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The Flying Boat
The Shipyard has been busy working on the Mayflower II since the moment of her arrival last November. Unlike the last two years, the ship will remain at Mystic Seaport until 2019 and not return to her homeport of Plymouth for the summer tourist season. This will enable the restoration project to be completed in time for the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ voyage to Massachusetts in 2020.
Mayflower II is a reproduction of the original Mayflower. It was a gift to the American people to commemorate the historic ties between England and America, which were strengthened during World War II. The new ship was built in 1955-57 at Upham Shipyard in the town of Brixham in Devon, England. She sailed to the United States in 1957. The ship is owned and maintained by Plimoth Plantation, which has engaged Mystic Seaport to collaborate on the restoration.
“After hauling her for survey and evaluation in the winter of 2014-15 we have been actively engaged in project planning, material acquisition, and other tasks in anticipation of this 30 month continuous regime of restoration,” said Shipyard Director Quentin Snediker. “Work included site planning and preparation, preliminary engineering, and milling framing stock, knees and other specialized timber.”
The first task for this latest phase was to downrig and lighten the ship so she could be hauled out of the water in the Museum’s shiplift. Once hauled, she was moved back into the yard and then slid sideways to permit other vessels to be hauled while work progresses on Mayflower II. A temporary shelter will be erected over the vessel in March to protect her from the elements and permit the shipwrights and other staff members to work on her year round.
According to Captain and Plimoth Plantation Maritime Preservation Director Whit Perry, the primary task for at least the next nine months will be replacing frames and planking. The futtocks that make up the frames will be fabricated out of live oak and white oak. Planking will be primarily white oak.
Sourcing of wood suitable for ship building is difficult in this day and age. The wood being used on Mayflower II is a combination of wood that Mystic Seaport has acquired over the years and wood secured by Plimoth Plantation.
“We are still using wood salvaged from storm-damaged trees from Hurricane Katrina and Charleston, S.C., and we are acquiring new timber from Pass Christian, Miss. and New Orleans,” said Snediker.
Throughout the restoration of any vessel, it is critical to maintain the hull’s shape while portions of it are being disassembled and reconstructed. During the restoration of the Charles W. Morgan, the ship was supported by an elaborate and precise cradle. The Mayflower II has a cradle, but she is also supported by five steel girders that pass across the width of the ship through its gunports and two access holes.
“This is a step forward on the technical side,” said Perry. “It enables us to work on larger portions of the hull at the same time without having to worry about maintaining the integrity of its shape.”
The erection of the steel frame was carried out with the assistance of Arnold M. Graton Associates. The New Hampshire-based firm specializes in covered bridge restoration and timber-frame construction.
One of the more laborious tasks that is now complete was the removal of ballast in the bottom of the hold. (Ballast is weight carried low in a ship to prevent the vessel from being top heavy and tipping over.) In addition to 130 tons of lead and iron, concrete had been poured onto the bottom of the hold encasing some of the metal. This concretion had to literally be chiseled or jackhammered out – a hard, noisy job that the Shipyard staff is happy to have behind them.
Progress on the ship can be watched on a live camera for the next few weeks, until the shelter is constructed and the view is obstructed. Visitors to Mystic Seaport may view the ship in the Shipyard. Unfortunately, boarding is not possible due to the work presently taking place on the hull.
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New Rosenfeld Blog
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A Full Summer on the Water
There’s no better way to ward off cabin fever than browsing the summertime offerings at Mystic Seaport. Registration is now open for Summer Day Camps, Community Sailing programs, and excursions on the schooner Brilliant.
Mystic Seaport Summer Camps offer children the chance to delve into the region’s maritime history, learn to sail, and master new skills. With both full-day and half-day camps for ages 4-16, from June 19 through August 18, there is a camp for every child’s interest.
New this year to the camp roster is Junior Detectives for 4- to 6-year-olds, a half-day camp similar to the popular Junior Explorers. In addition to the usual camp fun of crafts, games, and activities, junior detectives will try their hand at potting their own herbs, using basic weaving skills, and seeing what kinds of food we harvest from the ocean.
