Barclay Collins speaking at the annual Members’ Meeting on September 27.

With a River Room jam-packed with milestone members and Mystic Seaport staff and friends, at 3 p.m. on Friday, September 27, the Members’ Annual Meeting elected the slate of trustees and witnessed the change of leadership from Chairman Richard Vietor to new Chairman J. Barclay Collins II. Richard served the Museum extremely well in the capacity, following in the footsteps of other Chairmen Bill Forster and Bill Cook, both present. Other past chairmen include familiar names such as P.R. Mallory, Percy Chubb II, William Ridgway Jr., Rudy Schaefer III, and Clifford Mallory Jr. Mystic Seaport has been fortunate indeed to have had such strong leadership over the years guiding and supporting the Museum through both following and head seas.

When I assumed the helm as President in January 2009, the economic world was imploding, levying incredible stress on the financial underpinning of Mystic Seaport. From my earliest days here, Richard Vietor was a pillar of strength and dedication, working tirelessly with me, staff, and trustees to keep the Museum on an even keel and, further, to embrace a strategic vision that would help the Museum emerge from the economic chaos strong and debt free. Non-profits like Mystic Seaport depend mightily on Board leadership, and Mystic Seaport has been blessed over the years with a strong dynamic Board with a strong leader at the top. At the annual recognition dinner on the September 27, Richard was suitably honored by his peers and other donors to the Museum, while Barclay was welcomed to his new role.

Barclay continues in this tradition of leaders, and I am fortunate to have the chance to work with another chairman who believes so deeply in the Museum’s mission and who assumes his volunteer role with the same commitment and focus as would have been given to his work prior to his retirement. With his classic ketch India on the river and with grandchildren enrolled in summer programs, we can expect to see Barclay frequently on the water and on the grounds. I’m confident that you will enjoy meeting Barclay, and he looks forward to getting to know as many staff and members as possible.

Other elements of the annual meeting included comments from Richard Vietor and Treasurer Steve Munger regarding the Museum’s financial position at the close of the fiscal year on April 30, 2013. You will see both of their presentations in the 2013 Annual Report, soon to be issued on the Museum’s website. In summary, Mystic Seaport remains in a strong position, thanks in large part to stable attendance, strong market growth for the endowment, prudent management, and generous donors. While Mystic Seaport remains debt free, we still rely too heavily on endowment income, and Barclay Collins has announced that easing that dependence will be a top priority over the next three years with increasing the size of the Annual Fund as a key component to that strategy.

Since the close of FY 2013, the highlights of FY 2014 have been “The Launch” with nearly 25,000 witnessing it onsite, “on-river,” and online; the launch of a new website; four significant state and federal grants; an uptick in attendance; and a strong beginning to the Annual Fund. The balance of the year will see the staff focused on the visitor experience, the launch of the Mystic Seaport for Educators website, fulfilling “The Year of the Charles W. Morgan” and of course the preparations for the ceremonial 38th Voyage, set to begin May 17, 2014. It shaping up to be another outstanding year!

Steve White presenting Conn. Gov. Dannel Malloy with a Morgan trunnel at a press conference in Hartford announcing the academic year 2013-14 as the “Year of the Charles W. Morgan.”

September first and Labor Day always trigger that “back to school” response at the end of summer, but while indeed school children head back to their classrooms and meet their new teachers with refreshed expectations, the summer remains in full force at Mystic Seaport for another 45 days at least. September and October are two of the very best months to visit the Museum grounds.  We look forward to seeing you!

This year, “back to school” means something entirely different here in Connecticut, as the July 21 launch of the Morgan signaled the beginning of the “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” as declared by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the state Senate. All year long we will be celebrating the connection and educational value of the great whaleship with school children and educators across the state. Our Education Department has been working in concert with superintendents, principals, and teachers to develop relevant learning experiences at the Museum as well new opportunities to engage classrooms through on-site visits and new interactive programs resulting from the innovative work of the soon-to-be-launched Online Learning Community. The Morgan’s rich history combined with the plans for her ceremonial 38th Voyage in 2014 creates many unique and compelling opportunities for us to share the ship’s lessons with school children across the state.

