Museum Open to the Public for Free after 1 p.m. Oct. 31
Mystic Seaport will resume normal operation and be open to visitors on Thursday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, the Museum will open its grounds and exhibits to visitors for free from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 31.
Recovery from Hurricane Sandy is nearly complete and the Museum’s exhibits, historic vessels, and village will be open and available for visitors. Food service, the Mystic Seaport Stores, the Bake Shop, and the Maritime Art Gallery are dependent on the local power status and may not be open.
Tonight’s Halloween Trick or Treat activity is cancelled. However, the 7 p.m. presentation by champion sailor Ken Read will go on as scheduled. The talk has been moved to the Greenmanville Meeting House on the Museum grounds. Visitors are directed to use the north entrance next to Latitude 41° Restaurant & Tavern to get to the event.
People should monitor the Museum’s website, Facebook and Twitter feeds for updates on hours and scheduled programs.
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home of four national Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American merchant vessel in existence. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
Historic Whaleship Charles W. Morgan Safe and Sound
Mystic Seaport emerged from Hurricane Sandy with no damage to its collections and negligible damage to its buildings and grounds.
The Museum’s historic watercraft sustained no damage. Many were hauled out of the water in advance of the storm. Those that were left in were carefully secured and rode out the high winds and storm surge with no difficulty.
The 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, currently out of the water in the Museum’s shipyard for a multi-year restoration, received no damage from Sandy.
The storm surge on the Mystic River briefly rose above the waterfront’s bulkhead and flooded the village green and some of the adjacent roads, but it did not reach into the historic buildings. There were some wet foundations and basements that will need drying out and the grounds will need to be cleared of debris.
The Museum’s Collections Research Center was untouched. The Center houses the institution’s more than two million historic artifacts and documents.
“We are very pleased with the way the Museum emerged from Hurricane Sandy,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “Once again our staff executed our emergency plan flawlessly, and as a result we essentially suffered no damage from the storm.”
The Museum is currently closed, but anticipates reopening for public visitors as early as noon as Wednesday once the grounds are cleaned up and reconfigured for visitation. People should monitor the Museum’s website, Facebook and Twitter feed for updates on opening hours and scheduled programs.
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home of four national Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American merchant vessel in existence. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
Nat Benjamin, co-founder of Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway on Martha’s Vineyard; Stephen C. White, President of Mystic Seaport; Jon Wilson, founder of WoodenBoat; and Richard Vietor, Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.
The 2012 America and the Sea Award was given to Jon Wilson and WoodenBoat for their commitment to the celebration and preservation of the skills, treasures, and traditions of the sea and shore. Wilson, the founder of WoodenBoat, accepted the Award Saturday, October 27, at a gala held in his honor at Mystic Seaport.
“By recognizing and unifying a passion for the allure of the design and beauty of wooden boats, Wilson helped transform a nascent renaissance in the early 1970s into a 21st-century industry, in the process ushering in a new golden age for wooden boats in America,” said Mystic Seaport President Stephen C. White. “Those who know Jon Wilson best speak to his passion for humanity and his desire to foster a meaningful connection to the greater community.”
Wilson founded WoodenBoat Publications in September of 1974 with the first issue of WoodenBoat magazine. Jon assembled the magazine in his cabin in North Brooksville, Maine. This was accomplished without electricity or plumbing, and with his telephone nailed to a tree — half a mile down the road. Taking the inaugural issue to the Newport Boat Show, he sold 400 individual copies and signed up 200 subscribers.
From that inauspicious start, the publication has become a touchstone for enthusiasts and professional practitioners from every far flung bay and harbor in the world. WoodenBoat is published six times each year, and now has a circulation of approximately 100,000. With 37 volumes and more than 200 issues in print, the magazine’s backlist comprises one of the most complete and important archives of wooden boat construction, use, and maintenance in existence today.
WoodenBoat has expanded into a book publishing arm; a school on the art of seamanship and wooden boat building; another magazine, Professional BoatBuilder; and event management, holding the WoodenBoat Show annually for 21 years, most recently at Mystic Seaport where it typically draws an audience of 13,000 boating enthusiasts.
Currently, Wilson divides his time between WoodenBoat and his national nonprofit, JUST Alternatives, an organization that fosters face-to-face dialogue between victims of violent crimes and their still-incarcerated offenders. The goal is to help the victims finally be heard by their attackers while at the same time assisting the offenders to become ready to listen and respond in sensitive and authentic ways.