“Children are naturally curious, and this camp gives them a great opportunity to explore how people lived in the past, while also having that classic summer camp experience,” said Sarah Cahill, Mystic Seaport Director of Education.
Cahill noted that “our popular partner camps with the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center and Mystic Aquarium are back, as well as camps that focus on transportation, Victorian life, sea monsters, astronomy and navigation, and of course sailing.”
Registration is now open for all summer camps, with a 10 percent discount for registrations received by March 31. A Summer Camp Open House will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 8 to learn about the camp programs. The full schedule is online at www.mysticseaport.org/learn/summer-camps/day/
Mystic Seaport is adding to its Community Sailing a free Counselor-in-Training program for 14- and 15-year-olds and Summer Evening Sailing, a $10 drop-in program for adults and families.
“The C.I.T. program is an excellent way for local teens to log volunteer experience, build their resume and learn leadership skills, while spending their summer on the Mystic River,” said Cahill. Regarding the drop-in evening sailing program, “We hope people make evenings at the Museum a part of their summer routine. We want to provide a way for sailors to continue practicing their skills in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.”
The Museum’s Community Sailing classes offer ages eight and older a wonderful chance to learn to sail, hone their skills, or simply enjoy time on the water. Both half-day and full-day classes provide a flexible schedule. Community Sailing begins in mid-April and runs through late October. Summer Evening Sailing runs from late June through mid-August. Applications for the Counselor-in-Training program are available online and are due by March 17. Visit www.mysticseaport.org/learn/sailing/community-sailing/ for more information.
Another season of sailing on board the 61-foot wooden schooner Brilliant begins in June, with six Teen Sailing cruises planned as well as seven adult trips.
“We are looking forward to another eventful season aboard Brilliant,” said Shannon McKenzie, director of Watercraft Programs. “This year, as we celebrate the 85th anniversary of her launch, we kick off the teen season at the Sail Boston event in June. This fall, in addition to short cruises, she will head south to participate in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race in October. Exciting transits to and from Maryland and Virginia, as well as the race itself, are available to adventurous adult participants for a longer experience aboard.”
Participants are not passengers; they are crew members who assist in steering the vessel, raising the sails, standing watch and learning navigation. Teenagers ages 15-18 can choose from a five-day or a 10-day overnight cruise, learning sailing, navigation, teamwork, and seamanship. Adults can choose from a one-day trip to attend the Connecticut Maritime Festival in New London to multi-day excursions to Block Island, Greenport, N.Y., Baltimore, Md., and Portsmouth, Va. Visit www.mysticseaport.org/learn/sailing/brilliant-programs/ for more information on each trip and registration information.
Registration Open for Camps, Sailing Instruction, and Schooner Cruises
Mystic, Conn. (January 12, 2017) — There’s no better way to ward off cabin fever than browsing the summertime offerings at Mystic Seaport. Registration is now open for Summer Day Camps, Community Sailing programs, and excursions on the schooner Brilliant.
Mystic Seaport Summer Camps offer children the chance to delve into the region’s maritime history, learn to sail, and master new skills. With both full-day and half-day camps for ages 4-16, from June 19 through August 18, there is a camp for every child’s interest.
New this year to the camp roster is Junior Detectives for 4- to 6-year-olds, a half-day camp similar to the popular Junior Explorers. In addition to the usual camp fun of crafts, games, and activities, junior detectives will try their hand at potting their own herbs, using basic weaving skills, and seeing what kinds of food we harvest from the ocean.
“Children are naturally curious, and this camp gives them a great opportunity to explore how people lived in the past, while also having that classic summer camp experience,” said Sarah Cahill, Mystic Seaport Director of Education.
Cahill noted that “our popular partner camps with the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center and Mystic Aquarium are back, as well as camps that focus on transportation, Victorian life, sea monsters, astronomy and navigation, and of course sailing.”
