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Mystic Seaport to Host The WoodenBoat Show June 24-26

The largest gathering of wooden boats and enthusiasts in New England will converge at Mystic Seaport for the 25th annual WoodenBoat Show Friday through Sunday, June 24-26.

Polynesian Voyaging Canoe Hōkūle‘a to Make Stop on Worldwide Journey

Mystic, Conn. (June 1, 2016) — The largest gathering of wooden boats and enthusiasts in New England will converge at Mystic Seaport for the 25th annual WoodenBoat Show Friday through Sunday, June 24-26.

The WoodenBoat Show, hosted in a partnership with WoodenBoat Publications, offers something for all wooden boat enthusiasts and maritime history buffs. More than 100 traditional and classic wooden boats of every type will be on display, from hand-crafted kayaks to mahogany runabouts, to classic daysailers and schooners.

In addition to taking in the historic vessels and beautiful boats, visitors can find everything they need to outfit their own watercraft and learn new skills at demonstrations and workshops throughout the weekend. A variety of exhibitors will offer items for sale including maritime art, antiques, tools, books, nautical gear, and much more.

Throughout the weekend, Mystic Seaport staff and guest experts will be conducting demonstrations of a variety of boat-building skills, including rigging, caulking, steam-bending and laminating wood, lofting, plywood-epoxy boat building, and Japanese boat planking.

Other popular features are the “I Built It Myself” display of home-built boats and “Family Boatbuilding,” where families and teams work to build their own pre-purchased kits during the weekend. The kits are opened at 9 a.m. Friday morning and tools are put down around 3 p.m. Sunday, leaving, in most cases, a boat awaiting only final finish work.

Visitors can also try their hand at rowing or sailing a small boat at the Museum’s boat livery, or in one of the boats participating in the John Gardner Small Craft Workshop, which is run concurrently with the show by the Traditional Small Craft Association.

Hōkūle‘a under sail. Credit: Polynesian Voyaging Society
Hōkūle‘a under sail. Credit: Polynesian Voyaging Society

A highlight of the 2016 show will be Hōkūle‘a, a Polynesian voyaging canoe from Hawaii which will make a port stop at the Museum June 23-28. The 62-foot catamaran is in the midst of a multi-year circumnavigation of the globe to raise awareness of Polynesian maritime culture and ocean conservation.

Hōkūle‘a is scheduled to arrive at Mystic Seaport mid-morning Thursday, June 23. Upon tying up, there will be a traditional welcoming ceremony involving the vessel’s crew and representatives of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

During her stay, she will be open for visitors to board during designated periods and crew members will be available to answer questions and discuss the voyage. In addition, crew members will be offering two technical talks on Saturday, June 25. Kaleo Wong will lecture on the science and art of traditional Pacific canoe navigation at 10 a.m. and Bruce Blankenfeld will present a demonstration on canoe lashing at 2:30 p.m. The crew will also team up with the Museum’s Planetarium staff to offer special shows on Polynesian navigation and the skies of the Pacific during their stay.

Museum admission provides access to both the WoodenBoat Show and Mystic Seaport. Admission is good for two days upon ticket validation and a three-day ticket is available.

The WoodenBoat Show is produced by WoodenBoat Publications, Inc., which includes WoodenBoat magazine, Professional BoatBuilder magazine, the WoodenBoat Store, the WoodenBoat School, and the WoodenBoat Show. The WoodenBoat Show is an annual festival celebrating the design and craftsmanship of wooden craft.

More information can be found at www.thewoodenboatshow.com.  Tickets can be purchased in advance at mysticseaport.org/event/the-woodenboat-show/.

Information, images, and a live tracking map of Hōkūle‘a can be found at http://www.hokulea.com/.

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 state-of-the-art 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 $26 for adults and $17 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/  and follow Mystic Seaport on FacebookTwitter, and YouTube.

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