The culminating experience of the “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” in Connecticut will be her visit to New London next May, her first port of call during her voyage.  While docked in New London, she will be ballasted and properly fitted out for her journey. The southeastern Connecticut community can help us celebrate New London’s great whaling tradition and bring tremendous validation to the roots of a city that what was once one of the top five whaling ports in the United States. There from late May to mid-June, the Morgan will be open to school children to complete their curricular work and to see how a traditional sailing ship prepares for a voyage.

Mystic Seaport has long been an important focal point for school groups as a place for informal and experiential learning. This academic year will bring new and truly unique opportunities to all those teachers and students who embrace the “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” and all that it can represent for the year ahead.

The 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan on the Museum’s shiplift awaiting her launch.

According to Ric Burns, it was “the first totally good thing I’ve been to in 10 years” as he opened his keynote address at the launch on July 21. (I’m curious what the last one was?) If you were there on the grounds, on the river, or online, I think you would agree with his assessment. In short, it was a tremendous day for Mystic Seaport and the Charles W. Morgan. It was an electric atmosphere with the combined energies of the staff, members and guests, and the speakers, all who were there to pay tribute to the Morgan and all that she symbolizes. Whether a descendant of mariners or whalers or a citizen of the United States, she stood for us and the spirit of American enterprise of the past and of the present. It was the Morgan’s moment of rebirth as several speakers pointed out. How proud we were that afternoon of the Museum; how proud we are of the shipwrights and so many more who have made possible her restoration and her return to the river.

The good news and reason for celebration continued post launch with the confirmation of the second grant-in-aid of $500,000 from the State of Connecticut in support of the Morgan’s restoration. Further, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced that Mystic Seaport would be the recipient of a special chairman’s grant of $450,000 in support of public programming and exhibitions related to the Morgan and her 38th Voyage. This significant grant from NEH allows the staff to begin formalizing the means by which we will tell all the important maritime and cultural stories embedded within the Morgan’s history and the upcoming voyage itself. The NEH also announced on the same day a grant of $164,280 to support the 2014 NEH Summer Institute “The American Maritime People” at our Munson Institute, a maritime studies program for 20 higher education faculty members from around the country. It is this sort of support that validates our work and also enables the Museum to fully express its strength as a leader in its field. Bravo to all involved in the grant writing and in program development!

In the coming months there is much to accomplish with respect to the restoration of the Charles W. Morgan and the preparation for the 38th Voyage beginning May. The next phase of restoration began 24 hours after her launch and after she was moved to her new home on the north side of the lift dock. The Launch Committee has been put to bed, and now already meeting are the program committees, port partner committees, and voyage logistics committees. Work across the grounds continues in support of the needs of the voyage, and imaginations stir in anticipation of what is to come. As future milestones become firm, we will be sure to inform you, but in the meantime, please visit the Morgan in her new berth at the Shipyard and feel her move once again, buoyed by her new bottom. We will need a tremendous amount of assistance as we engage this next phase, and we are grateful to all who have already supported this history-making initiative.

The Charles W. Morgan was rolled out onto the Museum’s shiplift on Wednesday, June 25.

It was a grand sight to see the Charles W. Morgan move for the first time in more than four years as the Shipyard staff eased her out onto the lift dock in preparation for her launch later this month. Using muscle power and a forklift, they carefully eased the 300-ton ship out to its current position poised for launch over the Mystic River. The job required a lot of hands and a lot of coordination to pull off successfully, and watching the teamwork reminded me how many people from around the country are joining us to help complete the ship’s restoration and support the upcoming 38th Voyage.

