American icon and a living portal into an important chapter of American history, she now embarks on a new journey with transformed purpose. She’s no longer an instrument of commerce but a source of education, knowledge, and understanding.”

The Morgan will depart on June 14 to historic New England ports, including Newport, R.I.; Vineyard Haven, Mass; New Bedford, Mass.; Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Boston, Mass; and back to New London and Mystic with a stop at the Cape Cod Canal to participate in its centennial celebration. The entire voyage is expected to take about seven weeks.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.

About Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Designated in 1992, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary encompasses 842 square miles of ocean, stretching between Cape Ann and Cape Cod offshore of Massachusetts. Renowned for its remarkable productivity, the sanctuary supports a rich diversity of marine life, including endangered great whales, seabirds, more than 60 species of fishes and hundreds of marine invertebrates.

The sanctuary is also one of the top whale watching destinations in the world, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Whale watching is a fast growing industry that encourages people to protect whales and their habitats, supports local economies, and provides local employment.

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries serves as trustee for a network of 14 marine protected areas encompassing more than 170,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 13 national marine sanctuaries and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

About NOAA

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.

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 is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Season Kicks Off with Winter’s Aweigh Celebration

MYSTIC, Conn. (February 4, 2014) – Mystic Seaport celebrates its reopening with free admission for children ages 17 and under when accompanied by a paying adult from February 15 to 23.

The Museum will kick off the year with Winter’s Aweigh, three days of special activities on Presidents’ Day Weekend beginning Saturday, February 15. Visitors can explore the Museum’s 19th-century seafaring village, historic vessels, and maritime exhibits, and take a horse-and-carriage ride.

Children can try their hand at an art project, stop by the Print Shop and create a vintage winter scene, or watch a Planetarium show. Other activities include toy boat building, story time in the Children’s Museum, music workshops, and a kids’-eye view of the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan.

Back by popular demand, three breeds of winter working dogs will visit Mystic Seaport throughout the weekend. The dogs will demonstrate various winter work tasks and be available for petting from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Malamutes will be on grounds Saturday, February 15; Newfoundlands will visit Sunday, February 16; and St. Bernards will be on Museum grounds Monday, February 17.

The children’s free admission offer continues through Sunday, February 23, during which time the Museum will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The offer is not transferable and no other discounts apply.

For more information on hours and ticketing, please visit mysticseaport.org/visit.

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 is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Mystic, Conn. (January 31, 2014) – Mystic Seaport is pleased to announce the William P. Stephens Award has been presented to the distinguished yachtsman and author, John Rousmaniere.

“We are deeply honored to present this award to John Rousmaniere to recognize his life’s work. There are very few people with even a passing interest in boating or yachting who have not picked up a book he has written, “ said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “His intuitive sense and passion for the subject matter makes sailing come alive on the page because he has lived that life.”

Established in 1988, and named after William P. Stephens, long known as the “Dean of American Yachtsmen” and “the grand old man of American yachting,” the award is given in recognition of a significant and enduring contribution to the history, preservation, progress, understanding, or appreciation of American yachting and boating.

Rousmaniere is an authority on maritime history, especially the history of yachting, and has written 15 books on this subject. His books include “The Golden Pastime: A New History of Yachting”; histories of the Bermuda Race, the America’s Cup, the New York Yacht Club, and other yacht clubs; biographies of the yacht America and the classic yawl Bolero; and two studies of marine photography focusing on the Rosenfeld Collection. He has written two books about storms, “After the Storm” and “Fastnet, Force 10”, the latter about the deadly 1979 race off England in which he sailed. Rousmaniere has served as yachting editor of “The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History”.

He edited a book on yacht design titled “Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts” and the Olin Stephens autobiography, “All This and Sailing, Too,” published by Mystic Seaport. Rousmaniere’s books on sailing safety and seamanship include “The Annapolis Book of Seamanship,” which just went into its fourth edition. He also contributes articles to Sea History, WoodenBoat, and other magazines.

Rousmaniere has served on the Yachting Committee at Mystic Seaport, and he is chiefly responsible for the Museum’s acquisition of the life’s work of famed photographer Carleton Mitchell. He also has served on the Selection Committees of the America’s Cup Hall of Fame and the National Sailing Hall of Fame. He is a member of the Cruising Club of America and the New York Yacht Club, where he chairs the Library Committee.

The award was presented in a ceremony at the New York Yacht Club in New York on Wednesday, January 29.

Previous recipients include Olin J. Stephens II, Elizabeth Meyer, Briggs Cunningham, John Gardner, Carleton Mitchell, and Harry Anderson Jr.

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 is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.