In 1988, he was elected to the Mystic Seaport Board of Trustees and currently serves as Trustee Emeritus.
With its commitment to the celebration and preservation of the skills, treasures, and traditions of the sea and shore, Wilson considers WoodenBoat’s missions to be in total consonance with the missions of Mystic Seaport. He credits the inspiration for WoodenBoat’s somewhat “rigorous” approach to the subject to the late John Gardner. Gardner, the Museum’s small craft curator from 1969 to 1995, was a seminal figure in the documentation, preservation, and renewed appreciation of American small watercraft through his research, writing, speaking, teaching, and building. Much as Gardner was responsible for regenerating interest in an important part of America’s maritime heritage, Wilson has achieved a similar feat for wooden boats in modern times.
Mystic Seaport is pleased to name Tom Brillat the Museum’s new Director of Interpretation.
Brillat has been an Interpreter at the Museum for the past three years. In his new role, he will oversee the day-to-day management and strategic planning of the Interpretation Department, which is responsible for the programs and activities that interpret America’s maritime history across the Museum, including the 19th-century village and the formal exhibit galleries.
“Tom is distinguished by his first-hand experience working with the public and in the contemporary maritime world, as well as his commitment to historical accuracy, creative presentation style and engaging programs,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “We are impressed by the way he can make history come alive for our visitors.”
Prior to joining Mystic Seaport, Brillat has served as Executive Director of the Tall Ship Bounty Foundation, President of Educational Exchange in Wakefield, RI, and Executive Director of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling.
Brillat graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in history and earned an M.A. in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. He also holds a teacher certification from Providence College and a Non-Profit Management Certificate from Columbia University.
Brillat lives in Richmond, Rhode Island with his wife Susan.
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 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the country’s oldest commercial vessel still afloat. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
Inspirational speaker Sarah Everhart Skeels will kick off the 2012-2013 Adventure Series with her presentation “Pushing the Boundaries to Engage Life” at Mystic Seaport Thursday, October 18.
Skeels sustained a spinal cord injury after being hit by a car while riding her bicycle. She has been paralyzed from the chest down and living life from a wheelchair for 22 years.
However, determined not to let her misfortune impair her enjoyment of life, she concluded life doesn’t end after disability; it just continues in a different way. Since the accident she has hand-cycled across the United States, swum across the span of the Newport Bay Bridge, voyaged off Guadeloupe, and has gone scuba diving in Bonaire. She is a volunteer adaptive-skiing instructor and is an avid sailor. Skeels will discuss her adaptation to her disability, living life on her terms, and how pushing boundaries helps to determine character.
Presentations will be given at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the River Room at Latitude 41° Restaurant.
The Mystic Seaport Adventure Series runs once a month from October 2012 through April 2013. Individual tickets are $14 ($12 for members) for the afternoon presentation and $15 ($13 for members) for the evening presentation. Tickets are available online at https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ or by calling 860.572.5322.
The series will continue Thursday, November 15, with Laurel Schultheis recounting her pilgrimage in Spain along the Basque region’s El Camino De Santiago (The Way of St. James).
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the country’s oldest commercial vessel still afloat. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
Show to Feature Finest Works of Contemporary Marine Art in the Country
The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport opens the 33rd Annual International Marine Art Exhibition and Sale Sunday, September 23.
The International is the most comprehensive collection of contemporary marine art in the United States. More than 100 award-winning artists from around the globe will present their most recent work. Represented in this show are exceptional paintings, drawings, 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.
“Every year we strive to find the best work in the marine field and bring it to our Gallery at Mystic Seaport,” said Jeanne Potter, Director of the Maritime Gallery. “The show is a wonderful opportunity to view–and purchase–the latest and finest efforts from the most accomplished marine artists working today.”
Participating artists include Donald Demers, William Duffy, Ian Hansen, Russ Kramer, Sergio Roffo, and Jeff Weaver.
Five awards of excellence and nine prestigious named awards–including the Rudolph J. Schaefer Maritime Heritage Award, which recognizes the work that best documents our maritime heritage for future generations–will be awarded at a black-tie awards dinner and preview September 22 (dinner by invitation only).
The judges selecting these awards this year are Jeffrey W. Cooley, Director of the Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme, Connecticut and Jay Picotte, Curator of the Museum of Yachting in Newport, Rhode Island.
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 on the Gallery website, mysticseaport.org/gallery.
The exhibition runs through December 31, 2012.
Images available upon request.