Just finding the proper materials has been a major challenge from the start, and we have been successful only with the help of many “agents” who assisted us in finding the live oak, longleaf pine, and white oak of the correct dimension and quality. Live oak felled by Hurricanes Katrina and Ike came from  Mississippi, Texas, and Florida, and new spars were secured through the Gray’s Harbor Seaport Foundation in Washington state. Wrought iron was salvaged from former tiger cages at the Memphis Zoo. Sails are being made by Nat Wilson in Boothbay, ME. Closer to home, the New York Botanical Garden donated a white oak felled by Hurricane Sandy. And the list goes on…

If you had the good fortune to be at the WoodenBoat Show this past weekend (and I hope you did!), the national scope of the project was on full display as six of the 10 whaleboats being built especially for the Morgan were in attendance. All told, nine organizations in seven states have stepped forward to dedicate their time and resources to construct replica whaleboats so the Morgan can be properly equipped. They are the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia; Virginia’s Alexandria Seaport Foundation; New York City’s Rocking the Boat; Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway of Vineyard Haven, MA; Beetle Boat Shop of Wareham, MA (in partnership with the New Bedford Whaling Museum); the Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville, MI;  the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, VT; Lowell’s Boat Shop in Amesbury, MA; and The Apprenticeshop of Rockland, ME. The Apprenticeshop actually delivered their whaleboat to the Museum during the show by sailing and rowing it all the way from Maine! The crew had nothing but appreciation for the seaworthiness of the design, and one can only imagine the last time a whaleboat was seen making seven knots on a run before the wind in Massachusetts Bay.

Thus, what is taking place in our Shipyard in Connecticut is part of a nationwide effort. We will honor that when we launch the Morgan at 2 p.m. on July 21. I hope you can join us. But if you cannot make it to Mystic Seaport that day, you can still watch a live video stream that you will find on our new website’s home page along with complete coverage of the event. Don’t miss out as we begin a new chapter in the history of America’s last remaining wooden whaleship.

The first Civil War Naval Encampment at Mystic Seaport took place June 1-2, 2013.

There is no better time to be a member of Mystic Seaport! June is traditionally one of our busiest months and this year is certainly no exception with the first-ever Civil War Naval Encampment, the 34th Annual Sea Music Festival, the 22nd Annual WoodenBoat Show, and the Small Craft Workshop. In just one month, members get to experience some of the very best maritime traditions at Mystic Seaport, each one of them worthy of a membership in and of themselves. These events, in addition to all the other offerings throughout the Museum, give the visitor the special opportunity to engage with our shared maritime heritage in unique and memorable ways. And of special note this month, is the emergence of the Charles W. Morgan from her plastic cocoon. In preparation for moving her to the lift dock for her launch, the protective sheeting and scaffolding that have sheltered her for the better part of two years are being peeled away to reveal the ship once again whole. The Launch, July 21, is free for members and a historic day for the vessel and the Museum. Please join us!

But as one steps back to ask “why be a member,” it’s not just about these events to which your membership provides access. Indeed, unlimited access to the grounds and discounts on programs is the privilege of membership. However, your membership provides great benefit to the Museum, as the revenue from membership dues helps Mystic Seaport be the steward of our nation’s most significant maritime collection along the historic banks of the Mystic River. Admission revenue is important to the operating model, but it is the combined impact of membership and the Annual Fund (from largely the same people) that sustains the Museum and the “Seaport experience” we value, which hopefully inspires new visitors to become members and thus continue the important chain of stewardship.

More than half of the Museum’s 16,000 member households have been members for 25 years or more! It is this loyalty that will ensure the future sustainability and success of Mystic Seaport. Our members, along with a dedicated volunteer corps and successful philanthropic effort, continue to make Mystic Seaport stand out as the leading maritime museum in the world. Combined, they equal the core of the Mystic Seaport community that supports and sustains the efforts of our staff, who connect both the casual and intentional visitor to our mission and our nation’s maritime heritage. But the support all begins with the important act of becoming members… loyal supporters who both realize and appreciate that their continuous membership support is the foundation for the Museum’s 84 years of maritime museum excellence. Thank you for your commitment to Mystic Seaport, your faith in our efforts, and your stewardship of authenticity.