Registration is now open for all summer camps, with a 10 percent discount for registrations received by March 31. A Summer Camp Open House will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 8 to learn about the camp programs. The full schedule is online at mysticseaport.org/learn/summer-camps/day/
This summer, Mystic Seaport is adding to its Community Sailing a free Counselor-in-Training program for 14- and 15-year-olds and Summer Evening Sailing, a $10 drop-in program for adults and families.
“The C.I.T. program is an excellent way for local teens to log volunteer experience, build their resume and learn leadership skills, while spending their summer on the Mystic River,” said Cahill. Regarding the drop-in evening sailing program, “We hope people make evenings at the Museum a part of their summer routine. We want to provide a way for sailors to continue practicing their skills in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.”
The Museum’s Community Sailing classes offer ages eight and older a wonderful chance to learn to sail, hone their skills, or simply enjoy time on the water. Both half-day and full-day classes provide a flexible schedule. Community Sailing begins in mid-April and runs through late October. Summer Evening Sailing runs from late June through mid-August. Applications for the Counselor-in-Training program are available online and are due by March 17. Visit mysticseaport.org/learn/sailing/community-sailing/ for more information.
Another season of sailing on board the 61-foot wooden schooner Brilliant begins in June, with six Teen Sailing cruises planned as well as seven adult trips.
“We are looking forward to another eventful season aboard Brilliant,” said Shannon McKenzie, director of Watercraft Programs. “This year, as we celebrate the 85th anniversary of her launch, we kick off the teen season at the Sail Boston event in June. This fall, in addition to short cruises, she will head south to participate in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race in October. Exciting transits to and from Maryland and Virginia, as well as the race itself, are available to adventurous adult participants for a longer experience aboard.”
Participants are not passengers on Brilliant; they are crew members who assist in steering the vessel, raising the sails, standing watch and learning navigation. Teenagers ages 15-18 can choose from a five-day or a 10-day overnight cruise, learning sailing, navigation, teamwork, and seamanship. Adults can choose from a one-day trip to attend the Connecticut Maritime Festival in New London to multi-day excursions to Block Island, Greenport, N.Y., Baltimore, Md., and Portsmouth, Va. Visit mysticseaport.org/learn/sailing/brilliant-programs/ for more information on each trip and registration information.
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.
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Winter Hours Begin January 5
Beginning Thursday, Jan. 5, Mystic Seaport will begin its winter hours and exhibit schedule. For visitors, this means that the North Entrance of the property becomes the focal point, highlighting our new Thompson Exhibition Building and the now complete McGraw Gallery Quadrangle.
Hours will be Thursday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (the grounds close at 5 p.m.). The entrance to the Museum will be through the Thompson Exhibition Building. Parts of the village and the shipyard will be closed during this period, but with two strong, compelling exhibitions, SeaChange in the Thompson Exhibition Building and “Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers” in the Stillman Building, visitors can enjoy both outdoor and indoor activities. The Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world, will be open to board and explore and the Benjamin F. Packard Ship’s Cabin has been recreated from original pieces on the second floor of the Stillman building.
Home Port in the P.R. Mallory Building will offer family activities all day and the Children’s Museum will have story time every afternoon. The Buckingham-Hall House will have daily hearth cooking and other life skills demonstrations.
The Treworgy Planetarium shows are included in museum admission during the winter schedule, which ends Monday, Feb. 20. There are two shows, “Winter Stars and the Mariner” (11 a.m. Sat. and Sun. and 2 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.), and a new show, “Polar Night, Arctic Light” (3 p.m. Thurs.-Sun.). In “Winter Stars and the Mariner” you will learn the constellations of the winter sky and how mariners used the stars to navigate at sea. In “Polar Night, Arctic Light”, learn about the time of year when there is no daylight at the Arctic Circle, and how the Inuit Native Americans used the constellations.
Schaefer’s Spouter Tavern will be open for lunch and visitors may browse the Museum shops at the south entrance and in the Thompson Building, or view the fine art for sale in the Maritime Gallery.