About the Maritime Gallery
The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport is the nation’s foremost gallery specializing in contemporary marine art. For over 30 years, the Maritime Gallery has been privileged to exhibit the works of leading maritime artists from across the globe and to support the scholarship, curation, and exhibition work of its parent organization, Mystic Seaport. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org/gallery.
Mystic Seaport will host its 15th annual Antique Vehicle Show Sunday, September 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
More than 100 authentic pre-1930’s cars, trucks, and motorcycles will be on display throughout the Museum’s village. The event gives visitors the opportunity to see up close and in some cases sit behind the wheel of classic vehicles and speak with the owners who care for and restore them. From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., free rides will be available to visitors, allowing them to experience what it was like to travel in the early days of motor vehicles.
At 3 p.m., the event’s finale, a grand parade of vehicles, will make its way through the Museum grounds.
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest merchant vessel in the country. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
The employees of Mystic Seaport today voted down an attempt to form a union.
The vote was 145 to 90.
The election was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board in reaction to a petition filed on July 6, 2012 by AFT Connecticut to organize all non-management employees of the Museum.
“We are very pleased by the outcome of the election. By rejecting the union, our employees indicate they want to continue to have a direct, individual relationship with management and we believe that is the best way for us to work together,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “This has been a very divisive process for the entire staff and the next step is to immediately begin the healing process and address the issues and concerns the organizing process brought forward.”
About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American commercial vessel still in existence. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
Largest Marine Engine Show in the Country to Feature more than 300 Exhibits
Experience the maritime transition from sail to mechanical power at the 21st annual Antique Marine Engine Exposition at Mystic Seaport Saturday and Sunday, August 18-19.
More than 300 examples of early marine engines from around the country, including unique selections from Mystic Seaport’s own collection, will be on display Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A broad range of inboards, outboards, steam, gasoline, diesel, electric and naphtha engines will all be on display in the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard. Additional engines dating from 1889 to 1963 manufactured by Evinrude, Johnson, Herreshoff, Kriebel and others can be viewed in the Museum’s North Boat Shed.
Visitors will have special access to view the Museum’s Marine Engine Collection in the Collections and Research Center over the weekend. The Collection contains several hundred unique examples of marine engines from the 19th and 20th centuries and is not normally open for general visitors.
Weekend activities include a set-and-weigh anchor demonstration featuring a 1914 Economy Sparta donkey engine aboard the schooner L.A. Dunton and the firing of several engines in the Shipyard, including a six-cylinder D-90 Lathrop diesel and a huge two-cylinder Wichmann semi-diesel from Sweden. There will also be a 1917 Hercules engine demonstration behind the Museum’s Hoop Shop.
In addition, the Shipyard’s paint shop will display many outstanding marine engine models, many of them fully operational.
The Antique Marine Engine Exposition is free with regular Museum admission.
About Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home of four National Historical Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
Mystic Seaport named Mystic resident Bill Salancy the recipient of the William C. Noyes Volunteer of the Year Award for 2012 and conferred special recognition on employee Scott Noseworthy for his contribution to the institution’s operation.
The honors were awarded at a ceremony Wednesday evening at the annual Celebration of Volunteers dinner on the Museum grounds.
Salancy is a retired senior mechanical designer. He began volunteering in 2006 and to date has donated more than 4,200 hours of his time assisting the staff on exhibit construction and maintenance, watercraft preservation, the annual Mystic Irish parade, and many other projects.
The Noyes Award was established in 1998 in memory of Stonington resident William C. Noyes, who volunteered more than 6,000 hours to the Museum between 1983 and 1997. Noyes was known for his dedication, his friendliness, and his willingness to do whatever was needed. The Noyes Award is presented annually to the volunteer who most personifies his example and the “true spirit” of a Mystic Seaport volunteer.
The Museum also honored employee Scott Noseworthy with a special recognition for his outstanding efforts supervising and coordinating volunteer groups working on projects in the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard. Noseworthy, the Shipyard’s sawyer, has expertise in many fields that he applies to leading teams on diverse assignments caring for the Museum’s watercraft collection. An expert in engine technology and history, he is the driving force behind the Museum’s annual Antique Marine Engine Exposition, which is the largest gathering of historic marine engines in the United States. This year’s Exposition will be held August 18-19.
Noseworthy is a resident of Griswold.
Mystic Seaport has more than 1,100 volunteers who donate their time and experience to support the Museum. Last year, they logged more than 85,000 hours of work.
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 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. The Museum is located one mile south of I-95 in Mystic, CT and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.