Shipyard staff member Sean Patrick Kelly drives the final golden spike on the shutter plank. May 10, 2013

It seems like just yesterday that we were all gathered next to the Charles W. Morgan to witness the first new plank be bent onto the hull. On that day, a chilly February 22, 2012, when you looked up at the vast amount of hull that needed to be replanked, you thought it would take forever to get that done. Well, forever is almost here.

More than 100 planks later, and with a number still to go, the shipwrights are nearing the “shutter” plank, the last plank to be installed on the hull. This is a traditional point of celebration in the building of any vessel and is a major milestone on the Morgan project.

That moment underscores how fast things are starting to move here at Mystic Seaport. Events that seemed far in the future now feel just around the corner. The shutter plank signals the beginning of the ship’s move back to the Mystic River. Painting and caulking will be completed, the protective enclosure and scaffolding will come down, and the vessel centered and moved out onto the ship lift. All this will be happen by July 21, launch day. Not coincidentally, that day will be the 172nd anniversary of her original launching at the Hillman Brothers yard in New Bedford.

The Education Department is working on their programming for the coming 2013-2014 “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” in Connecticut schools. In addition to traditional lesson plans, dramatic performances, and field trips, the initiative includes an innovative Online Learning Community where the participants help shape and enhance the curriculum. The goal is to give every schoolchild in the state and beyond the opportunity to experience onboard, on-site, and online the lessons the ship has to teach.

The Exhibits Department is in the process of designing a new exhibit to tell the story of whaling and America, “In the Wake of the Whalers,” and staff from all over the Museum have been travelling to ports across New England to plan the visit of the Morgan on the ship’s 38th Voyage in 2014.

All of these projects seemed far off, but as that shutter plank gets closer, it is clear they will be here before we know it. This is an important time for Mystic Seaport and I look forward to sharing these events and experiences with you in the year ahead. In the meantime, please stop by the Shipyard before the end of the month and take a look at the Morgan as they get ready to close her up. We will not have the opportunity to see her like this again in our lifetimes.

Sincerely,

Each member of the shipyard crew working on the restoration has signed the MORGAN’s shutter plank.

Over my four-plus years at Mystic Seaport, my experiences have been filled with a vast number of firsts: WoodenBoat Show, the Charles W. Morgan haul-out, Ship to Shore groups, futtock installation, over the top on the Conrad, beetle cats on the Mystic River, Lantern Light Tours, driving a trunnel, a hurricane, Sabino downriver cruises and so on. There has been so much to see, so much to experience, so much to learn. On May 10, I’ll add another to the list: the Morgan‘s shutter plank.

Every step of the way since the haul out in November 2008 we have watched in awe as the shipwrights and their team have carefully undone, documented, prepared, and renewed the Morgan through a beautiful transformative process of restoration. Every step has had it challenges, overcome by expertise and patience. And now, after four-and-a-half years, we find ourselves on the threshold of hanging the final plank, the shutter plank, the whiskey plank, the capstone, if you will. The symbolism runs deep, but even on the surface, to consider what has truly been accomplished here, one cannot help but appreciate the significance of the work itself. The numbers are staggering — planks, futtocks, trunnels, spikes, hours, people, dollars — but it is the craft, the craftsmanship, that truly stuns my eye. It’s the understanding of the wood, the shape, the physics, and the technique that inspires the respect that we all share for her restoration team. To a person, they have excelled in reviving the shape, if not the heart, of one of the finest and most significant vessels afloat in the world.

So with the shutter plank, we reach another major milestone in the project, leaving us not much more than two months before the launch. Before then, so much has yet to be completed. In this process, I have to confess that it is hard to see the long leaf yellow pine and the white oak all so carefully hewn, fitted, and fared being painted, but is the next essential step to completion and to preservation. As the caulkers’ work continues in earnest, the Morgan tightens and stiffens in preparation for her return to the river to float again on her almost hog-free bottom. How fortunate we all have been, fellow staff and members, to be part of each step in the process so that the details of it can be fully appreciated and documented in our own memories.

