Over the last 75 years, tens of thousands of sailors and boaters have visited Mystic Seaport Museum by boat. Since 1948, the center of this experience has been the Cruising Club of America dock, where a mariner could tie up and enjoy the Museum day and night.
Presently, the Cruising Club of America dock is in dire need of replacement. We are working on plans and permitting to enact this project along with other improvements to our waterfront.
The replacement dock will not be a fixed pier, but rather concrete floating docks. More and more, our visiting mariners are asking for floating docks which are more user-friendly and conducive to a wider range of boaters who may have mobility challenges. Additionally, we have been witnessing firsthand on our site the very real challenges presented by rising ocean levels. Floating docks will enable us to keep pace with environmental changes well into the future.
We love Mystic Seaport, having visited several times, even though we’re from California. On my first visit, in 1976, I said I wanted to come back on my own boat someday. That took until 2005, by which time my wife and cruising partner Sharon Jacobs and I had two daughters, then 9 and 13. Sharon was also handicapped due to MS, and using a wheelchair any time we were off our boat. Having use of the CCA dock was essential to what was a wonderful visit. When we heard that Mystic was embarking on a project to replace and upgrade the CCA dock, and to make it even more accessible to those with varying abilities and disabilities, we were delighted to be able to provide a contribution in support.
As every sailor knows, docks are the starting points of adventures and the respites at the end. At Mystic Seaport Museum, the CCA Dock does both at once. The sailors who arrive by sea have a safe berth and also the exploration of a premier maritime museum ahead of them. The landside visitors see the ever-changing display of modern and classic vessels being used by active boaters and can image the marine world beyond the Mystic River. The CCA Dock is both a portal into the maritime heritage of America and a resource to view of all sorts of recreational boats being used today. I have donated to the CCA Dock project because it aligns perfectly with the mission of the CCA to encourage adventure at sea and the appreciation of good boats.
Waddy and I enjoyed numerous summers in Long Island Sound, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Block Island, Buzzards Bay on BLIZZARD, our C & C 41….in the 1980s and 90s. RUNNING TIDE, our cruising boat (J46) is now in the capable hands of my two children and their spouses. Son Parker is a new CCA member. I have great memories of our young children enjoying the Museum and the seaport. Another tidbit of “tie” to Mystic is the saga of Andre the seal from Rockport, Maine…..we had a mooring for years in Rockport and loved the incredible seal story and his long swim back to Maine from Mystic to his dock master friend and home waters. A favorite book of my grandchildren! Mystic is important to sailing families and why I have supported this campaign.
Annika and I decided to put some money toward something at the Seaport that we really support. I understand the need for the annual fund, for instance, but my focus is the watercraft and the waterfront. So it’s nice to support both in one donation. I also see it as one of the areas where we can expect a relatively short term pay-back from the investment and an eventual income stream that will be meaningful going forward for years to come. I’m looking forward to seeing how many CCA members might be like-minded!
We look forward to visiting the CCA Dock again at the Seaport knowing that our new paint job will be protected by the floating dock.
Funding the renovation and upgrading of the CCA docks keeps faith with the generations of CCA sailors who have made Mystic Seaport their preferred destination. The CCA docks symbolize the bond between Mystic Seaport and the CCA that has endured since 1948 thanks to our shared love for the sea and all things maritime. This shared bond is demonstrated personally through my many years as a Mystic Seaport Trustee and my brother, David Vietor's many years as a CCA member. To ensure that this strong relationship continues for future CCA generations, I was proud to make a gift in David's memory.
Having grown up learned to sail down the road in Rowayton, CT - Mystic Seaport has always been an important place for me. I still remember my first visit for a huge Dyer Dhow race one beautiful fall afternoon many years ago. I'm proud to have maintained my connection with Mystic over the years - and it was a big moment when the plywood Blue Jay that I built for my sister while at Yale became part of the WaterCraft collection. When my friend, and former America's Cup teammate, Dave Vietor passed away recently, I learned of his interest in the CCA Dock Campaign at the Seaport and was pleased to make a donation in his memory for this project. It always amazes me how many different aspects of our sport the Seaport touches.
Excerpts from the CCA Dock Dedication Delivered by Commodore Thorvald Ross July 31, 1948
“This is to be our dock, which we are not parabolically to dedicate. What is a dock? Well, it’s much more than oak piles and oak planking. And this one, because of its Museum association, has a distinctly spiritual character. In this Marine Museum are the models of ships and other relics of the great old days. They inspire our imaginations and they charge our present and our future. President Mallory told me last evening that what he and his associates are doing for the Marine Historical Association is blessed by the leadership of those people of the past. Our dock will share in that spirited leadership. It will become a symbol of welcome and well wishing for journeys to be undertaken, and when those journeys are completed, it will be witness lovers’ meetings….”
Photo Gallery
Pictures from the cocktail reception on June 1st for CCA club members. Hosted by Sheila McCurdy, Alix Thorne, Bob Rodgers, Mike Hudner, Bill Cook and Frank Bohlen.
CCA Dock flooding in January 2022.As we celebrate the Centennial of The Cruising Club of America, there is also an opportunity to recognize and honor the 75 year relationship you have with The Mystic Seaport Museum.
In 1946 Museum President Carl Cutler granted a Lifetime Membership to the CCA to then Club Secretary George Richard.
Two years later CCA Commodore Thorvald Ross joined Museum Chairman P.R. Mallory in dedicating the Cruising Club of America Dock at Mystic Seaport.
For more than seven decades the CCA Dock has been center stage for tens of thousands of mariners who ventured up the river to experience the wonder of Mystic Seaport Museum.
Throughout those decades many of the CCA Club’s Flag Officers and Members have also served on the Board of the Museum; a tradition that continues today.
Mystic Seaport is also the steward of many monuments, memorials and buildings named for CCA members including:
Hobart “Hobey” Fords Dock
Mitchell Gibbons Neff Memorial Bench
Shaeffer Exhibition Gallery
Daniel Gregory Ships Plans Collection
Carelton Mitchell Photography Collection
CCA Archives
G.W. Blunt White Library
Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard
CCA Book Purchase Endowment honoring G.W. Blunt White
Horace W. Fuller Endowment for scholarships and youth development
Harvey Conover Endowment for youth training
CCA Dock
During your Centennial Year there is a unique opportunity to celebrate your relationship to Mystic Seaport Museum by collectively contributing to our continued growth and success.
A campaign has been initiated to collectively contribute $750,000 to the Museum over the next 12-24 months
Gifts may be made using appreciated securities, qualified distributions from an IRA and of course direct contributions and pledges may be paid over 1-2 years
An anonymous CCA Club member has already pledged to give an additional $250,000 when we reach the $750,000 goal.