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Jamie Spillane: 31 years leading Carol Sing
In its 70 years, the Mystic Seaport Community Carol Sing has become a beloved part of the area’s holiday traditions. No one understands or appreciates this more than Jamie Spillane, who has been directing the event for exactly half that time, even when he lived as far away as Arizona. Spillane, an Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Connecticut, has been participating in the Carol Sing for even longer – 40 years! He took a few minutes earlier this week to answer some of our burning Carol Sing questions.
Q. Tell us about your day job as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Connecticut – what does that entail?
A. As Director of Choral Studies, I oversee a choral program that includes eight choirs each numbering between 20-
80 singers. My duties include directing the UConn Concert Choir and Chamber Singers and teaching undergraduate and graduate choral conducting and choral literature classes.
Q. You were out of Connecticut for a number of years and yet you came back every year to lead the Carol Sing – why?
A. When I went away to pursue my doctorate and then teach at the college level I lived in Arizona, Iowa (for 7 years) and then upstate New York in Rochester. I never missed a year because there is nothing like the Seaport Carol Sing. My family still lives here in Mystic so it was also a homecoming around the holidays. It was always a gift to myself.
Q. What’s your favorite Christmas carol?
A. I don’t know if I have a favorite though there are moments through the Carol Sing that warm my heart: When we sing I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas and get to the line “and hear sleigh bells in the snow” and dozens of people ring the bells they have brought. Or when we sing Santa Claus is Coming to Town and the family comes each year and brings props. Or when we sing Silent Night and friends and families huddle close to each other and gently sway. Or when we sing Joy to the World and truly wish it so. There is no true favorite, they are all loved family members.
Q. What’s the hardest Christmas carol to sing?
A. They are all about the same? Maybe the higher note in The First Noel can be a challenge but they are all pretty familiar!
Q. True or false – people only know the first verse and chorus of every Christmas carol.
A. Well…mostly true 🙂 That is why we have carol books!
Q. What’s the best part about the Mystic Seaport Carol Sing?
A. I learned long ago that truly the best part of the Mystic Seaport Community Carol Sing – is the community, It is a community of people who come together for one day, many for the 40th or 50th year in a row, and join together in song – celebrating the joy of the season. I would think this would be a better country and world if we did that more often.
The Community Carol Sing begins (rain or shine) at 3 p.m., Sunday at McGraw Quadrangle. The Mystic Seaport carolers will perform a holiday concert in the Greenmanville Church at 2 p.m. The Seaport is open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and free admission will be given from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with the donation of a canned food Item. See other activities scheduled for the day here.
Exhibition is the First for Museum’s New Thompson Exhibition Building
Mystic, Conn. (November 30, 2016) — Mystic Seaport will open its newest exhibition, SeaChange, an exploration of the theme of transformation through select maritime artifacts, on December 10. The exhibition will be the inaugural installation in the Collins Gallery of the newly constructed Thompson Exhibition Building, which opened this past September.
SeaChange will present a range of striking, surprising, and unusual objects drawn from the rich collections of Mystic Seaport. Some of these intriguing artifacts will be on display for the first time, others may not have been seen for many years, but all are presented in a new setting with surprising stories. Each is a survivor of the past that speaks to a notable transformation – in material, technology, the sea itself, or the broader American culture over the past 200 years.
“In creating this exhibit, we were drawn to pieces in the collections that are visually compelling and that tell stories about people, places, and events far from our own that nevertheless resonate today. They speak to the human transformation of natural materials, to massive shifts in technology, to changes in the natural world, and to the personal changes – metamorphoses even – caused by contact with the sea,” said Elysa Engelman, director of Exhibits at Mystic Seaport. “We hope the visitor is similarly transformed by the rich narratives these artifacts tell and leaves the exhibit moved and inspired to learn more.”
SeaChange is organized around ten primary objects. Together, they give glimpses into people’s lives in different places and times, from scientific surveyors charting the Atlantic coast on the eve of the American Revolution to western merchants trading for silk and tea in 1850s China, from Artic explorers to laborers harvesting bird guano off Peru for American farmers. They touch on a full range of human concerns, from foodways to family, art to science. In keeping with the bold design, clean lines, and natural materials of the Thompson Building, the exhibit design uses large, free-standing abstract structures evocative of sails or icebergs to frame each central artifact, taking advantage of the soaring heights in the Collins Gallery. The overall effect is visually stunning, an inviting space that entices visitors to contemplate, discover, discuss – and return to the exhibit.