Over the next several weeks we will have ample opportunities to acknowledge the extraordinary work that has been accomplished up to this point while work continues in the Shipyard and around the campus in support of the overall project, including rigging and iron work. I hope you’ll join me in regularly visiting the yard to check on the next step and evolution. It’s all happening quickly, and the vast majority of it we’ll never see again. Don’t delay — if you wait until launch day, you’ll not know how we got there.

See you in the Shipyard,

Seascapes: Spring/Summer 2013

When I asked the editor if he had a suggested theme for “Seascapes,” he offered that it would come to me from the overall content of this issue of the Mystic Seaport Magazine. He was correct. In fact, I didn’t get past page 4… this page. One look at the painting by Anthony Davis, “Up Close and Personal,” which accompanies “Seascapes,” and the answer was there. How could one look at those waves and not be reconnected with one’s personal relationship with the sea? The painting speaks to both the beauty and power of a restless sea that draws us to its edge and invites us to sail to distant horizons.

In early February, author and sailor John Rousmaniere spoke at the American Schooner Association’s annual meeting at Mystic Seaport about seamanship and the hard lessons that we have learned (or not learned) from going to sea. John began his talk with a segment regarding the mystique and awe of the sea, and he asked us to reflect back on our first sail and the feelings it evoked as the water rushed by the leeward rail. He referenced Joseph Conrad’s The Mirror of the Sea and suggested it be re-read annually as food for the maritime soul. John’s words reminded me of maritime historian Gaddis Smith’s assertion that “the sea connects all things,” which I’m sure would also resonate with a room full of ardent schooner sailors.

We’ve all had our own deep and personal experiences from and with the sea, and we are fortunate that Davis, Rousmaniere, Conrad, and others add their own interpretations to our evolving “collection.” As mariners, we understand what lies at the core of their work, and we are grateful for their expressions of the sea ethic. At Mystic Seaport, we, too, present a tangible, diverse interpretation of our maritime heritage. Our skilled teachers, interpreters, shipwrights, instructors, and curators provide insight and access to our nation’s maritime heritage for seasoned seamen and women, as well as neophytes. Some are given their first encounter with the sea, be it from the shore or their first experience rowing a boat. Our goal is that our visitors’ Mystic Seaport experiences will significantly influence how they understand our maritime history and heritage and will ultimately lead toward developing interested and responsible citizens of the sea.

This summer will be a most noteworthy one at the Museum: Civil War Naval Encampment, Sea Music Festival, WoodenBoat Show, the launch of the Charles W. Morgan, Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous, Antique Marine Engine Show, and the Antique Vehicle Show… and that is just for starters!

Be sure your membership is up-to-date and plan on Mystic Seaport being your place of choice for a summer filled with maritime heritage and the celebration of same.

Stephen C. White
President

Blooming witch hazel, the first sign of spring at Mystic Seaport, in front of the Treworgy Planetarium.

Yes, spring is near, although the stormy month of February closed with yet more wild weather; fortunately this time just rain and wind. Yet, the rain and warmer temperature have helped flush away the snow and plowed up piles, exposing emerging daffodils here and there (some just outside my window). Yes, spring is near and always comes early at Mystic Seaport. The most well-known symbol of spring here, of course, is the witch hazel at the gate adjacent to the Treworgy Planetarium which is now blooming its noteworthy yellow. Soon it will be the majestic Magnolias’ turn by the Thomas Greenman House. And so it is as we begin to welcome back our members and guests who return to the Museum’s grounds as they thaw following the long, quiet winter. It’s a most welcomed sight.

While the grounds were dormant for visitors during January and the first half of February, we had a most productive winter undertaking a wide variety of special projects ranging from roof replacements to curatorial and interpretation projects to shipsmith work for the Charles W. Morgan and enhancements to the planetarium. Much was accomplished setting us up for a successful new season. Soon the covers will come off vessels hauled for the winter, and others, like Sabino, will start to make their way to the Shipyard for bottom paint and other preparations. Floating docks will find their traditional places, and quite soon the Stonington High School crew will bring over their shells for their spring home on our waterfront and daily practices will commence. The Boathouse crew is already at work preparing the Whitehalls, peapods, and other small craft for the livery, and the Beetle Cats and Dyer Dhows too get their annual attention before the busy sailing season on the river unfolds.

