Event to Feature Sparkman & Stephens Vessels, Antique Boat Parade
Mystic, Conn. (July 11, 2017) —Mystic Seaport will hold its annual Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous at Mystic Seaport Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23.
The event showcases high-quality antique vessels, including cruisers, sailboats, and runabouts. Approximately 50 classic vessels will create a colorful gathering along the museum’s waterfront. Visitors are invited to see the displayed vessels Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. An award competition will recognize excellence in restoration, authenticity, and workmanship.
To celebrate the 85th anniversary of the launching of the museum’s schooner Brilliant, the event will highlight the designs of the naval architecture firm Sparkman & Stephens. Brilliant was design #12, one of the earliest of co-founder Olin Stephen’s designs. She was launched in 1932 at the Henry B. Nevins, Inc. 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 aboard.
In addition, the museum will host a party, “Docktails & Dancing,” on Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. Guests will enjoy drinks, desserts, and dancing to live music by the band Sugar. Tickets are $40 per person for members and $45 for non-members. A cash bar will be available. Tickets may be purchased by calling 860.572.5331.
The Rendezvous concludes Sunday at 11:45 a.m. with a parade of the classic boats down the Mystic River. Each 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.
For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/event/antique-classic-boat-rendezvous/.
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.