SeaChange extends the sensory approach beyond the visual with more than a dozen custom-created interactives. Among them, visitors will have the opportunity to:
- Peer through a scope at various “dazzle” ship camouflage designs from World War I to see which is most visually disruptive to a submarine commander
- Use an endoscope to see inside the detailed interior of an 18th-century ship model
- Tap to smell the scents related to one of the more curious cargoes of the Pacific trade
- Listen to experts from a range of fields relate the backstories and answer common questions about each primary artifact through video touchscreen programs.
The exhibit will open to the public at 10 a.m. with a special Museum members preview at 9 a.m.
SeaChange was designed by the McMillan Group of Westport, CT, and the audio-visual and interactive programming was produced by Trivium Interactive of Boston, MA.
The exhibition is the centerpiece of the Museum’s initiative to increase its year-round, all-weather offering to visitors. SeaChange will be open into fall 2017.
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 exhibits, beginning with SeaChange, which opens December 10, 2016. 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 $26 for adults and $17 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation presented a Richard H. Driehaus Preservation Award to the Charles W. Morgan whaleship of Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Conn. The project is one of several award winners honored by the National Trust during its 2016 PastForward National Preservation Conference in Houston, Texas, November 16, 2016.
The Morgan is the second oldest American ship afloat and the world’s only surviving wooden whaleship. Today she is a National Historic Landmark. Her restoration and 38th Voyage in 2014 was made possible by more than five years of work and $12 million raised in a broad national campaign.
The Morgan’s voyage promoted the stewardship of intangible heritage and public history, educating nearly 65,000 people about everything from the diversity of those who worked in whaling to human-whale interaction. She has since returned to Mystic Seaport to resume her role as a permanent floating exhibit: a significant landmark in herself and the preserver of wooden shipbuilding for years to come.
“While each is unique, this year’s outstanding Driehaus Award winners all reflect the importance of protecting our nation’s cultural heritage,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “From prominent gothic building along Chicago’s Michigan Avenue to a 19th-century whaling ship in Connecticut, this year’s Driehaus Award winners demonstrate how saving places is bolstering local economies and helping preserve the unique fabric of communities throughout the country.”
“Mystic Seaport is honored to receive the Driehaus Award for the restoration of the Morgan. There are many significant, historic structures in America, but rarely are historic ships spoken of in the same breathe as buildings,’ said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “The Driehaus Award validates the work of Mystic Seaport’s shipwrights as crucial custodians of historic design and function. All shipwrights and maritime preservationists will be honored by this recognition by the national trust, and, thus. we are most grateful.”
The National Preservation Awards are bestowed on distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies and corporations whose skill and determination have given new meaning to their communities through preservation of our architectural and cultural heritage. These efforts include citizen attempts to save and maintain important landmarks; companies and craftsmen whose work restores the richness of the past; the vision of public officials who support preservation projects and legislation in their communities; and educators and journalists who help Americans understand the value of preservation.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places. www.PreservationNation.org
This report was prepared from a press release issued by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
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MAYFLOWER II Hauled
Mayflower II was hauled out of the water in the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport on Friday, November 18, 2016. The process took about two and a half hours to maneuver the ship in the lift, settle her properly on the cradle, and then lift the ship out of the water. The next step will be to power wash the hull and pull her into the yard and then sideways to the spot where the restoration work will take place. That should happen early next week.
This is the third phase of a multi-year preservation initiative for the nearly 60-year-old ship. Mystic Seaport shipwrights and Plimoth Plantation maritime artisans are collaborating on the restoration, which is being carried out to prepare the ship for the commemoration of the Pilgrims’ arrival 400 years ago in 2020. Unlike past years, Mayflower II will remain at Mystic Seaport for a period of 30 months and not return to Plymouth in the spring as she has in past years.