What we miss most is the regular interaction with our visitors and students. As the days warm and lengthen, more and more visitors and school groups linger longer engaging with our skillful interpreters and educators all across the campus, and especially extending their time on the decks of the Joseph Conrad or L.A. Dunton to better understand the maritime heritage they both so proudly represent. So many of our new guests initially have little understanding for our nation’s maritime heritage, but after a day immersed at Mystic Seaport, most are hungry for more and many become members, helping to sustain the Museum’s tradition of imparting knowledge.

If you have read this to the bottom, thank you very much and enjoy the balance of the eNewsletter. Remember, this year like no other is the time to renew a lapsed membership and to take advantage of the many events that will make 2013 a memorable year. Finally, let us know what you like about the eNewsletter or what you’d like to see us consider, simply by writing the editors at news@mysticseaport.org.

Sincerely,

Whaleboat builders pose for a photo in front of the Morgan. Front Row: Dana Hewson; Graham McKay, Lowell’s Boat Shop; Nat Benjamin, Gannon & Benjamin; Bill Sauerbrey, Beetle Cat Boat Shop (former Mystic Seaport staff); Manny Palomo, Beetle; Geoff McKonly, Rocking the Boat; Evelyn Ansel.
Back Row: Howell Crim, Alexandria Seaport Foundation; Matthew Stackpole; Bill Womack, Beetle; Bruce Mackenzie, Independence Seaport Museum; Quentin Snediker; Walter Ansel.

You may well have been at Mystic Seaport on November 1, 2008, but I hope that you’re planning on being here on July 21, 2013. It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since the Charles W. Morgan was hauled in 2008, but here we are less than six months away from her historic launch as the significant and artful work on her hull nears its conclusion. Day after day now, planking edges ever closer to completion at the waterline, this after the work in the hold is completed with the installation of the final hanging knee in mid-January. Now is the time to enjoy the status of this beautiful work before she is buttoned up tight. To stand under her at this point in the project is truly a unique and special experience.

As we approach the launch and ultimately her 38th Voyage, we are reminded of the local and national scope of the project. As an example, over the course of the month of January there was activity throughout the campus with Morgan-related work being completed everywhere, including in the Cooperage, the Rope Walk, the Shipsmith, and the Sail Loft, and of course the Shipyard. Representatives from many of the 10 boat shops and organizations (from seven states!) gathered to discuss their work and partnership in the building of 10 new whaleboats for the Morgan. How proud they are to join us in the project and some will be on hand for the upcoming WoodenBoat Show and for the launch.

We are also reminded of the diversity of materials sourced from around the nation and even farther afield in order to complete the project: live oak salvaged from Hurricanes Katrina and Ike; ever-harder-to-fine longleaf yellow pine from around the southeast; wrought iron from salvaged tiger cages at the Memphis Zoo, and hemp for her rigging from Sweden. Students from around the country are connecting to the project through our Online Learning Community and the virtual field trips continue, much to the delight of our teachers “on board” and the students “off site.” As schools prepare for the “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” we recently received great news from a foundation that approved a grant request for approximately $100,000 to provide access to the Morgan in the coming year for more than 1,000 fifth grade students in 10 Northeastern Connecticut school districts. Inspirational news indeed!

It is sure to be a busy summer, and in the coming months we will prepare you for what to expect on July 21. But one thing is certain, Mystic Seaport is the place to be-on land or on the river-to be a part of this historic launch. Our “Launch Committee” is hard at work to make it a memorable and appropriate event for the Morgan and her restorers, as well as enjoyable and memorable for our members, volunteers, visitors, and staff. Like any launch, this one is just the beginning of a new voyage. Great things most definitely lie ahead, and I hope to see you in July, if not before.

Sincerely,